Jason Licht: Team Glazer Key In Re-Signing Free Agent Class
August 20th, 2024
“Ed, we’ll bankroll Jason. He knows what he is doing with our players.”
The Bucs had serious players entering the free agent market this past spring. And most fans focused on Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht, the players and their representatives.
But in speaking to former NFL general manager Rick Spielman yesterday at One Buc Palace as part of the SiriusXM NFL Radio training camp tour, Licht gave special praise to Team Glazer as key figures in getting Mike Evans, Antoine Winfield, Baker Mayfield and Lavonte David re-signed.
In fact, Licht said when leaving the February combine in Indianapolis, he was all but convinced there was no way he could bring back all of his free agents after speaking with their agents.
Rick Spielman: You go into this offseason and everybody is looking at free agency and stuff but you guys, which I thought was a great decision, you keep the best safety. Keep the best offensive tackle. Keep maybe the best receiver, that is a future Hall of Famer. How difficult was that to get all of those contracts done.
Jason Licht: (Deep sigh) When the process first started, I thought it was going to be damn near impossible.
Spielman: (Laughs)
Licht: You know how those feelings are.
Spielman: Oh, yeah!
Licht: Meeting with agents [at the combine] at Indy, and walking out of them…
Spielman: Maybe the most depressing time of the year coming out of Indy after meeting with the agents.
Licht: Oh! (Sigh). Oh, so depressing! However, we did one night receive a breakthrough with Mike. And his agent. And it came down to Mike’s wife, Ashli and my wife pushing me. And that was the first one. After that it got a little bit easier. It was a little easier to get Baker and then Lavonte and Antoine and ultimately a couple of weeks ago, Tristan getting him extended. The sky opened up. We were fortunate to get them all. We spent a lot of money. We went from one player making $20 million or more, now we’ve got five. The owners, I have to thank them for giving us the resources to do that. Very fortunate.
And Licht hit on a key point. If Team Glazer wasn’t willing to pony up those big signing bonuses, not all of those players would be coming back.
Joe periodically sees a comment on this here site that Team Glazer is tight with the pocketbook. Where is the evidence?
Just this decade alone, look at how much loot Team Glazer has spent to acquire and retain talent.
August 20th, 2024 at 4:26 am
Agreed. I think it’s like how people are dogging on Bowles and Baker withe The Glazers. They remember the Gruden/Schiano owners, where no one would be kept. For some reason it hasn’t happened, where the perception of the Glazers is more positive. We’re halfway thru the Decade of Licht and getting further away from the Lost Decade, so hopefully that perception gets flipped.
August 20th, 2024 at 4:27 am
Excellent point. What I respect about JBF is you deal in facts not fan myth. Great job as usual.
August 20th, 2024 at 5:45 am
Ever since Malcolm Glazer bought the franchise< the Glazer family has consistently proven that they will freely spend money IF they believe in the plan for the team. They want nothing more than to win and will spend the money necessary to do so. This is a great ownership group!
August 20th, 2024 at 5:56 am
I think a decade ago team Glazer was tighter with their money. We didn’t have a very good front office nor a good coaching staff at that time and we were losing a lot of games. We didn’t have Jason licht, his front office, his team of scouts nor the coaches to develop players. I can’t say that I would blame them for wanting to be more cautious with their spending when the belief isn’t there that it would result in more wins. Of recent years, we have a record of winning demonstrating that licht, his staff, scouts and coaches can draft and develop players. Now it’s easier to invest in players
August 20th, 2024 at 6:08 am
After our 2002 Super Bowl victory, it got pretty ‘lean’ for quite a few years. In the 17 seasons between that 1st SB victory & our 2020 SB win, Bucs logged exactly FIVE winning seasons (11-5 in 2005, 9-7 in 2007 & again in 2008, 10-6 in 2010 then 9-7 again in 2016). That’s not exactly setting the world on fire.
There was a LOT of instability during those 17 years, including FIVE different HCs & coaching staffs. No doubt in my mind that the Glazers have zero desire to return to that level of instability. They’ve recognized IMO that it all begins with a high quality GM & HC. We’ve got that now & the Glazers won’t callously throw that away.
August 20th, 2024 at 6:35 am
I see two different Bucs eras. The Culverhouse years and the Glazers years.
One was horrible and one has been a little bit better than average.
Overall, a little under .500 for the Glazers but those 2 Superbowl titles are very, very nice.
August 20th, 2024 at 6:39 am
Man I hope we sign Cameron Johnson.
Enter the following into YouTube:
Kameron Johnson Barton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver
He got kicked in the ribs two weeks ago. Will hopefully play Friday.
Lightning in a bottle that never drops a ball.
August 20th, 2024 at 7:34 am
Joe: “Joe periodically sees a comment on this here site that Team Glazer is tight with the pocketbook. Where is the evidence?” Look at the NFLPA report concerning travel and family policies. A minor point for sure, but the Bucs got poor grades.
