Maybe we need that idk
At this point, I’m ready to move on from him along with the dunce on the sidelines.
Let's see if he does something in the draft and then FA mid season but I'm fine moving on too...
I don't know that I agree with that regarding Licht. I also don't think he automatically gets a pass - that's not what I am saying.The reason why this team and Licht are cooked because they are okay with that status quo and have not made any adjustments to how they conduct business. They are just going through the motions as if they are a franchise that can not control their own fate.
Meanwhile other franchises are making moves to try to do better than the previous year. This team is set up to be on auto pilot and not try to deviate from the script even when the script gets blown up like we saw in 2025.
When you look at his draft choices and the FAs he has picked up, its safe to say that when you look at their stats and the way they played before they got to Tampa would have indicated they should help the team win. Instead, almost all of them shit the bed. Now he (in his role) has to make sure he is spending money on the right players to make us a contender. I don't necessarily see what has occurred as his failure, though he does shoulder some of that responsibility. I see it as an indictment of what the coaching staff can/can't get out of those players versus what their previous team was getting out of them. Licht signed / drafted them based on what they showed elsewhere. Guys like Reddick, for example. If he had played even partially up to the level he has shown in the past, the defense doesn't look as bad as it did at times.
He has also made some draft choices that absolutely disagreed with (hello Calijah Kancey) but so has every other GM/Organization. I am not ready to throw him out with the bathwater just yet, whereas I am ready to flush the toilet on the less than average clown Head Coach because there is zero I find redeeming about him. Like Olaf said, Bowles lost the locker room. I don't believe Licht lost the organization.
SP walked into a cap strapped Broncos and made trades, and signings year 1. The Bucs here have Evans dead cap space because they wanted to play the delay game with ME contract and it burned them due to the void year.
The Saints are already out of cap jail in less than 2 years.
Point is the Bucs are now three years removed from any major cap hits. This was the off season to sign defensive talent to long term teals and then save up future cap space to possibly re up Mayfield and/or Diaby for the following off season.
Now, they are going into 2027 off season needing to reup Mayfield, Diaby, Vea and their current FA signings are all on 1 year deals. The draft can't replace all of them no matter how good a GM is at the draft. Can't sign new defensive players to new deals in 2027 because of needing to re up possibly Diaby, Mayfield and Vea.
Need to make signings in free agency and some trades for Licht to salvage this off season or else this is just the organization going through the motions.
The Saints are already out of cap jail in less than 2 years.
Saints are paying well over $100M in dead cap this year.
That's the definition of cap jail.
The Saints are already out of cap jail in less than 2 years.
Not sure where you get that but what a terrible choice for a comparison. Peyton fake retires, Allen hired and fired. Talk about dysfunctional
Yeah, the needle in the record just screeched across the disk with that one… but I agree with his summation regarding signing free agents and/or making some trades.The Saints are already out of cap jail in less than 2 years.
Not sure where you get that but what a terrible choice for a comparison. Peyton fake retires, Allen hired and fired. Talk about dysfunctional
We have some JAG/mercs on one year deals - let’s say they have traits - and maybe a late round rookie edge, and a couple of rookieILB’s…to rotate in behind some above average FA’s there.
Maybe Walker is better than hopium, but maybe he’s Yaya?
The offense can play the “sum-of-its-parts” strategy, but I agree that the defense doesn’t have the depth/continuity to pull that off.
Still need a stud edge, not just a cheaper version of Hassan Reddick. Not downing AQM, but one season of double digit sacks, across his career, does not a stud, make.
I like the idea of Anzalone, but I think he’s older than our HoF retiree. Maybe Rozeboom is a sneaky acquisition, but it sounds like even more hope.
I still think we need a couple more studs, ones still capable of being role players/difference-makers.
Yeah, the needle in the record just screeched across the disk with that one… but I agree with his summation regarding signing free agents and/or making some trades.The Saints are already out of cap jail in less than 2 years.
Not sure where you get that but what a terrible choice for a comparison. Peyton fake retires, Allen hired and fired. Talk about dysfunctional
We have some JAG/mercs on one year deals - let’s say they have traits - and maybe a late round rookie edge, and a couple of rookieILB’s…to rotate in behind some above average FA’s there.
Maybe Walker is better than hopium, but maybe he’s Yaya?
The offense can play the “sum-of-its-parts” strategy, but I agree that the defense doesn’t have the depth/continuity to pull that off.
Still need a stud edge, not just a cheaper version of Hassan Reddick. Not downing AQM, but one season of double digit sacks, across his career, does not a stud, make.
I like the idea of Anzalone, but I think he’s older than our HoF retiree. Maybe Rozeboom is a sneaky acquisition, but it sounds like even more hope.
I still think we need a couple more studs, ones still capable of being role players/difference-makers.
Again this is one of the things that makes it interesting because retaining Bowles was always a bit of a half-in/half-out move, but even more so as the offseason has unveiled that there never was an "all-in" bring on the cavalry mindset within OBP. Instead, it seems to be once again "lets see what Bowles can do . . with what he has to work with." OT, perhaps more fair to Licht and the FO . . . "let's stick to the plan."
