It Takes Two To Tango
April 15th, 2025
“Don’t worry, Mr. Glazer, I’ve swindled the Giants before. You remember JPP, don’t you?”
If you are a gambling man, would you wager on Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht trading down?
Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus wouldn’t bet against it. In fact, Sikkema thinks the Bucs are just about in the perfect position for a desperate team looking to trade up out of the second round to pounce on an offensive skill player.
Let’s say the Browns or Giants want to jump the Steelers for a quarterback. Let’s say one of the teams in the backend of the draft wants to jump the Broncos for a running back. Maybe one of those same teams wants to move up for a pass rusher. The Buccaneers may have a few trade-down angles to consider.
Now this is solid reasoning. This isn’t a strong quarterback class, and goodness knows teams are desperate for quarterbacks.
If Shedeur Sanders slips to the latter part of the first round or if some crazy general manager pitches a tent over Jaxson Dart, it seems more than reasonable Licht might get a phone call from a fellow GM a week from Thursday night.
The Bucs really have no glaring needs other than inside linebacker and maybe corner. Maybe the Bucs are spooked by Jihaad Campbell’s shoulder surgery? Demetrius Knight ought to be sitting there in the second round. So too should quality defensive tackles.
So yeah, Joe thinks Sikkema is onto something here.
April 15th, 2025 at 10:41 am
ONE THING I’VE NOTICED ABOUT LICHT
He rarely does something a 2nd time if it didn’t work out the first time.
He traded down once and got Logan Hall.
He traded up once for Tristan Wirfs.
I wouldn’t expect him to trade down in the 1st round again, but I could see him trading up. If he trades up early, you know 100% he’ll trade down later. He hates giving up picks. Knowing that, very little chance of a trade. We’re picking at 19.
April 15th, 2025 at 10:48 am
Jason’s got this. Have a shot of tequila.
April 15th, 2025 at 10:49 am
It’s always hard to predict that stuff because it invariably happens about 15 minutes before you actually do it
April 15th, 2025 at 10:50 am
You mentioned Knight, thank you.
Im still going Starks/Emman/Harmon… one of those, if not, trade down. So much talent in the later rounds…as long as we land Higgins
April 15th, 2025 at 10:51 am
SlyPirate, that’s a very reasonable take. However, it seems to me, and Licht has acknowledged, that after the first 5-10 players in the draft, the separation in skill level between players really plateaus. So, at 19 you’re not really giving up a lot to trade down and select later, and you will get additional picks in the process. So, I think Licht may give considerable thought to trading down this year.
April 15th, 2025 at 11:10 am
Jason Licht trading out of the first round for Logan Hall in 2022 still stands out as a clear misstep, and it’s exactly why I don’t see him making that kind of move again. A minor trade-down—perhaps with Pittsburgh or another team looking to move up for a quarterback—could definitely happen. For example, if a team trades down from the top 5 or 15 to the 20s and wants to jump back up ahead of someone like Pittsburgh for a QB, that scenario is plausible.
But fully exiting the first round? I just don’t see it. Licht knows he needs difference-makers **now**.
If a player like Tetairoa McMillan or LB3 Matt Golden is a favorite target of Denver or Green Bay etc and starts to slide— I could see Licht trading down a few spots, staying in the first round, collecting extra value, and still landing his guy.
Let’s say the edge rushers or defensive tackles are sliding and both top safeties are still available—and you have all six players rated similarly. In that case, trade down a few picks and take whoever’s left among your top-tier targets. Pick up an extra 3rd and a 6th? Sounds like smart value.
Honestly, I have no idea what the Bucs are doing this year—they’ve done a great job keeping everything in-house.
April 15th, 2025 at 11:18 am
To make a move up from #33 or #34 up to #19 would most likely require a ‘26 1st. If it’s the giants I think you can bank on that being a top 16 pick. If Licht has an acceptable pool of players available early in the second, he’d have to at least consider it
April 15th, 2025 at 11:19 am
This could be a franchise altering draft either way.
