Jason Licht is firmly in control of the ship that steers the Bucs.

Licht, Tampa Bay’s general manager for 12 seasons, received even more job security recently in the form of a multi-year contract extension. That was given to him for work well done in retooling the team in recent seasons, and for things look as promising as ever heading into 2025.

It wasn’t always that way, though.

Taking time to reflect on taking the job back in 2014 with Field Yates on the “Field Talk Podcast,” Licht admitted that he did not enter the best situation. Along the way, he learned plenty of lessons on the fly about what being a general manager means on a day-to-day basis.

Jason Licht Was “Fearless” Early On And Took Mistakes Made In Stride

January 21, 2014 is a day Jason Licht will always remember.

That was when he was officially hired to be the Bucs’ general manager. At 42 years old at the time, Licht was viewed as a young and rising football executive after starting with the Patriots in 2002 and working his way up with the Eagles and Cardinals. With only 32 NFL general manager jobs, he was excited about getting his chance.

That does not mean he was free of having doubts. After all, he was inheriting a team that had not reached the playoffs since 2007 and was put in a difficult situation of being hired after the head coach.

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

“It wasn’t an ideal situation, but I was just very eager to get the opportunity,” Licht said to Field Yates. “Of course, you’re young. You think, ‘I could make a difference. I can change this.’ It turns out, you need to hire a lot of very good people around you in order for it to happen, which I ultimately did. We didn’t have a quarterback. They hired the head coach – Lovie [Smith] at the time – before they hired the GM, which is, you know, not really the standard. It’s just the way it was then at that point for them, for the owners.”

Overcoming these obstacles meant he had to be fearless.

Early on, Licht’s boldest moves did not pay off. There were several underwhelming free agent signings, such as quarterback Josh McCown, left tackle Anthony Collins, defensive end Michael Johnson, and cornerback Alterraun Verner. All those signings led to was a 2-14 record during the 2014 season. Smith was out the door after 2015, while the 2014 and 2016 draft classes failed to yield much – outside of wide receiver Mike Evans, of course.

Had he been the general manager of other teams, Licht likely would have been shown the door.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and Co-Chair Joel Glazer – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Instead, the Glazers showed faith in his vision, which would be rewarded by someone who has learned what it takes to build a winning team.

“I remember, I was just kind of fearless,” Licht said about facing the challenges that came taking the job in 2014. “I walked into it. I look back on it sometimes, and I tell my wife, ‘Jeez, why did we take this job?’ I’m glad we did, don’t get me wrong. But looking back on it, it wasn’t the ideal situation, but it turned out to be fantastic.

“I’ve been here 12 years, and my ownership group, the Glazers, are amazing. I’ve gotten to have a personal relationship with all of them. They’ve stood by me, they’re a great group, and they really want to win badly. It’s always helpful when the owners’ number one priority is winning.”

Jason Licht’s Trust And Collaboration With Bucs Front Office Has Led To Results

A critical ingredient in building a sustainable contending team is ensuring that the front office is filled with eyes for talent and calculated decision-makers.

That is what the Bucs have now with superstars like assistant general managers Mike Greenberg and Rob McCartney and vice president of personnel Mike Biehl. Jason Licht has also launched the general manager careers of two of his former right-hand men in Jon Robinson (Tennessee in 2016) and John Spytek (Las Vegas in 2025).

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

Licht has learned from his past free agency approaches. While there still might be a notable signing or two, more value is placed in re-signing players who have proven themselves in Tampa Bay and adding young talent through the NFL Draft. No general manager or team will hit on 100% of draft picks, but this organization is among the best at finding value in each round. Licht and his scouts have found quite a few Day 3 gems like tight end Cade Otton, cornerback Zyon McCollum, inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis and running back Bucky Irving – all of whom are starters.

That comes from how Licht has constructed the team’s front office. Putting trust in his hires has allowed him to delegate tasks to a talented group he is proud to rattle off.

“You wish you could do what got you into the seat more…,” Licht said about the challenges he faced early on going from a vice president of player personnel to general manager. “[That was] until I finally figured out how to delegate and to trust people. For example, I’ve got several on the personnel side that are amazing. Rob McCartney, Mike Biehl, Tony Hardy, Shane Scannell, I could keep going. Andy Speyer. I wish I could name all my scouts right now, so I’ll just kind of blanket it.

Bucs assistant GM Mike Greenberg and VP of football research Jacqueline Davidson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“But on the other side, I have Mike Greenberg and Jackie Davidson. They handle all those things that aren’t my cup of tea, per se. They advise me, they tell me what’s going on, but I trust them. I trust them to do it. I finally learned how to delegate, and delegate correctly so I can focus on watching more tape, which is what I love to do. It’s like an “ahhhh” moment. I sit in my office and watch tape all day, and I can just be very relaxed.

“Unfortunately, in this position, you’re putting fires out a lot and you’re putting several out a day. You almost sometimes feel like you walk into work and put a – there’s an open and closed [sign] on your door – and it’s like, ‘OK, open for business.’ You’re just waiting for the stream of people to come in with the issues that we have to take care of.”

Under Licht’s direction, the Bucs have taken care of and stood on business throughout the 2020s. It is a decade that so far has produced a Super Bowl victory and five straight postseason appearances. It is not easy being an NFL general manager, as the work weeks during the season are often over 100 hours a week. Even through delegating tasks, all moves go through the general manager. There is no time off, and quickly the front office becomes family.

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

That is why one of the most important lessons Jason Licht has learned is working together with everyone goes a long way. They are not just his draft picks or free agent signings.

It is a group effort in identifying who the best Bucs players are.

“The collaboration with the personnel, cap, and coaching,” Licht said about what he has learned on the fly. “Having everybody on the same page and working well with each other is the key. It’s when you don’t collaborate and you form a brick wall and say, ‘Don’t worry about what we’re doing, you do what you do, and we’ll do what we do.’ It just never works.

“I’ve learned how to get everyone to feel very vested in the picks that we make, and everybody feels like it was almost their idea. That gives the best chance for the prospect to maximize his ability when everybody is vested in the player. It’s all about collaboration.”