Let’s get this out of the way.

It was a well-intentioned gamble that turned out to be an awful draft pick.

When Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht traded up in the second round to draft Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo in 2016, he envisioned drafting a highly decorated, accurate kicker that could make him and the team forget about the likes of oft-injured kicker Patrick Murray, a slumping Connor Barth and the disastrous trade for Kyle Brindza. Murray, Barth and Brindza were the three kickers that the Bucs employed from 2014-15.

In a league in which games are often decided by a field goal or less, finding a reliable kicker in the clutch is almost as important as finding a franchise quarterback.

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

To those who ridiculed Licht’s bold move a year ago as a mistake – and again when Aguayo finished his rookie season as the worst kicker in the league – today marks vindication.

They were right. Licht was wrong.

Licht, however, doesn’t care.

In a league where many GMs care more about their egos and their job security above all else, Licht deserves tremendous credit for promptly cutting Aguayo, who looked good in training camp, but missed an extra point in the first half and a 47-yard field goal in the waning minutes of the team’s 23-12 loss at Cincinnati.

Licht had seen enough.

Head coach Dirk Koetter had seen enough.

We all had seen enough.

The missed 47-yarder was especially damning because Aguayo has struggled from long distance and he was set up on the left hash with the kick missing wide right.

Licht doesn’t care about his ego. He cares about doing what’s right for the Buccaneers and building the best possible 53-man roster. That’s it.

Cutting Aguayo was the right move for Tampa Bay. Now he should bring in competition for Nick Folk, who made last night’s lone attempt, a 45-yarder, for the rest of training camp and the preseason. Folk hasn’t exactly been automatic in practice. He too needs competition.

Bucs K Roberto Aguayo – Photo by: Getty Images

The failed Aguayo pick didn’t ruin the Bucs’ 2016 draft class, which features key defenders like starting cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, the team’s first-round pick, and defensive end Noah Spence, the second-rounder selected right before Aguayo. And it didn’t ruin Licht’s reputation. With the talent Licht has stockpiled since joining the Bucs in 2014, to suggest otherwise is foolish.

What about hitting on first-round picks like wide receiver Mike Evans, quarterback Jameis Winston, Hargreaves and likely tight end O.J. Howard? Evans, a Pro Bowler with three straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his NFL career, is one of the top 5 wide receivers. Winston, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and became the first NFL quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards back-to-back in his first two NFL seasons, is already the most talented quarterback the franchise has ever had.

What about finding some third-day steals in middle linebacker Kwon Alexander and guard Kevin Pamphile? How about mining some undrafted free agent gems like tight end Cameron Brate and wide receiver Adam Humphries, in addition to some hopeful prospects like nickel cornerback Javien Elliott, tackle Leonard Wester and running back Peyton Barber?

Finding so many valuable contributors after the second round makes occasionally missing on a second-rounder tolerable.

Licht has even fared well in the tricky world of free agency, signing the likes of defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, cornerback Brent Grimes, defensive end Robert Ayers, Jr., punter Bryan Anger, running back Jacquizz Rodgers and wide receiver DeSean Jackson as well as a few others. Licht also re-signed Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and linebacker Lavonte David, too.

ESPN’s Trey Wingo – among others – was quick with some hot takes following Aguayo’s release, suggesting it was the worst draft pick in the history of the league.

Absolute nonsense and it makes Wingo look foolish. What about the host of first-round busts – top 10 picks – that didn’t do squat in the league?

What about Bo Jackson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1986 draft, that didn’t even sign with Tampa Bay and opted to play baseball instead?

It’s not like Aguayo was worthless in a Tampa Bay uniform. He certainly missed his kicks, but he did make the game-winning kick at Carolina and was 4-of-4 on his field goals in the Bucs’ 19-17 win at Kansas City. Take away those two victories and Tampa Bay is 7-9 in 2016.

Licht whiffed on Aguayo. That’s a fact.

He also lost the gamble he made on tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, his first ever second-round pick, from the 2014 draft class.

It’s one thing to make mistakes. All GMs do.

But it’s another thing to admit them and quickly move on from them for the good of the team. Holding on to mistakes too long only compounds them and makes them worse.

Licht continues to show a willingness to move on, as he did when he cut most of the 2014 free agent class just a year after Tampa Bay underachieved and went 2-14 in Lovie Smith’s first year as head coach. Guys like quarterback Josh McCown, left tackle Anthony Collins and defensive end Michael Johnson were players that Smith coveted while watching football in his basement in 2013, the year he was out of football after being fired in Chicago.

Licht followed orders and signed those players, but stood up to Smith a year later and said they needed to go. It was the right thing to do for the franchise even if it made Licht look bad after his first year on the job.

Bucs GM Jason Licht with ex-coach Jon Gruden – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Glazers appreciate Licht’s willingness to move on from mistakes quickly, too. They share the same approach and the same vision. That’s why they have moved on from Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano and Smith to get to Koetter after just two years in each regime.

If you want to criticize Licht, fire away. But he’s the best general manager Tampa Bay has had since Rich McKay. That point can’t be debated.

“This is an exciting time for Tampa,” former Bucs head coach and ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden told PewterReport.com. “The expectations are huge and I hope that Monday Night Football game when I get to come back in December is a big one.

“I give Dirk Koetter credit, I give Mike Smith credit, and I give Jason Licht credit for working together and all doing a hell of a job in leading this team back.”

Licht is a big reason why you, the team and many in the media and the Bucs fan base are thinking playoffs in Tampa Bay this season, too. That’s worth remembering while debating the debacle of a forgettable second-round pick.