I hope the Glazers can be innovators regarding preseason. The preseason games have no college competition and fans want to see football but they don’t want to pay full price when the starters aren’t playing. The Jags have a night practice in their stadium, sounds like fun. I think the Glazers should drastically lower the prices of preseason games to get fans out there.
August 20th, 2024 at 8:24 am
The Glazer’s commitment to the Bucs was evident when they turned down a $6.2 billion dollar offer to sell the team recently.
Let’s end the criticism of the Glazers. They’ve turned the Bucs organization into one of the elite franchises in the NFL.
August 20th, 2024 at 8:29 am
For those not part of the “Krewe”, the Bucs have already begun charging for 2025 season passes. You were able to opt out, but the default was pay. First payment was last week, despite not having stepped into rayjay in 2024 yet. That should help with the bonuses.
August 20th, 2024 at 9:12 am
The Glazers did have some hiccups along the way. I never agreed with the way Tony was let go. He is a respected and good man as they all soon found out. The Glazers have done so much better since those days. Have to give them a lot of credit now. Very impressive as owners. Still need to get better with the players 2023 report card concerns though (Treatment of families and nutrition grade D). I believe they are probably working on that this season.
Agree with Geno711 comment. Never will forget the owner before them-horrible. Was not good at all.
August 20th, 2024 at 9:15 am
Sooner or later people will realize the Buccaneers is an organization which has evolved mainly because of the Glazers, Licht and his department, along with the Arians coaching staff. The future is looking brighter everyday!
Go Bucs!!!
August 20th, 2024 at 9:39 am
Joe, can you quietly check on actions taken after the 2023 NFLPA report?
August 20th, 2024 at 10:20 am
JimBobBuc –
Respectfully, very thoughtful gesture.
August 20th, 2024 at 10:34 am
Geno, two super bowls in the past 25 years is WAY above average, would you rather be the Vikings who have had a ton of “winning seasons”……?
August 20th, 2024 at 10:43 am
Culverhouse was a curse. This team under Jason Licht and the Glazer Boyz is the opposite. Wonder who made the offer to buy the Bucs? Guess the original agreement made to build RJS has expired. In that Agreement, the team could not be sold nor moved.
August 20th, 2024 at 11:15 am
The “tight Glazers” is an obsolete narrative from the early days of them financing the Manchester United purchase with debt. They obviously ran Raheem’s Bucs on the ultra cheap, and in that way, Rah got screwed. But facing facts, he was no more ready to be a head coach at that time than my 9 year old son at the time.
Hoping that’s still the case now.
August 20th, 2024 at 11:26 am
The second Super Bowl was huge for the Glazer Kids. It officially got them out from under Papa (Smirf) Glazer’s shadow.
They are now hitting on all cylinders.
Just put Gruden back in the Ring Mrs. Glazer and all will be right in the world for once!!!
August 20th, 2024 at 11:30 am
The Glazers are great owners. Now when are we going to get Godwin re-signed?
August 20th, 2024 at 11:31 am
The Glazers have done nothing but give resources to the team. Yeah, some were squandered, but that is not ownership’s fault.
August 20th, 2024 at 11:33 am
Without Culverhouse and Phil Krueger, Bics fans would not appreciate the Glazers nearly enough.
August 20th, 2024 at 11:38 am
@Defense Rules and everyone else.
Don’t forget Malcome, the guy who bought the Bucs is the real hero and legend! He was the American Football fan while his kids favored the Euro brand of football.
Once he passed away, the lost decade truly began.
Let’s not lose track of that history despite the (reasonable?) removal of Chucky from the history books.
August 20th, 2024 at 12:28 pm
Malcolm was a great owner and it’s true, after his stroke the boys took their eye off the Bucs for too long.
But now, ownership is right as is General Management.
August 20th, 2024 at 11:22 pm
Team Glazer = ‘Girly Men’ (with the exception of girly girl Darcie) with inherited money.
Seriously tho, shalom aleichem!
THANK YOU TEAM GLAZER as well as the entire staff
August 21st, 2024 at 5:26 am
So while I agree with everyone about them being full throttle when they believe, and them having more to believe in now that Licht has matured into one of the best GMs in the league, they have probably been more consistent in their support than it may have appeared back then, they just didn’t have the same means to do so. We are in a very fortunate position now and I hope we can hold our front office and scouting teams together as long as possible.
Here’s to “The Bucs Way!” Starting with Licht’s travails, then the Gruden Super Bowl victory over his former team, and the Brady Super Bowl practically dropping into our lap, it would make a great book for someone with an insider’s perspective like Joe to write one offseason!
August 21st, 2024 at 5:29 am
Started my post noting that the Glazers were overextended during the early years of Man U ownership which likely held them back vs what they might have wanted to commit to the Bucs.