Jason Licht Batting 1.000
May 20th, 2022
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
Ever since Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht took over as general manager in 2013, one thing has been entirely consistent.
If Licht drafted a player in the first round, he would have his fifth-year option picked up.
Mike Sando of The Athletic did a deep dive on how teams fared with picking up the fifth-year options of their first round draft picks. Sando sifts through the drafts from 2011-2021 for each team.
For the Bucs, there was a clear line of demarcation. Guys drafted in the first round by Licht’s predecessor were 0-3 for getting their fifth-year options picked up (Adrian Clayborn, Mark Barron and Mollie Hamster).
You generally do not offer fifth-year options to players who blow chunks. So the fact Licht has a perfect 6-0 record with his first round draft picks getting the fifth-year option demonstrates Licht knows what he’s doing in the draft.
As if that Super Bowl ring of his isn’t evidence enough.
May 20th, 2022 at 11:10 am
What you are saying is that the Law of Averages applies to Licht. Early to mid first round picks should pan out…for anybody.
May 20th, 2022 at 11:15 am
Licht did a 5th year option on VH3ust. VH3ust blew chunks.
May 20th, 2022 at 11:17 am
VH3 blew serious chunks, OJ blew a couple and of course Jaymiss.
May 20th, 2022 at 11:17 am
I am a HUGE Jason Licht fan, but what about OJ Howard ?
May 20th, 2022 at 11:20 am
yuck on vh3, jw, and oj…..at least theyre gone, thats the smartest thing.
May 20th, 2022 at 11:25 am
There is a roughly 50-60 percent hit rate on first round picks getting a second contract with their teams.
May 20th, 2022 at 11:26 am
What about him? He looked like he was having a damn good season after he got his fifth-year option picked up when he blew his Achilles.
May 20th, 2022 at 11:34 am
Sorry Joe VH3 and OJ were wasted 1st rounders. VH3 can’t even make a team now and OJ Achilles was just one of many injuries.
May 20th, 2022 at 11:58 am
The moronity of Jason Licht haters is staggering.
May 20th, 2022 at 12:02 pm
Yeah, 3 out of 5 were legit – still a much better run than that disgusting list of non talent of the prior 3
Clayborn, poor guy has one arm basically and is just an average DL overall
Barron is to small for LB and too slow for S – again just a guy in the league
The Molly Mouse was burnt out in what 2 years
At least OJ was decent
Vernon was just a joke, the jump in talent exposed him immediately and then that stupid stuff while on the Texans practice squad!!!!! How embarrassing for whoever voted for him in the scouting room
JL and his crew of scouts have been night and day to the last two regimes when it comes to the draft – the Dom nor Gruden with the puppet drafted worth a crap
May 20th, 2022 at 12:14 pm
Took me a minute to figure out who the ‘Mollie Hamster’ was LOL!
May 20th, 2022 at 12:19 pm
Enough of the Jason Licht propaganda. He’s an average GM at best. He deserves a C for his off-season moves, if you want to call them moves. Howie Roseman, Mickey Loomis, and Les Snead have owned him. Where’s the impact defensive signing, Jason? He signed a few spare parts with Ryan and Neal. Meanwhile, the Saints scooped up Honey Badger and the Eagles signed Bradberry.
May 20th, 2022 at 12:26 pm
They all have the same number of Super Bowls as Licht. One.
May 20th, 2022 at 12:32 pm
Licht has been doing well…..however, w/o TB the team would be in shambles and what would his picks look like then.
May 20th, 2022 at 12:33 pm
How many of those first rounders were picked in the top 15? SK is right, those players should be good.
May 20th, 2022 at 12:41 pm
SKBucsFan Says:
May 20th, 2022 at 11:10 am
What you are saying is that the Law of Averages applies to Licht. Early to mid first round picks should pan out…for anybody.
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It was at 36% from 2015-2019. Law of averages my anus. Sixty-four percent of all 1st rounders WERE NOT picked up on their 5th year option and Licht has gotten 100%. Apologize immediately.