Clearly our Achilles heel is the defensive backfield.
When you can’t cover or tackle, it’s kind of an issue.
We need game wreckers that have a constant motor.
Should be an interesting time come next Thursday night.
April 15th, 2025 at 11:31 am
SP,
“ONE THING I’VE NOTICED ABOUT LICHT
He rarely does something a 2nd time if it didn’t work out the first time.”
Licht also traded back in 2016 and 2018, Hargreaves and Vea respectively. Not so good in 16 yet he hit it again in 18 and got VV. I don’t think he would shy away from a trade back just because of Hall.
April 15th, 2025 at 11:38 am
I think the fall off for talent is about the end of the first round. After that it’s all luck. Stick with best player at #19 and we should make out. A 2nd and a 6th round pick does not equal a #19 in first round. Stick with #19 unless trading up.
April 15th, 2025 at 11:59 am
I don’t see Licht trading up at all. There will be several top 10 talents available when you consider the run on certain positions, when the Bucs pick at 19. There’s only one clear cut edge in this draft, and he’s going in the top four. After him, none of the rest are a sure thing. One, or two of the top receivers might be at 19, don’t need to move up for one of them. There will be plenty of good players at 19, no moving up. Trading down makes a whole lot of sense though.
April 15th, 2025 at 12:00 pm
I get tired of people that say if the player you want is not there just trade down. Really? What if know one will trade? The clock is running.
April 15th, 2025 at 12:03 pm
There are at least three certainties in life.
1.) Death. (happens every day)
2.) Taxes (Filing due by April 15th. Which is today)
3.) A random fan or scribe talking about their team trading down in the draft..is definitely the right way to go.. (Starts every year shortly after their teams’ final game of the season)
Never fails.
April 15th, 2025 at 12:05 pm
He should’ve traded UP for Linderbaum that Hall year… That’s what I was SCREAMING at the time. An O-Line with Linderbaum at Center and Barton over at Guard (with Wirfs) could’ve been ‘All-Time’ stuff, as long as they all stayed healthy together! BUT, we possibly would not have Goedeke. The Bucs also, received Pick number 180 from JAX in that same trade as additional compensation for their First-Rounder. Then, they used it (180) to trade up three spots from (60 to 57) in order to grab Goedeke. AND, they got Otton in the same draft using Pick Number 106 that they also received in that trade with JAX. Pretty Good. Now, with Hall seemingly, a little on the uptick… I believe the jury is still out. We’ll see what happens with Hall (and Otton) this upcoming season.
April 15th, 2025 at 12:07 pm
That could end up being one HELLUVA trade if Hall really steps up and has a BIG year!!!!
April 15th, 2025 at 12:08 pm
He also traded down for Vita Vea and Carlton Davis, two starters on a Super Bowl-winner.
April 15th, 2025 at 12:17 pm
God tho, that O-Line with Wirfs, Linderbaum, Barton, & Goedeke (as long as we still could’ve gotten him at #60) would’ve been just absolutely INSANE. Geez. And, all of them VERY young. Whoa… You’d be talking ‘All-Time’ for the next 10+YEARS. It’s fun to look back and dream. Hopefully, Hall comes through and has a REAL BIG year for us this season (and then we can afford him… we didn’t get that 5th year, being a 2nd-Rounder). It would be HUGE.
April 15th, 2025 at 12:21 pm
Didn’t he trade down for Tyron also?
April 15th, 2025 at 12:23 pm
Glaring needs linebacker, corner, and safety( Whitehead didn’t work and Winfield seems to have nagging injuries ).
April 15th, 2025 at 12:39 pm
So happy to see The Joes reference Trevor, the sports journalistic pride of Bradenton Christian School (also my alma mater), and cite his quality work—in spite of his resume listing of…that other rag, which hasn’t been the same since he left.
