Jason Licht Talks Edge Rushers: “Huge Money” And “Shock”
March 9th, 2025
Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht answered the edge rush question on New Port Richey’s most popular podcast.
That would be the Ira Kaufman Podcast, named for The Sage of Tampa Bay Sports and the king of New Port Richey.
Yes, Licht is seeking edge rush help now. Yes, he values an edge rush. But he’s not playing daily fantasy football or buying Powerball tickets. And he feels great about two young guns on his roster.
“For every one that makes it, there’s three that don’t, and you want to make sure you’re getting the right one,” Licht said of edge rushers. “And throwing money, huge money, isn’t always the answer. That can hurt you in other ways. People talk about wanting a certain player that we should trade the farm for and is going to be the answer, but why wasn’t he the answer for the team that he was on? You know, and I’m not talking about one particular player. But we’re always looking for [a top edge rusher].
“I will say that I am excited about YaYa [Diaby]. I think YaYa quietly was one of the better edge players in terms of his pressures and hurries. And I know that you don’t like to hear that; you want to hear sack production. But I think he was just almost there and he’s going to get there next year. I’m really excited about [Chris] Braswell for his second year. I think he’s going to shock a lot of people, just knowing the kind of person he is and the talent that he has. We’ll look at all avenues for edge rush. We do need some depth there. We do need some help.”
So there you go. Don’t wake up tomorrow (NFL free agency starts at noon) and expect the Bucs to swing for the fences to score an edge rusher.
They might, but it’s far more likely that Licht is looking to hit a clean double into left-center field.
Man, Joe sure hopes Licht is right when it comes to Braswell. Joe might be in the “shock” club Licht referenced if Braswell breaks out in a great way.
You can enjoy Licht’s full interview below from Joe’s table at the NFL Scouting Combine.
March 9th, 2025 at 9:49 am
So has Jason nicknamed the Joes
“People talk”
😂😂😂😂😂
March 9th, 2025 at 9:51 am
The Bucs pass rush will produce more sacks when the defensive backs improve.
The two things go hand in hand…
March 9th, 2025 at 10:03 am
Need a replacement for JTS who should be let go.
March 9th, 2025 at 10:23 am
Nice one SB~LV
March 9th, 2025 at 10:26 am
I’m predicting our first signing out of the gate is for mid-tier ILB or CB… there will be no fence swinging.
March 9th, 2025 at 10:28 am
JimBobBuc Says:
March 9th, 2025 at 10:03 am
Braswell will be the JTS upgrade.
Also, we don’t have to let JTS go. His contract expires. We’re not re-signing him.
March 9th, 2025 at 10:29 am
I would venture to say it’s better to go out and get proven production and have “hope” behind said player. Banking solely on “hope” or “potential” or “almost there” gets you 5 years of JTS and no production.
Go get an elite Edge Jason, Please
March 9th, 2025 at 10:33 am
Don’t understand the logic JTS and Logan Hall never materialized. So we continue to roll the dice hoping someone will. YaYa is ok but Braswell? They don’t mind paying injury prone DBs to big contracts but when it comes to all pro edge rushers different story. You can’t get 17.5 sacks from a player in this day an age without paying for it. I mean Evans won’t play but a couple more years and this will be Davids last year. If you trade or release Dean his salary is gone, so the money is there.
March 9th, 2025 at 10:41 am
That sounds like they are not going to sign an edge rusher. They will just hope what they have develops into an elite pass rusher. Maybe draft a few guys. They better hope this offense puts up 35 plus a game with no defense or pass rush.
March 9th, 2025 at 10:42 am
Every year we act like the Bucs are the only team trying to sign free agents who have no choice but to come here, and when they sign somewhere else for whatever reason we want to act like the sky is falling.
March 9th, 2025 at 10:44 am
So weak. Pass rushers are the second or third most valuable position on a team, depending who runs the organization. Pass rush does so much for a team. You can have All PRO DBs, but they can’t cover for 4 to 5 seconds.
I hope he’s BSing, but I doubt it. No biscuit if you don’t risk it.
No way Bosa goes back to the Chargers like some speculated after what he said about JH. I still Joey has some gas in the tank and a change of scenery usually helps.
He might go to SF to play with Nick..
March 9th, 2025 at 10:45 am
Jason wants a nice mediocre team and is afraid to make a big mistake all while not signing a edge rusher making a mistake
March 9th, 2025 at 10:46 am
Braswell showed promise in the second half of last year. I feel like by that time in the season our backs were against the wall so he wasnt getting a lot of play time.
March 9th, 2025 at 10:48 am
Braswell hardly played the second half of last year and was inactive for the playoffs. That’s not promise… I thought hecwas ok at Bama, but what does he do well? Speed, ugh.. Size and strength? Moves?? Our time to win is now.
