John Romano: Here's the man behind the most successful era in Bucs history

John Romano, Tampa Bay Times on Jan 11, 2025

Published in Football

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TAMPA, Fla. — The winning began with Tom Brady, although that is not where the story originates.

The turnaround started when Bruce Arians walked through the door, except that was also a few chapters into the narrative.

If you are interested in tracing the most sustained period of success in Buccaneers history, you should begin with the square-jawed man who is rarely in the frame when the cameras begin rolling. Before the Super Bowl, before the sellouts, before the five consecutive postseason appearances and four division titles, there was Jason Licht and his plan to rescue a franchise without direction.

He hired Arians. He courted Brady. He took a chance on Ryan Jensen. He drafted Mike Evans, Vita Vea and Tristan Wirfs. He traded for Rob Gronkowski and discovered Shaquil Barrett. He saw potential in a job that had often been associated with ridicule.

And now, thanks to a string of strong draft classes, the world is coming around to the idea that Licht’s name should be at least as prominent as the hired guns who have come and gone as the Bucs continue to excel.

Look at it this way:

There have been 30 Super Bowl champions since the NFL introduced the salary cap in 1994. For most, staying relevant has proven to be challenging. Keeping a roster intact in the confines of the league’s institutionalized parity is more difficult than ever. Before the Bucs, only a half-dozen of those teams followed up their Super Bowl title with another four consecutive postseason appearances.

And the common thread? The same star quarterback in the huddle the entire time.

Hall of Famers such as Steve Young and Peyton Manning. Future Hall of Famers such as Brady in New England, Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.

The Bucs, meanwhile, have done it in a way that no other team has managed to pull off. They kept winning while transitioning from Brady to Baker Mayfield at quarterback. Not to mention, going from Arians to Todd Bowles as head coach. And using three offensive coordinators in as many seasons.

It’s a testament to the organizational structure, and that is a compliment to what Licht has built. When the Bucs face the Commanders Sunday evening in the first round of the playoffs, it’s likely only six players who were in Super Bowl 55 (Evans, Wirfs, Vea, Lavonte David, Jamel Dean, Antoine Winfield Jr.) will still be in the starting lineup.

On the other hand, the Bucs will probably have seven starters (Graham Barton, Calijah Kancey, Cody Mauch, Yaya Diaby, Jalen McMillan, Tykee Smith and Bucky Irving) who were chosen in the last two drafts.

“Two years ago after the season was over, a couple of weeks had gone by and people were — not depressed — but they had this sinking feeling that we had lost Brady and we were in (salary) cap hell,” Licht said. “I grabbed some old rosters from 2018 and 2019 and compared them to the 2020 team. How much we had flipped the roster and were able to add some really good players and a new coach and won the Super Bowl.

“I said, ‘This can be done. Let’s just have some fun with it.’ And my guys and girls were just super excited about it. It was a challenge.”

To be fair, Licht, 53, hasn’t gotten everything right over the years. Lovie Smith didn’t work out. Vernon Hargreaves and O.J. Howard were forgettable first-round picks. You might even be tempted to mention Jameis Winston, although he was an obvious choice in a historically threadbare draft.

The first-round picks have been mostly solid since 2018, but where Licht’s personnel department has excelled is in later rounds. He has basically remade the entire offensive line through the draft. He has found stars in the second (Winfield), third (Chris Godwin) and fourth (Irving) rounds.

And when 31 other teams had a shot at signing Mayfield, it was Licht and Bowles who understood the former No. 1 pick just needed to be in the right situation with a coaching staff’s support to fulfill his NFL promise.

The Bucs have now gone from one of the oldest rosters in the NFL in 2020-21 to one of the youngest. And, in the past offseason, they got Mayfield, Winfield, Wirfs and Evans committed to multiyear deals. They don’t have a ton of salary-cap space, but they’re no longer stretched thin.

“When I first got here, I said my goal was to just dabble in free agency a little bit. But you focus on your own, you draft your own, you reward your own,” Licht said. “I’m really happy that we’re at that point.”

There have been hiccups in the past, and there will be more in the future. And, to tell the truth, Licht’s skin can occasionally be a little thin. While he doesn’t aggressively seek praise, he ruthlessly collects perceived slights.

Of course, that hasn’t been much of a problem lately. A year ago, the Bucs had devoted more snaps to rookies on offense and defense than any team in the playoffs. This season, along with the Commanders and Rams, they have four rookies with at least 500 snaps.

No matter what happens in the coming weeks, the future continues to look promising in Tampa Bay.

Just don’t forget where the story began.