After the Top 10-15, the only significant difference between picking in the 1st vs the 2nd is that the first rounders have that coveted 5th year option. The entire scenario will be dependent on if one of those QBs or EDGE positions drop; they are the only ones you’d convince ownership that the 5th year option is a financially beneficial move, when you’re forecasting the team at 2029.
April 15th, 2025 at 12:48 pm
Too many on here treat Logan Hall like he’s JTS.
Granted Hall isn’t exactly Vita Vea, but he’s steady and seems to improve year to year. He’s not a superstar but I think he’s solid enough. And like Joe said, that’s nothing with time Licht traded down. He’s gotten some solid players doing that in the past. There’s no pattern here. If a team is desperate enough and he can get who he likes on his board, he will trade down. Players don’t always work out. It’s hard to evaluate these guys because usually where they fail is between their ears and no amount of interviewing or background checking will truly tell you if this is a NFL stud or bust you’re about to draft. I trust that Jason Licht’s evaluation system works better than most.
April 15th, 2025 at 12:57 pm
This is the greatest thing about the draft. We never know what will happen. It is fun to dream about all the great possibilities, and especially when they are on the clock and we are all at the edge of our seats. Unsure what Jason will do, but whatever way he goes, he’s got this. Go Bucs!
April 15th, 2025 at 1:20 pm
I think saying Licht traded down for Hall is an incomplete thought. I would imagine trading down is precipitated by the fact that you don’t see legitimate first rd picks on the table. Then, you feel that someone on your list will be available later. While teams may vie to trade up to start the day, nobody trades down until picks start flowing. Trading up is targeted, trading down is a concession/compromise
April 15th, 2025 at 1:34 pm
Trevor Sikkema has been making the rounds of all the shows as it is draft time and would be a good foil for Ira, the Joes and Bucs Draft Guru Bill Currie Ford GM Sean Sullivan. Just sayin’….
April 15th, 2025 at 1:53 pm
The best move Licht could make is to fire Bowles the week of the draft.
Send a message to the fans, players, and the rest of the NFL that you mean business.
Guaranteed the passing scheme would improve ten fold over night.
Outside of this dumpster fire of a division he’d already be banished for good.
His record as a HC explains what he is and always will be, a loser.
April 15th, 2025 at 2:04 pm
I’d love a trade down. I trust in Licht. LFG
April 15th, 2025 at 2:37 pm
There’s a whole lot of Rosie out there and AC/DC Loving Licht will find his man. He knows what he’s doing, rest easy.
April 15th, 2025 at 2:44 pm
Browns will come up if Sanders is on clock. Denies Pittsburgh a QB so they have to overpay for Rodgers. They can then say they’ve got all of Deion’s kids in case he wants to coach NFL. Immediately changes narrative in Cleveland.
April 15th, 2025 at 2:44 pm
I’m not saying Logan Hall is a terrible player. What I’m saying is that, from a salary cap perspective, the fifth-year option is GOLD. Especially if he has a breakout year, having that extra year of control is extremely valuable.
Getting him at even pick 32 instead of 33 may not seem like a big difference, but when you look at the cap implications and consider how long it typically takes defensive linemen to develop, it becomes clear that the value is there. Personally, I’d need to see how the players from that draft class panned out, but in general, I believe fifth-year options are very valuable. Let’s say he does have an amazing year now we have to pay him where as we could have kicked the can down the road per say with the 5th year option.
April 15th, 2025 at 2:55 pm
FireBowlesNow Says: “The best move Licht could make is to fire Bowles the week of the draft.”
That isn’t going to happen. He isn’t going to be fired. In fact, he may even get a raise.
April 15th, 2025 at 3:15 pm
Light already said he anticipates more teams looking to trade down than up this year- so the “takes two to tango” headline is on cue…
There probably will not be an offer good enough to move down from #19 – so the Bucs will more than likely be picking a player at that spot… which is not a bad thing because there should be a # of good defensive players available at 19.