May 20th, 2022 at 12:41 pm
SKBucsFan Says:
May 20th, 2022 at 11:10 am
What you are saying is that the Law of Averages applies to Licht. Early to mid first round picks should pan out…for anybody.
———————-
It was at 36% from 2015-2019. Law of averages my arse. Sixty-four percent of all 1st rounders WERE NOT picked up on their 5th year option and Licht has gotten 100%. Apologize immediately.
May 20th, 2022 at 12:45 pm
Bucsfan13 Says:
May 20th, 2022 at 12:19 pm
Enough of the Jason Licht propaganda. He’s an average GM at best. He deserves a C for his off-season moves, if you want to call them moves. Howie Roseman, Mickey Loomis, and Les Snead have owned him. Where’s the impact defensive signing, Jason? He signed a few spare parts with Ryan and Neal. Meanwhile, the Saints scooped up Honey Badger and the Eagles signed Bradberry.
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Now this is stupid logic. Free agency started in March and you’re pointing to two signings in May as why the Eagles and Saints GMs are superior? Nobody wanted those players for what they were asking for and then finally AFTER the draft and after their price tags went down, two teams decided to see what they could offer. Just because your simple minded self could recognize the name, it doesn’t mean they are great players.
May 20th, 2022 at 1:01 pm
Admittedly wasn’t a JL fan until BA arrived in 2019, but since then he’s been on fire. Tend to think that GMs get credit for draft selections, when in reality it’s more of a group effort. And some ‘groups’ are better at it than others. But in my mind it’s the first 2-3 rounds together that really make a great GM, not just the Rnd 1 selections.
Convinced that Lovie drove the train in 2014 & 2015 when we picked Mike Evans & ASJ in 2014 then Jameis, Donovan & Ali in 2015 (great haul actually, and they were all offense). Once Dirk was promoted to HC in 2016, Bucs’ drafting probably changed & became more of a collaborative process & more ‘balanced’.
Bucs went heavy defense with early picks in 2016 (VHIII, Spence), but screwed the pooch with Aquayo. Then went somewhat more balanced with early picks in 2017 (OJ, Justin Evans, then Godwin) but heavier on defense in 2018 in Rnds 1-2 (Vea, RoJo, Stewart & Davis) but more balanced in Rnds 3-4 (Cappa, Whitehead). That was an excellent draft class BTW.
Once BA arrived, JL really started batting much higher I think, especially in the early rnds. In 2019: White, SMB, Dean Edwards … all defense (with Nelson added in Rnd 4). In 2020: Wirfs, Winfield, Vaughn … somewhat heavier on the offensive side of the ball. In 2021: JTS, Trask, Hainsey … still heavier on offense. Much too early to tell how good 2022’s class will turn out to be.
Overall? JL’s drafting in his first 4 years didn’t impress me, but it’s improved considerably in the past 5 years, in the Top-3 Rnds especially. I suspect a lot of that just had to do with growing into the job, and with improving the effectiveness of his management ‘team’ (scouting, etc). Working with quality coaches like BA & Bowles surely had an impact also.
May 20th, 2022 at 1:13 pm
Joe Says:
“What about him? He looked like he was having a damn good season after he got his fifth-year option picked up when he blew his Achilles.”
I did not realize that we picked up his 5th year Option. My Bad
May 20th, 2022 at 1:13 pm
Brandon, I was very disappointed with the bucs FA moves. For starters, you had Steph Gilmore and James Bradberry available for corners, and like you said the honey badger signing with the saints was a gut punch. He was exactly what this secondary needed.
I was also astounded licht wasn’t more active in the reciever market. Gage is a fine player, but they lost AB. Godwin won’t be the old Godwin, until very late in the season at best. That’s assuming he has no setbacks. Gronk is a walking blue tent, and lichts answer was drafting a developmental TE. For a team that should be all in, it certainly didn’t feel like it.