Maybe we need that idk
At this point, I’m ready to move on from him along with the dunce on the sidelines.
Let's see if he does something in the draft and then FA mid season but I'm fine moving on too...
Fair.
Shoul
Assuming the Glazers pull their heads out of their asses (doubtful) and fire Todd, I’d rather just clean house than retain Jason and let him pick the next HC.
He wasn’t vocal enough with the Liam debacle, and that set the franchise back.
the shit 2021 draft class
The "run it back" year. Drafting for immediate need AND for post-Brady lean years.
not excusing just pointing out the flaw.
Glazers probably excuse
were they drafting for immediate need? i would say that was more 2020 when they drafted Wirfs and AWJ
JTR a developmental edge rusher when we had JPP and Shaq. that was a depth pick
A back-up QB who was projected to be a back-up QB...ehh, i guess
a back-up guard. ok. no problem with the Hainsey pick
a kick returner? what.....
To me, there’s more Glazer’s involvement here than we’re assigning. When you look at how they handle their other sports franchise, you can’t help but think there is more focus on managing cash… either they’re giving Jason the nod with cash, or they’re not.Maybe we need that idk
At this point, I’m ready to move on from him along with the dunce on the sidelines.
Let's see if he does something in the draft and then FA mid season but I'm fine moving on too...
Fair.
Shoul
Assuming the Glazers pull their heads out of their asses (doubtful) and fire Todd, I’d rather just clean house than retain Jason and let him pick the next HC.
He wasn’t vocal enough with the Liam debacle, and that set the franchise back.
Tough to reach a conclusion that they’re just not signing off on committing money for free agents, not doing trades to bring in big salary commitments. Not buying big head coaches, or that - for some reason - they’re not able.
They just have not been “all-in” the way they were when they went after Brady. They still had the pieces, for a while after the Brady issue, they were limited by the cap. They were able to cheaply bring in Baker to leverage the offensive pieces, but were capped out of building the defense for the first couple of years. But last off season, and this off season, they had no excuses, despite having expensive options, they opted out.
They either don’t have the money, or they don’t actually believe in the HC/GM.. if so, why keep them?
I think it has to be a cash management issue. Keeping Bowles does not make sense in any other scenario.
Arians was good for sure but not even he could coach up the shit 2021 draft class
The 2021 draft class is one of the worst ones I can recall.
- 2014 was bad with the exception of Mike Evans.
- 2015 was OK overall. Marpet was a find. I wanted the Buccaneers to take him after watching his tape.
- 2016 was low grade dog food. Taking a kicker in the second round?
- 2017 Godwin. Had Licht ever had a good draft class or just one guy hits, and we given him credit?
- 2018 Vea - great, Davis and Jones passable
I think Licht is mid at best. I think a coach made him look better.
the 2016 draft was one of the worst in NFL history. my god that was brutal. a botched top 11 pick in Hargreaves, noah spence amounted to nothing and trading up for a kicker who ended up being dogshit. brutal.
and yeah 2014 through 2017 landed Evans, Marpet, and Godwin. Would argue Donovan Smith was serviceable. The rest...ehh
i am just saying 2018 through 2020 drafts landed 13 guys who all contributed to the Superbowl run (Vea, Jones, Davis, Cappa, Whitehead, White, SMB, Dean, Edwards, Nelson, Miller, Wirfs, and AWJ). Not all of these guys ended up being a success but all were good contributors to a solid core of that 2020 squad
the 2021 draft was Licht's 2nd worst draft only because of how bad 2016 was.
2022 through 2025 have been mid. Sure we landed alot of starters but for a .500 squad. Not exactly great.
were they drafting for immediate need?
JTS was to have immediate depth for an oft-injured JPP and Barrett and hopefully develop for the future
The Kyle Trask pick though shows you what they were thinking (or NOT thinking). Recall that Brady was done after 2021
When you look at how they handle their other sports franchise, you can’t help but think there is more focus on managing cash… either they’re giving Jason the nod with cash, or they’re not
yes for better or worse - and you could look at the Eagles and their $400 million in void years as the polar opposite - the Bucs seem to stick to a cash/cap budget and whatever Licht can do within that framework, great.
This offseason (and maybe recent past ones) you can see it in that they only restructured deals for vets IF and when they really needed it. Why mortgage the future more by restructuring Vea, for example, for a FA that only moves the needle so much.
They either don’t have the money, or they don’t actually believe in the HC/GM.. if so, why keep them?
I think it has to be a cash management issue. Keeping Bowles does not make sense in any other scenario.
Exactly. And, well said.
Again, the way the Glazers handled the Coen situation was awful. Set us back YEARS.
Keeping Bowles does not make sense in any other scenario.
a few possibilities
1. the loyalty they keep mentioning
2. belief (even if wrong) that 2025 was an injury-related outlier
3. the need to transition older players out without FORCING them out like post first SB
4. the challenges of finding a better HC who would deal with BOTH the "cash management" you mention AND how to deal with Evans, LVD etc.
5. the influence of Arians and Licht
6. the combination of a number of those things
You could be right though. Just alternative food for thought.