April 15th, 2025 at 3:32 pm
DRAFT SIMULATOR OBSERVATION
The Bucs don’t really have that many holes and they have a lot of young talent. A lot of later picks could be wasted.
I could see the Bucs trading up or trading out of rounds 5-7 for future picks.
April 15th, 2025 at 3:33 pm
Are some of you posting under more than one name now just to agree with yourself 🤣🤣?
Couple of miserable fans are really going to shlt themselves when Todd gets an extension and a raise. Oh well, it will give us a few more years of their witty (?), repetitive put downs and mush minded, knee jerk, comments. Yay.
There will be a few name changes (again) but the same old song and dance til the end….
Can he cover 15 yards off the receiver? (DBs)
Can he drop in coverage? (DL)
Awww man, so funny every time…..every single day for years 🙄
April 15th, 2025 at 3:34 pm
heyjude Says:
“That isn’t going to happen. He isn’t going to be fired. In fact, he may even get a raise.”
A raise??????
For doing what exactly?????
Making the defense worse every season?????
That’s insanity.
April 15th, 2025 at 4:21 pm
I’d love to see us trade down and collect more picks. The problem is that the way the talent is spread out in this draft class with a small number of blue-chip prospects crowded up at the top of the first round and about two-and-a-half rounds’ worth of late-first/early-second round quality prospects following them, EVERYBODY is looking to trade down in this draft; which means it’s going to be really hard to anybody to do it because, like the headline says, It Takes Two to Tango.
April 15th, 2025 at 4:30 pm
We know Licht loves draft picks, so he’ll probably trade down to acquire extra picks, if he can. Will that happen? Licht said himself, it probably won’t.
April 15th, 2025 at 4:32 pm
Darn it Funderstruck you stole the troll handle I had set aside for commenting during the draft. I guess I’m stuck rolling with Blunderburke to the Future. Kidding aside, based on his college tape, I think that kid has a future in the league despite having one of the rookiest rookie seasons I’ve seen from a Buccaneer in a long time. I hope he hit the weight room hard this offseason. Also you raise an excellent point- the most real difference between the Bucs standing pat and trading out of the first is the five year vs four year contract not the prospect’s level of impact or talent.
If enough teams reach for QBs and push true first round talent back to the Bucs it might be worth holding onto 19 but with as many mid round players I’m crushing on I’m hoping for a trade clean out of the first round.
Ideally, one of the teams who selected a QB early might want a top WR, RB or OL to pair with him or vice versa. Lynch and Spytek both potentially fall into that scenario and also sport a plethora of picks in this draft. Licht and Lynch have been draft allies in the past and I can’t imagine Spytek and Licht not similarly working out a mutually beneficial deal once they see how the picks fall. Even Canales or especially Coen could hold enough sway to make something good happen with the Bucs.
I’ve been a Bucs fan and draft hound for longer than I care to admit and must remark that we are living on an entirely different plane in this draft with no real needs and true allies around the league. All it was for decades was top ten picks to squander and the long-suffering Bears to rip-off again. Good times!
I am of the philosophy that more picks are always better but those picks ought to come in the same draft not future drafts but with this draft’s lack of top tier talent and the Bucs lack of glaring needs I might be okay with a trade for a first rounder in 2026. I think the Bucs can expect a trade-acquired and/or compensatory pick or three in 2026 and it would be fun to have a ship load of high picks to play with and not a lot of needs especially since, barring a slew of injuries, the Bucs probably won’t be picking anywhere near the top of the 2026 draft.
April 15th, 2025 at 4:44 pm
FireBowlesNow, “For doing what exactly?” How about a division championship every year he’s been our head coach? Or maybe that his players play their butts off for him? Or that this team hasn’t reached its ceiling yet- they’re still improving. Or maybe it’s because there is never any drama surrounding this group. And the GM and owners seem to love him. They’re going to extend his contract and give him a nice raise too. And FireBowlesNow, I reckon you’ll continue bellyaching because you don’t know much.