March 9th, 2025 at 10:49 am
I’m absolutely NOT excited about YaYa! Braswell as well. I’m more excited to see JTS walk out the door.
Drafting another edge rusher and watching Bowles stick him into his magic bag to produce everything except sacks is as exciting as watch leaves fall in the Autumn. Get a sack producer and have him show the rest of the team how to do it.
March 9th, 2025 at 10:49 am
Ufcguy32, you are spot on.
March 9th, 2025 at 10:53 am
Let me translate. The Glazers won’t let Light spend the money to win a SB. Glazers want the lowest payroll possible and target 9 wins max per season. That’s sustained “success,” folks!
March 9th, 2025 at 10:57 am
Just add a middle tier guy to those Two and all levels of defense and I’m happy. Olujari or koonce would be great additions to those 2.
March 9th, 2025 at 11:02 am
“Ufcguy32 Says:
March 9th, 2025 at 10:45 am
Jason wants a nice mediocre team and is afraid to make a big mistake all while not signing a edge rusher making a mistake”
👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻
That’s a huge swing and a miss there, fellow Bucs fan.
“Zman Says:
March 9th, 2025 at 10:49 am
Ufcguy32, you are spot on.”
Nope, he couldn’t be more wrong. Lousy take.
March 9th, 2025 at 11:02 am
“People talk about wanting a certain player that we should trade the farm for and is going to be the answer, but why wasn’t he the answer for the team that he was on?”
Because even the greatest player can’t turn around a lousy organization. Why couldn’t Joe Thomas make the Browns great? Because they were the Browns. Why can’t Joe Burrow make the Bengals great? Because they are the Bengals. But you take a great player and move them to a good organization, with other good players around them, and they become even more effective.
March 9th, 2025 at 11:03 am
Agree with Ufcguy32
March 9th, 2025 at 11:04 am
Look at the landscape right now. Every team that has a high dollar pass rusher doesn’t want to pay them anymore, and every team that doesn’t have a high dollar pass rusher doesn’t want to pay what it takes to get a high dollar pass rusher.
March 9th, 2025 at 11:04 am
I don’t like that line about why these edge guys weren’t the answer for their team. In a case like Landry getting released, maybe something there but who needs expensive edge players when you don’t have a QB and are having to build.
Hendrickson and Garrett are on 2 of the worst run or cheapest franchises in the league. Are you saying they have a GM and owner as good or better than you Jason?
You know when a top edge really helps your team? When you have a top 5 offense and been to the playoffs 4 straight years without sniffing the SB. Safe to say you are close and need something to go over the top.
March 9th, 2025 at 11:07 am
Jason….I love you man….but we aint BUYING IT!!!. WE SEE THIS TEAM PLAY EVERY SUNDAY. THE PASS D IS HORRENDOUS. PASS RUSH IS NEEDED!!!!
March 9th, 2025 at 11:19 am
I don’t really care what Jason does or doesn’t do. He knows a lot more than I do. He sees the big picture which is production and finances. He believes in our Head Coach which is probably my biggest disagreement with his decision making. It’s not that Todd Bowles doesn’t work hard, or doesn’t shine bright at times. My problem with Bowles is we have seen him freeze like deer in the headlights when the game is on the line and defense gets slaughtered. The best pass rusher in the league isn’t going to solve that. Todd Bowles DC single handedly lost the NFC Championship game to the Rams when a second Lombardi was there for the taking. He lets his defense gets slaughtered torched all of the time and generally says after that players aren’t doing their jobs. He will not change his defenses during a game until it’s too late. And why why why would Bucky Irvin be sitting on the bench watching Rashad lose a game for us? The only time Bucky shouldn’t
be on the field is when he needs a breather. Jason Licht isn’t stupid and he has to see this too.
March 9th, 2025 at 11:24 am
JL-TB may see that the pass rushers are not the problem
The problem was LB’s poor ability dropping into coverage and the never ending DB injuries and next man up creating communication issues along with talent
March 9th, 2025 at 11:48 am
It sounds like Licht and Bowles share the same characteristics of playing not to lose instead of playing to win.
Jason go get somebody proven and established instead of continually gambling on the kids
March 9th, 2025 at 12:02 pm
Myles Garrett has signed a MEGA CONTRACT and is out of the conversation.
March 9th, 2025 at 12:07 pm
The two or three times Braswell was on the field and actually playing a pass rusher role, he looked pretty good to me. Most of the time, Todd had him dropping into that empty spaces zone to cover nobody.
Now that Jason has given Todd the mandate that another 29th ranked pass defense is unacceptable, maybe the grand poobah of the blitz will make some positive changes.
