Did TV Help Jason Licht Sell The Bucs To Haason Reddick?
March 21st, 2025
Luring free agents with primetime games.
Very, very interesting nugget on how teams sell players on prove-it one-year contracts. And did Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht use this to help lure Haason Reddick?
Joe is very confident agents know all too well about this tactic. They probably use it themselves.
(Yeah, Joe is looking at you, Drew Rosenhaus.)
Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice gets credit for this because he did the dirty work finding it in an NFL podcast.
Per former NFL scout and current NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL coach told him how high-profile teams (read: teams on network television a lot) have an advantage over lower-profile teams (read: teams rarely on national TV) in landing good players on prove-it, one-year contracts.
What is that advantage?
Players on a prove-it deals bet on themselves. So they’re less interested in a team in the NFC South (Jeremiah wouldn’t out the NFC South team the coach referenced) that appears maybe once a year on national TV and the only eyeballs the players will get are from opposing coaches and maybe some scouts. If you are going to bet on yourself with a one-year, prove-it deal, the coach added, you want the most exposure on a national stage multiple times a year so the entire NFL sees your work.
The coach used the Eagles as an example of such a team.
This got Joe to wonder if this was a selling point by Licht to get Reddick to Tampa Bay?
No, the Bucs are not the Eagles and are not in the NFC East, the division that has network suits, specifically those at NBC, annually pitching a tent. But the Bucs are the mouth of the NFC South. They’ve won four consecutive division titles and won the Super Bowl in the season before that run started.
When Tom Brady was here the Bucs were a regular feature in prime time. Since, the Bucs have had their fair share of network prime time games as well as 4 p.m. games that are often broadcast nationally.
Interesting nugget from @MoveTheSticks in a podcast episode with @greggrosenthal, on the long-term value of playing for a high-profile team like the Eagles. (This was recorded before the Eagles signed Azeez Ojulari, but can probably be applied to him.) pic.twitter.com/AVkVUX2jaY
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) March 20, 2025
March 21st, 2025 at 4:45 am
Wow ! This is all you got? Can’t wait for the draft…
March 21st, 2025 at 6:06 am
Tampa seems allergic to prime time victories.
Prefer to roll with 1pm and 4pm EST!
March 21st, 2025 at 6:42 am
Well apparently he put aside the fact that this team went 0 – in nationally televised games not to mention they lost 8 games at home the last 2 years combined, 9 if you count the playoff home loss to Wash.
March 21st, 2025 at 6:55 am
I’d be okay with schedule of all 1 PM games on American soil.
Bucs would be 14-3. LOL
March 21st, 2025 at 7:31 am
Oh man, let’s look at this farce. Does anyone actually think that a GM in the following off-season when looking to add a player usually at a high profile position simply limits himself to the prior year’s primetime games of what that free agent did then???? No. Any good GM, not only has full access to All 22 film for any game at any time for any player, but in the next off-season will scrutinize copiously that player’s performance at ALL times through all the prior season’s games, to look for loafing, game situational performances of that player, etc, etc for other player “tells” good or bad. Not something as one-dimensional as did the guy flash in a primetime game or not, otherwise I (the GM) didn’t see him perform at all, and this won’t be going through the All 22 game film for EVERYONE at that position this off-season.
C’mon folks..
March 21st, 2025 at 9:28 am
Riddick is far from playing on a prove it deal.
At Philly he was a unhappy employee employee. Wasn’t making enough, was not going to get more, and wanted out.
Went to Jets and thought he was going to get a raise, did not, and still was an unhappy employee. Proceeded in a manner to hurt the company he was working for. came in late and tried to make amends but was released by a new coach that was having none of that.
In comes Tampa and gets him at a 6% discount. Hardly a drastic cut in pay.
Think Riddick was jumping up and down about it? If he plays well I highly doubt that he will get anything close to say a Garrett or Crosby and again he will go into the next season an pain in possibly a new coaches rear.
Now Bosa is working on a prove it deal @ a 40% reduction. Not so bad as the guy that will go to the HOF of prove it deals. If a possible NFL veteran starting QB with a market value of say 30 offers services for 4 then that is @ an 86% discount. since that point in time I’m sure free agent QB’s are loving that guy. That’s like dropping a trailer park smack dab in the middle of a Beautiful High End Neighborhood.
March 21st, 2025 at 12:52 pm
“specifically those at NBC, annually pitching a tent.”
I had a good chuckle when I read this lol truer words have never been spoken!
March 21st, 2025 at 1:56 pm
Riddick is ABSOLUTELY playing on a prove it deal. You have no idea what you’re talking about, fan of the south.
March 21st, 2025 at 2:00 pm
The Bucs have done good in the past on 1 year prove it deals. I expect this will be another and we will sign a new contract with him the following year.
Reddick and the Bucs need each other, similar to the prove it deal with Baker. The Bucs needed a QB and Baker needed to save his career and landed a spot that had a great group of receivers.
The Bucs NEED an Edge Rusher and Reddick is in that same boat. He’s going to be on a DLine almost as strong as Philly. A matter fact it will look very similar once he’s in there.
Thr Bucs are going to pay the Player!!!
Go Bucs
March 21st, 2025 at 2:56 pm
I don’t buy that unless we are to assume every NFL GM and scouting staff are casuals. These teams have in depth scouting reports of every player. They don’t need prime time games to know a player exist
March 21st, 2025 at 6:46 pm
Hey @Dom, see 7:31am post above and before you.
When coming out and saying later the exact same thing…
It goes “like Bushlover said”…
All good.
March 21st, 2025 at 6:51 pm
Interesting business insight. Winners aand particularly dynasties are punished in the draft. This is another aspect of free agency that they must exploit wisely to stay on top.
March 21st, 2025 at 8:46 pm
Uh, maybe, but it’s not like teams/coaches can’t afford the Sunday ticket package. I guess Kempski is fleshing out 1990-early 2000 paradigm
March 22nd, 2025 at 4:45 am
Definitely wouldn’t have a problem with the Bucs playing at 1:00 or 4:00 p.m. on Sundays, maybe one international game. I think one of Joe’s other post’s and article mentioned Madrid. Rather see us in London or Ireland though.
March 22nd, 2025 at 11:55 am
@heyjude. A lot of the bucs fans internationally are based in Germany from what I have heard thats why they play the Bucs there im not sure how true that is