April 15th, 2025 at 4:46 pm
We need the best player available for a Super Bowl run not a trade down
April 15th, 2025 at 4:46 pm
FireBowlesNow – Todd did a lot better than other coaches. We had a lot of injuries too. Some fancy offense plays that cost us. Bad luck. It wasn’t completely on Todd. The team, owners, and Licht like him. He has a professional and positive locker room going on too. A lot of pluses with Todd. We could do much worse.
April 15th, 2025 at 5:39 pm
All the “pro’s” are saying this is a great draft for players in the 15-75 range. Also lots of de good (not elite) talent.if they trade back and get 2 picks back in that range i think it would be worth it. I doubt a team trades up for rb unless it’s jeanty. There are a lot of rbs in this draft too.
April 15th, 2025 at 7:49 pm
Yeah, lots of RB’s but Kiper just said the other night, that there is a pretty big drop-off in talent after Hampton. Honestly, there might be a pretty big ‘drop-off’ after Jeanty? Anyway, this could be the perfect draft to trade UP if Jalon Walker starts to slide. With this draft lacking ‘top-tier’ can’t miss Franchise QB’s & WR’s… The price to move UP should be a lot LESS than in previous drafts loaded with talent. So, you could probably move UP a few spots in this draft without having to give up very much in return. It could be at a much lower cost and this looks to be holding true too, judging from another trade I saw awhile back maybe, a few weeks ago! You might be able to move up 5-6 spots in the 1st while only giving up a 3rd for a 3rd or 4th Round Swap (and plus a 7th maybe) or something like that, rather than your 2nd or 3rd outright, as in other years. And, that would be totally worth-it to me… Especially, getting an elite talent (a future cornerstone of your Defense and GREAT leader and locker room guy), such as Jalon Walker, an immediate Impact Player. If he’s still on the board in that 13-14 range, I think you’ve got to pull the trigger. I don’t think you can go wrong with HIM, or ever regret it. He has ALL of the intangibles. He has DOMINATED every level of football. Butkus Award ‘Runner-Up’ in HS and Butkus Award ‘WINNER’ in College. 4.5/40. 4.0 GPA. Elite ATHLETE (good HS basketball player). Son of a Coach. VERY Intelligent and VERY well-spoken. Hell, he’s a Spokesperson for THE SEC. Can really do it all. And, is an A+++ Locker room guy! “Win-Now” Mode = Quality over Quantity. A guy who can step right in and be an instant difference maker. THAT is who and what we need.
April 15th, 2025 at 11:47 pm
^^^^^^^^^ the accompanying thread photo…
all i see is the ron burgundy sports coat that was holding big dog licht down and back…
once that coat was donated to goodwill he was off to the races as a superstar gm…!
that freakin’ coat…i talked about that freakin’ coat a lot back then
April 16th, 2025 at 5:03 am
If he finds a guy and a trade partner you bet. LOL
He is not afraid to jump around in the draft.
Go Bucs!
April 16th, 2025 at 5:03 am
Melvin Junior is correct, if Jalon Walker is there at 19 pull the trigger. He’s a constant high motor type guy that is a true lead by example. Watch film of the DAWGS see how JW11 is constantly communicating & leading teammates.plus he makes more than his share of big.plays
April 16th, 2025 at 7:02 am
This guy thinks Licht will trade down so another team can get a pass rusher? Even though we badly need one???
April 16th, 2025 at 7:10 am
Here’s what I think:
Whatever is predicted is exactly what will not happen. Mock drafts are always wrong outside of the top 5 picks or so, I have no idea why so many fans even bother teading them.
On top of that, Jason Licht is unpredictable…except that he loves small schools.
April 16th, 2025 at 12:48 pm
Definite possibility. Moving down a few spots in round 1 for an extra 3rd rounder would be ideal. In that scenario they would still get exactly what they want. MOvind down to the 2nd round doesn’t seem ideal but I trust them. Just make sure to get MAX compensation!!