We saw it in the second halves of games toward the end of the year. They tightened up. When Todd was asked to explain the difference he said “I don’t know why.”
You can’t find rare insight like that everyday.
March 9th, 2025 at 12:10 pm
I didn’t go to bed the night before the Brady signing with high expectations either. You never know until you know. I suspect a 2nd (1b) tier signing of a a Landry or Bosa. I have no expectations for Garrett or Hendricks
March 9th, 2025 at 12:13 pm
My grandson isnt the sharpest knife in the drawer his mother drank a lot while pregnant
March 9th, 2025 at 12:15 pm
Jeff Says:
March 9th, 2025 at 10:53 am
You’re an idiot. Pick a different tune. At least say something new once in a while. This whole Glazers won’t let Licht spend money is fouechink retarded.
March 9th, 2025 at 12:27 pm
Sounds just like last year before FA. Not surprised.
March 9th, 2025 at 12:27 pm
In othr words Buc fans, Unless a veteran DE falls in our hands on the cheap? Forgetaboutit. And when we have the same ole problems next season, Its going to be another round od coulda, woulda and shoulda.
March 9th, 2025 at 1:01 pm
Woah, is me. Why bother? What Joe thinks is a franchise reality. The sky is falling, same ol, same old. Some hopeless, glass half empty mfers up in here
March 9th, 2025 at 1:11 pm
Spring is a time for rejuvenating, reinventing, hope, and optimism. Save your downtrodden negative rants for the mid-season slump, or if, IF, we miss the playoffs.
You downer Debbies and negative Nancys would crap on an emerging petunia and justify your act by calling fertilizer. The team is going on 5+ yrs of relevancy having endured a HC change, 4 OCs, and Brady’s cap ball and chain. Yet, you still crying like you dropped your cotton candy in a puddle
March 9th, 2025 at 1:23 pm
This is why I love what Jason is doing. Would it be great to bring in garret or Henderson of course but what other areas of the team are you willing to sacrifice for that 1 players ? At the end of the day football is a team sport it takes all 53 players plus coaches and practice squad players to win. Bin watching football a long long time and never seen 1 player win a game by himself. Shoot last year at Detroit hutch went off on the Bucs yet we still beat them in their own home. Another example is look at Brady. Best to play the game at the most important position yet he was never the highest paid player or QB and that’s because you need money to sign other players. Keep up the good work Jason. Just do a little better job at drafting edge rushers prob the only area he needs to improve drafting on other than that Jason has bin on the money in these drafts and with cap hell we’ve bin in. He’s a great GM
March 9th, 2025 at 1:47 pm
Emerging petunias do need fertilizer. Just saying.
March 9th, 2025 at 2:10 pm
Braswell is a rookie. Give him time. Draft & sign another one. I’m more interested in a Godwin clone this draft.
March 9th, 2025 at 3:18 pm
at these signing prices, we might have to wait to see if we’re contenders, and then make a big move before the trade deadline, to solidify the edge from a team that is reeling and unloading, or when a player has a falling out with his franchise and surprisingly is on the block…
gotta be smart and not pay like cleveland, and strap yourself from every other angle
March 9th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
maybe draft a couple edge guys fairly early this year…
not one……but two….draft 2 edge guys
just a thought
March 9th, 2025 at 3:23 pm
spytek certainly didn’t let crosby go………and payed heftily…
maybe drafting a couple edge guys early is now a real thought – with the prices being paid out to acquire a top edge…
hendrickson is home salivating, frothing and licking his chops right about now
March 9th, 2025 at 3:29 pm
Bucs need to get stronger , other than Vea and Wirfs most of the team looks Yoga than NFL
March 9th, 2025 at 3:39 pm
How much of that is GM speak to keep people off JL’s plan of attack and how much is 100%
March 9th, 2025 at 3:40 pm
@ FilthyAnimal : Emerging petunias do need fertilizer. Just saying.
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Not on the pedals!
March 9th, 2025 at 4:30 pm
Sounds like Mack is likely out. Hendrickson may be the best viable option via trade. That guy is a difference maker. The Bungles need to pay 2 receivers top dollar now…and with Burrow…they likely can’t afford the receivers and Hendrickson. May be time for an all-in moment. For old timers like myself, this could make up for the high pick Tampa gave the Bungles for Jack Thompson aka The Throwin’ Samoan. 🙂
March 9th, 2025 at 4:39 pm
As an old guy I see excellence in situation management here. I see the Bucs making slow but sure progress in the retool after Brady. The arrival of Mayfield was great luck in speeding up the process. We are in the beginning of the real chance of making a run at the big prize. Is this the year to accelerate the process? If this is the year to make the right moves then the Glazers will spend their money. I have complete faith in Licht at this time.