Licht’s Seat Should Be Ice Cold With The Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell short of expectations this season. We as a fanbase feel outrage over Todd Bowles as a head coach because we expected more from this roster. Winning eight games when the expectation was a Super Bowl push is unacceptable. 

We came into this season with such high expectations because of how good the roster is. Guys like Tristan Wirfs, Mike Evans, Antoine Winfield Jr, Calijah Kancey, Luke Goedeke, etc are all some of the best players at their position. Top to bottom, this is one of the best rosters in the entire NFL.

So it’s crazy to me that fans are critical of general manager Jason Licht to the point of calling for him to be on the hot seat. Call me crazy, but if you win a Super Bowl and then build the roster up again to being one of the best in the NFL then I think that you’ve done a good job. Somehow, not everyone feels that way.

Not Perfect, Just Edgeless

That’s not to say that Licht has been perfect. We can point to the lack of investment into the linebacker position and not finding a top tier edge rusher as shortcomings that were a major part of the Bucs collapse this year. The roster isn’t perfect and neither is Licht and it’s fair to criticize accordingly.

But we all have to take a collective step back when looking at Licht. Every roster has shortcomings and every general manager misses with their assessment. It’s the general managers who are right the most who are typically the most successful.

It is here where I have to step in and say how great Licht has been. You can compare what he has done in recent years to any general manager in the NFL and he will measure up favorably. This is why I say that Licht’s seat should be ice cold with the Buccaneers.

For example, let’s compare Licht to long time general manager of the Seattle Seahawks John Schneider. Many would point to him as one of the best general managers in the NFL. If you don’t believe me, just look at this Seahawks team who is getting ready to play in the NFC championship game.

Over the last six seasons, Schneider has drafted the same number of pro bowlers as Jason Licht (2). He’s also had first round misses in his tenure such as edge rusher L.J. Collier, running back Rashaad Penny and Germain Ifedi. Not to mention other day two misses such as wide receiver D’Wayne Eskridge, safety Marquise Blair and defensive tackle Malik McDowell.

Baker & Ben

And while you can highlight free agent additions such as defensive lineman Leonard Williams and quarterback Sam Darnold, I could also highlight similar additions for the Bucs such as quarterback Baker Mayfield and guard Ben Bredeson. These are two teams built very well through the draft and supplemented in free agency.

Or maybe you would like to look at San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch. I have seen some fans call for the former Buccaneers Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame safety to replace Licht in the front office. I’m going to tell you right now, that you don’t want that.

Here are some of the notable first round picks that Lynch has made over the years. Quarterback Tray Lance, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, and defensive end Soloman Thomas. These players are no longrr with the team; in fact none of them are starting anywhere. 

There Wil Be Winstons

And while that’s not to say that Licht doesn’t have guys like Jameis Winston or Vernon Hargreaves on his resume, his hit rate in the draft is much higher. Really the biggest thing that keeps these two competitive relative to each other is that Lynch has Kyle Shannahan. You could say that this is a knock against Licht for not getting that caliber of head coach, but also remember that Licht hired Bruce Arians who won a Super Bowl in Tampa.

How about Howie Roseman? Multiple time Super Bowl winner and widely regarded as the best general manager in the NFL. He’s actually been pretty comparable to Licht. 

While Roseman has had awesome hits in the first round such as defensive tackle Jalen Carter, cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and offensive tackle Lane Johnson, he’s also had great misses. Names such as offensive tackle Andre Dillard, defensive end Derek Barrnett (who is a backup in Houston now) and wide receiver Jalen Reagor (who Roseman picked over super star wide receiver Justin Jefferson) are littered across his history. That’s a lot of bad first round picks.

Perhaps you like two time executive of the year Brad Holmes with the Detroit Lions. He’s drafted one competent starter in the last two seasons and has burned day two picks on the likes of cornerback Ennis Rakestraw, quarterback Hendon Hooker and offensive tackle Giovani Manu. Plus an absolute refusal to add meaningful pass rush help to Aidan Hutchinson.

It’s Hit or Miss

None of this is to say what a bad job that these general managers have done. On the contrary, these are some of the best in the game today. Rather, it’s to point out that making mistakes is part of the job. Every general manager has bad picks or free agents.

At the end of the day, Licht is still a top five general manager in the NFL. He’s one of a handful of general managers who has built a Super Bowl winner and has already built another contender. If you are someone who wants to see him replaced then it is all but guaranteed that the Bucs would instantly get worse overnight.