“Confusing” GM Jason Licht
June 21st, 2025
Bucs GM Jason Licht gets another backhanded slap.
NBC/Rotoworld analyst Patrick Daugherty, who is tasked with ranking NFL general managers every year, came clean on the Sharp Angles podcast this week.
“Jason Licht is the one; he really does just fry my brain,” Daugherty said.
Sharp Angles is part of the data-driven pipeline of content produced by noted stats guru/handicapper Warren Sharp. In their latest episode, Daugherty and host Ray Summerlin dove deep on a short list of “most confusing” GMs to evaluate.
They seem to agree that Licht leads the pack.
Daugherty ranked Licht as his 10th-best GM in a deep dive for NBC last week. Summerlin countered that Licht is probably worthy of No. 8 in the league.
“I think the Bucs are overlooked a little too much because they do have an easy path to the playoffs and they still almost mess it up,” Summerlin said. “That’s not great, but then we’ve seen them get to the playoffs and like really go toe-to-toe with these other teams. And I think that we probably underrate this roster and we probably underrate Jason Licht because of that.”
Daugherty acknowledges Licht’s recent success but says fans need to pump the brakes on overrating the Bucs’ and their GM.
“Top 10 is very good. I don’t think he’s top-5, but he’s clearly one of the best executives in the NFL, Jason Licht,” said Daugherty, who later called Licht’s body of work “flawed” and admitted the Bucs’ cumulative record under Licht flummoxes him.
“It’s been 11 years on the job for Jason Licht and he still has 10 more losses than wins in 11 years. It’s not a small sample size,” Daughtery said.
Then Daugherty threw some low blows. He said Licht is a symbol for what could happen when you don’t fire a GM that deserved to get launched.
“Licht is like “a haunting counterfactual, too,” he said. “They even game him an extra year. … What if you gave a guy six or seven years to actually build a front office the way he wanted to, what might happen? Jason Licht might be the answer to that question.”
Joe would love to throw a key lime pie in Daugherty’s face.
Summerlin countered that Licht deserves a ton of credit for having the Bucs thrive and not “fall off the cliff” after Tom Brady retired.
Then Daugherty couldn’t seem to help himself and sarcasitcally noted how Licht being “confirmed a wizard” is an oversell after the Bucs have averaged 9 wins a year over the past three seasons.
Ira Kaufman Talks Conference Status, More Baker Mayfield Scrutiny, Defensive Needs Debate, Josh Grizzard’s My-Way Stance, And Much More
June 21st, 2025 at 6:53 pm
The problem will always be there. His name is toilet Bowles. Loser mentality
June 21st, 2025 at 7:06 pm
So 10 games under .500 in 11 years. 🤔
June 21st, 2025 at 7:12 pm
Just ignore these airheads.
June 21st, 2025 at 7:22 pm
They’re not far off. I like Licht- it’s a hard job. I’ll roll with Licht- I’m liking our current rebuild.
June 21st, 2025 at 7:36 pm
@George
Thanks for the insightful, knowledgeable post – smh.
I imagine if you talked to our coach in person you’d call him Mr. Bowles, not “toilet Bowles”.
June 21st, 2025 at 7:38 pm
BA saved Licht’s a$$. Who knows where this franchise would be if BA never came here?
June 21st, 2025 at 7:45 pm
I don’t get the easy path stuff. Yes the Bucs are in a weak division the past few years… that’s 6 games.
The other 11 are a first place schedule. You don’t just continually put 9 win seasons together without decent roster building.
The man has a SB on top of it. Ludicrous stuff from that person and I’d also like to pie him in the face.
June 21st, 2025 at 7:50 pm
Hope Grizzard is reading these posts. There is a hidden lesson to be learned. Jason Licht took a symuler stance at the beginning of his tenure. But he had to learn to listen to the good people around him and take their input. Before he learned that he was drafting edge rusher with hopes that they would be the right one, drafting punters with premium draft picks, hiring coaches that should not have been hired. After several years of looking over his shoulder expecting to be fired, he finally started to listen to the good people and their advise. That occured the year before he hired Bruce Arians. So, since then he has drafted and made some note worthy decisions that have helped the Bucs and swayed the Glazers decision on keeping him around. But if Todd and him screw up this season I will be hollowering for their Asses to be fired also. I am a Bucs fan since Doug Williams and a diehard since 1998. Go Bucs Go.