May 20th, 2022 at 2:11 pm
@GOB Thank you! He hasn’t moved the needle this off-season at all. This blind faith in Licht is misplaced
May 20th, 2022 at 2:20 pm
@Defense Rules. Our defense needs help, and Licht is pinching pennies. We’re gonna regret not addressing our defense this off-season. Did we really need to draft a RB in the third round? We could’ve used a quality corner or another edge rusher. I’m not sold on JTS and Shaq is getting old. Shaq struggles against bigger tackles. We need some toughness on our line. We’re too soft up front!
May 20th, 2022 at 2:26 pm
Vh3 was gone from here before his 5th year option became an issue, which is what the article is about
May 20th, 2022 at 2:27 pm
Licht doesn’t control injuries. OJ Howard was having a real good year and was getting better every game. Then he blew out his Achilles. Had he not Howard would still be a Buc and we wouldn’t be so worried about Gronk signing this year.
May 20th, 2022 at 2:28 pm
Lol.. mollie hamster… took me a few to figure that out 🙃
May 20th, 2022 at 2:40 pm
At least he didn’t give’em all 6 year options
May 20th, 2022 at 3:32 pm
Licht has proven his worth.
Getting the best coach in Buc history to come out of retirement
And
Getting the best QB in Buc history to this team when other organizations did not want an old broken-down Brady (how many on this site said that)
And
Having this team compete at high levels since those two arrived
And
Getting other key players to come to the team at lesser salaries since both those guys arrived
And
Having the most explosive offense in the team history
And
Having a way better than average defense during that same time
And
Winning a Super Bowl
And
Getting Brady to extend for one more season last year
And
Helping to get Brady to unretire
And
Having good to excellent drafts lately.
May 20th, 2022 at 4:16 pm
That is good but everyone is measured by Super Bowls. You brought in AB result the the extra weapon we needed to win. Result Super Bowl. Best run D. also We lost AB the next year you did not get Beckham and the result lost to the team that had Beckham. This year you want tp replace Suh with a rookie and our weakest link is our secondary and we do not have any one still to replace AB. With other teams that took major leaps to be high power offenses. Yes we have Brady but I do not see us winning it all because we did not keep up with the teams that want to win now. THE FRONT OFFICE is graded by the right pieces they bring in to win it all, not signing a second contract with a rookie you drafted!
May 20th, 2022 at 4:19 pm
geno, the correlation is Brady. If you wanna give credit to anybody, It should be Bill Belichick, for letting him go. BA was a detriment to this team that needed to be overcome. Brady all but scrapped his offense. BA wasn’t calling plays. And, he spent most of his time during practice in a golf cart. He could best be described as a passenger. If that’s your definition of a great coach, I’d hate to see your definition of a bad one. If BA was this great coach, why did it take him until the age of 60 to get a gig? Tom Brady is by far the biggest reason for the teams success over the past two years. Sure, he has great players at his disposal. That came from years of drafting in the top 15 or better.
May 20th, 2022 at 4:25 pm
All the stats & the Super Bowl win make it very clear that for the last six years the Buccaneers have been absolutely great at drafting regardless of what some of the haters want to try to imply. He’s easily one of the top three GM’s in the league
May 20th, 2022 at 5:17 pm
We Tampa Bay Sports fans have been blessed with two great GM’s, consequently two championship teams.
I take nothing away from Licht. He deserves all his props and he seems to be getting them at long last after the SB win.
But Julien Brisbois has done and even more amazing job, manipulating the cap by declaring Kuch injured, making incredible last minute late signings that impact the Lightning’s depth and make them a team looking for a truly amazing 3 consecutive Stanley Cups.
May 20th, 2022 at 5:26 pm
Bucsfan13 Says:
May 20th, 2022 at 2:11 pm
@GOB Thank you! He hasn’t moved the needle this off-season at all. This blind faith in Licht is misplaced
^^^^^^^^^^
You don’t think Brady, Fournette, Godwin, Jensen, and Carlton Davis coming back “moved the needle”? Do you follow football?
May 20th, 2022 at 5:29 pm
You don’t think getting a Pro Bowl caliber Right Guard for a 5th Round pick moves the needle?
