It was only a matter of time before the Bucs promoted two of the most prominent members of their front office. After seeing assistant general manager John Spytek leave earlier this offseason to become the Raiders general manager, Tampa Bay will be promoting director of player personnel Rob McCartney to take Spytek’s spot.

In addition, director of player personnel Mike Biehl will receive a new job title as the vice president of player personnel. Both of these moves were reported by the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud on Friday morning.

Rob McCartney And Mike Biehl Receive Well-Deserved Promotions In Bucs’ Front Office

Rob McCartney and Mike Biehl have been with the Bucs over the past decade, each serving critical roles within a front office that has brought the franchise back to prominence during general manager Jason Licht’s tenure.

Bucs assistant general manager Rob McCartney and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Starting with McCartney, he joined the organization in 2011 fresh out of college and after working for the Steelers as an intern from 2006-2010. He has worked his way up the ladder since being hired as a pro personnel assistant.

Over the years, he has been a pro scout, a national scout, a pro scouting coordinator, director of pro scouting, and the director of player personnel. His latest job title will be as an assistant general manager, with a large focus remaining on assisting Licht during the draft process as well as free agency.

McCartney has a proven eye for talent, having contributed to the acquisitions of Ryan Jensen, Jason Pierre-Paul, Shaq Barrett, Ndamukong Suh, Tom Brady, and Rob Gronkowski, among others. His responsibilities during that time were scouting and evaluating their fits, and it is safe to say those moves paid off as it resulted in a Super Bowl victory during the 2020 season.

All of this is not even mentioning his role during the NFL Draft. The Bucs hope that the 2025 draft class will be as fruitful as in recent years, as they have used it to rebuild the roster from top to bottom with young talent.

It has started this year with drafting wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round, and McCartney has been an integral part of identifying players who are the kinds of guys that will fit within the culture.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Biehl has worked alongside McCartney throughout his time in Tampa Bay, but his resume bullet points are more on the college scouting side. He joined the organization shortly after Licht in the summer of 2014, with the first draft he contributed toward being in 2015 when the Bucs selected quarterback Jameis Winston first overall.

He served as the director of college scouting before moving into a director of player personnel role before the 2022 season. During that time, he has been a key voice in the war room as the team formed the foundation that Brady and other veterans wanted to join in pursuing the Lombardi Trophy.

After forming a defense filled with young talent, the team has shifted its focus toward overhauling both sides of the ball, now having one of the youngest rosters in the NFL while simultaneously opening another Super Bowl window.

With the Bucs’ recent success of winning the Super Bowl and reaching the playoffs every year during the 2020s, the front office has deservingly reaped what they have sown with these promotions. Rob McCartney and Mike Biehl are the latest, and they continue the pipeline of quality executives working under Jason Licht.