June 21st, 2025 at 7:54 pm
I saw Tez getting interviewed by Kay Adams the other day. He said what he liked about Baker was that “Baker don’t care”. But you know Baker keeps receipts. I think the same could be said for Licht. “Jason don’t care”. But you know Jason keeps receipts.
June 21st, 2025 at 8:12 pm
A fifth grader should be able to improve upon Daugherty’s evaluation.
To properly evaluate Licht as a GM in the present, you don’t look at his earlier years on the job. He’s clearly MUCH better presently than he was when new at the job.
Licht built a team that attracted Arians, one of the top head coaches in the NFL (he won Coach of the Year twice!), and then attracted the GOAT to come play here. And now he’s built another team capable of going deep into the playoffs, and he did this primarily via the draft and while shopping at the Dollar Store for NFL players. He’s signed multiple UDFA’s in recent years that made the active roster, and one or more have a good chance at making the team this season. The team was in salary cap hell, but still has been making the playoffs every year!
Only 6 teams in the NFL have won a Super Bowl over the past eleven seasons while Licht has been a GM. And the Bucs have been one of them.
June 21st, 2025 at 8:13 pm
don’t care what rotoworld says, more preseason BS by writers that just like to throw rocks. just fix the defense Jason and this team goes back to the SB.
June 21st, 2025 at 8:30 pm
buc4evr Says:
“… just fix the defense Jason and this team goes back to the SB.”
———————————————————————————–
I believe he took major steps towards fixing the defense this offseason.
He drafted another passrusher as well as signing one in free agency. I believe Reddick will dramatically improve the pass rush this season, not only what he does on the field, but also he’s acting as an assistant coach, helping the Diaby and all the other young pass rushers.
Also, Bowles tweaked the defensive coaching staff which should be an upgrade, and also brought someone in to help with clock management and other things.
And the drafting of the two defensive backs who can actually catch the ball should be a big upgrade. I bet both will be starting by the end of the season.
June 21st, 2025 at 8:41 pm
Stop with this crap about the NFC South. The AFC North and South both suck. Last year Buccaneers beat Detroit on the road and the Eagles at home. Lost to KC in overtime, beat Washington. Lost to Ravens. So 3-2 in regular season against teams that made it to conference title games. It was Atlanta that messed up our season and they play in the NFC South
June 21st, 2025 at 8:58 pm
They’re both really accurate.Licht was unpopular until Brady arrived. He was still seen as something the team needed to overcome by about half or more Buc fans until the 2020 playoffs happened. Drafting kickers and punters were just a bit of the complaints.
He’s come into an excellent front office manager. The team he has that builds the team we watch are excellent talent and person evaluators. Licht included. He built the team and leads the team that builds the team. The question about keeping him through the difficulties seems valid. If he keeps things up, he’ll reach top 5 status.
June 21st, 2025 at 9:00 pm
Top 10? LOL
Try top 3.
Jason Licht is the best drafting GM in the league at this point.
Just look at his last 4 drafts…..
The Bucs have exactly THREE out of 22 current starters who were not homegrown (like LD54 and Izien) and/or drafted by Jason Licht. – Baker, Bredeson and Reddick… – and the team is LOADED with young talent.
June 21st, 2025 at 9:16 pm
Licht missed on a consensus #1 pick at QB, that’s the main reason for 10 more losses than wins.
June 21st, 2025 at 9:19 pm
Daugherty deserves a pie all right but with a different, possibly brown-hued filling. Not chocolate.
Jason’s only blind spot is letting one person do two full time jobs when the competition all have two persons doing those two jobs. The results show the flaw.
June 21st, 2025 at 9:59 pm
.Other Head coaches who are also play callers (coordinators) according to a quick Google search.
* Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers)
* Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams)
* Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
* Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers)
* Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings)
* Sean Payton (Denver Broncos)
* Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins)
* Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns)
* Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts)
* DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans)
* Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks)
That’s quite an impressive list of coaches doing (quite well) what you say can’t, or shouldn’t be possible to do without sucking at one or the other. 😳
The horse is dead, stop beating it man.
June 21st, 2025 at 10:33 pm
I agree with them for the most part. He’s definitely gotten better and learned from his mistakes. One day maybe he’ll fire dungy and hire gruden. Until then we’ll watch reruns every year
June 21st, 2025 at 11:05 pm
If the Bucs make it to the Super Bowl in the next couple of seasons, the only thing that will confuse anyone is when hacks like this guy suddenly start singing Licht’s praises and say he’s a top 3 GM.