May 20th, 2022 at 7:17 pm
Just saying when you pick high in 2 of the 5 years, and just outside the top 10 in 2 of the other years you are more likely to hit a good player. He still drafted them and did very well with 2 of them. The other 3 not so much. And one of them was a #1 overall player.
I would say a better measurement would be how many of his first round picks went on to sign a 2nd contract with the Bucs? The answer is 2! 2 of 5 that have had contracts renewed. How many of the other 3 did we miss? The answer is zero!
Numbers can be manipulated to say almost anything.
May 20th, 2022 at 7:19 pm
Joe in Michigan, does it move the needle? No not enough. The bucs have the greatest QB in NFL history in perhaps his final year. When you’re in an arms race, you don’t make the equipment of popcorn fart moves. Shaq Mason I’ll give you. He’s an obvious upgrade over cappa, in what amounted to a salary dump by the Patriots. Other than that, it’s largely the same team the Rams smacked around for 7 out of 8 quarter. The only reason the divisional round LOSS was even a game, was because the Rams couldn’t hold onto the football.
You’d better pray the coaching change makes a difference. If it doesn’t, the bucs are currently not capable of beating the top teams in the conference. It’s a good chance they don’t even win the division, because the Saints are even better this year. Brady has made a career out of covering up blemishes. He’s 45 years old, and can’t carry a team anymore. Unless the bucs plan on running the ball to a Superbowl, they’ll get the same result.
May 20th, 2022 at 7:19 pm
Joe says:
“There is a roughly 50-60 percent hit rate on first round picks getting a second contract with their teams”
I agree. And he had 40% get a 2nd contract with “their” teams. Evans and Vea. The other 3 went on to other teams….thank goodness!
May 20th, 2022 at 8:10 pm
@GOB
I give Brady tons of credit all the time.
Winning in the NFL is a lot easier with a great quarterback.
But this concept that some fans on this site have that somehow Brady can win without good coaching or a good front office is just absurd.
Licht has proven himself.
May 20th, 2022 at 8:50 pm
JOE I GOTTA QUESTION:
What does JTS look like out there? Bigger? Anything? He was a big first round swing so I would like to see him up his game with some more weight year two.
May 20th, 2022 at 8:51 pm
geno, i agree it takes good coaching, and a good front office. Brady has had both for the vast majority of his career.
My point is that GMs on Brady lead teams can get complacent. He’s like blemish cream. Bob Kraft is a notorious cheapskate, and Brady took horrible defenses to the superbowl. 2011 is the gold standard. I fear that’s what the bucs are doing now.
May 20th, 2022 at 8:52 pm
GOB: You don’t think Brady, Fournette, Godwin, Jensen, and Carlton Davis coming back “moved the needle”?
May 20th, 2022 at 9:25 pm
No I don’t Joe, not enough anyway. I think Licht resigned Davis because he was his guy. He’s not a true #1 corner. The bucs had different options at the position. Answer me this, would you rather have Carlton Davis, or Steph Gilmore? Davis, or bradberry? How about the corner the slimy saints drafted 5 spots behind Kyle Trask.
You’re giving licht credit for bringing in players that would’ve gone elsewhere if it were not for Brady. You or I could’ve done what Licht did, probably better.
May 20th, 2022 at 9:44 pm
Davis, 💯.
May 20th, 2022 at 9:50 pm
Joe, I hope you’re right. Unless it’s a Patriots Bucs Superbowl, I’m cheering for them. I think Bill Belichick is too, evidenced by the gift of Shaq Mason. 💕
May 20th, 2022 at 11:55 pm
Hargreaves was terrible start to finish he clearly should have not been given the 5th year, but I’m definitely a Licht fan. He did have some early missteps (RubberToe AguayaNooooo) he also drafted a future HOF’er with his first ever pick. He has gotten better every year. He was able to get BA to come here with the best coaching staff in franchise history. He assembled a team that the greatest player in the history of the sport chose to come to. Nuff said.
May 21st, 2022 at 8:24 am
32 picks of First round are not equal!