Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jason Licht was named the fifth general manager in franchise history on January 21, 2014. Licht owns more than two decades of scouting and player personnel experience with six organizations. In 27 NFL seasons, including one as a coach, the clubs that Licht has worked for have amassed a 231-206 (.529) record, 12 playoff appearances, 10 division championships, five conference championships and two Super Bowl titles.

Jason Licht was named the fifth general manager in franchise history on January 21, 2014. Licht owns more than two decades of scouting and player personnel experience with six organizations. In 27 NFL seasons, including one as a coach, the clubs that Licht has worked for have amassed a 231-206 (.529) record, 12 playoff appearances, 10 division championships, five conference championships and two Super Bowl titles.

This offseason, Licht was tasked with navigating a complicated salary cap situation and finding a successor to Tom Brady following the quarterback's retirement, all while retooling a roster in search of its third consecutive NFC South division title. Through a series of extensions for inside linebacker Lavonte David, cornerback Jamel Dean and outside linebacker Anthony Nelson, plus value free agent signings in quarterback Baker Mayfield, defensive lineman Greg Gaines, safety Ryan Neal, guard Matt Feiler, running back Chase Edmonds and kicker Chase McLaughlin, Licht was able to successfully address team needs while abiding by league cap restrictions.

Tampa Bay's 2022 season saw the Buccaneers earn their second consecutive NFC South division title, marking the first time in franchise history that the organization has garnered back-to-back division championships. The 2022 campaign signaled the final season of Tom Brady's career, concluding a three-year span with Tampa Bay that saw him lead the Buccaneers to 32 regular season wins, five postseason wins, two division titles and one Super Bowl Championship after he was signed by Licht as a free agent during the 2020 offseason. Brady finished his time in Tampa Bay as the organization's all-time leader in passer rating (98.1) and completion percentage (66.7%), while ranking second in passing touchdowns (108), pass completions (1,376) and yards per attempt (7.10), and third in pass attempts (2,062) and passing yards (14,643). The 2022 season also saw 2020 draftee Tristan Wirfs named to his second Pro Bowl, while garnering second-team All-Pro honors.

Licht navigated the 2022 offseason swiftly despite the retirement announcement of two offensive mainstays in tight end Rob Gronkowski and guard Ali Marpet. The first move came in March when the Buccaneers announced a trade with the New England Patriots for guard Shaq Mason. Following the trade came several re-signings of foundational pieces Licht either drafted or acquired through free agency. Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen was the first to re-sign with the team, followed by cornerback Carlton Davis III and running back Leonard Fournette. Licht also secured one of the league's best wide receivers when he reached a multi-year extension with his 2017 third-round pick Chris Godwin. Wide receiver Russell Gage signed in March, while Licht added veteran defensive lineman Akiem Hicks in June.

In 2021, quarterback Tom Brady helped lead the Buccaneers to a 13-4 record while recording the best statistical season of his 22-year career, leading the league in both yards (5,316) and touchdowns (43). Brady was protected by three Pro Bowlers in center Ryan Jensen, guard Ali Marpet, and tackle Tristan Wirfs. The trio combined for 3,369 snaps and only allowed five sacks. Adding to the No. 1-ranked passing offense, Mike Evans set a career-high in touchdown catches (14), finishing second in the NFL. Evans' historic year was highlighted by an eighth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season.

Defensively, Licht constructed a unit with Pro Bowlers at every level, with Shaquil Barrett receiving his second selection as a Buccaneer and Vita Vea, Devin White, and Antoine Winfield Jr. all receiving their first honor. In his third season, White led the team in total tackles (128) and tied for 10th in the NFL in solo tackles (87). Winfield Jr. led the league in fumble recoveries with three. Before wrapping up the regular season, Licht signed Vea to a contract extension, rewarding the nose tackle who bolstered the Buccaneers run defense to a top-three finish each of the last three seasons.

During the 2021 offseason, Licht led the effort to retain all 22 starters from the Buccaneers' Super Bowl LV championship team, the first reigning champion to accomplish this feat in the salary cap era. This led to a franchise-record 13 regular-season wins and two home playoff games, including a Divisional Round appearance. Nine of those 22 starters were named to the Pro Bowl, tying a franchise record.

In 2020, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9, at Raymond James Stadium in Super Bowl LV. Twelve of Tampa Bay's 22 starters in the Super Bowl were drafted by Licht, including all five members of the team's starting defensive backfield. All but two of the players on the team's championship roster were acquired by Licht. Brady, the game's most valuable player, was the most notable of many key acquisitions Licht made last offseason, propelling the Buccaneers to the second championship in franchise history.

In the 2020 regular season, Brady helped guide the team to an 11-5 record, while setting the franchise single-season touchdown pass record, with 40. Brady also oversaw an offense that established franchise records for points scored (492) and total touchdowns (59).

Of the team's 14 postseason touchdowns, nine were scored by players acquired by Licht during the 2019 offseason, including all four touchdowns scored in Super Bowl LV. On the defensive side of the ball, outside linebackers Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul have formed one of the league's most dominant pass-rushing duos, combining for the second-most sacks (45.5) by any NFL teammates from 2019-20. Heading into the 2021 season Barrett (0.89) and Pierre-Paul (0.73) ranked first and third, respectively, in franchise history for sacks per game.

Entering the 2020 season, Licht was able to make significant changes to the roster, despite offseason challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Licht spearheaded the Buccaneers' first-ever virtual draft by selecting seven players, including offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs at No. 13 overall. Wirfs was selected to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2020 alongside second-round pick Antoine Winfield Jr. The Buccaneers were the only team in the NFL to have multiple draft picks selected to the All-Rookie Team in consecutive seasons from 2019-20. Licht was able to keep the defensive front seven together by placing the franchise tag on outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett and re-signing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul. Pierre-Paul went on to earn a Pro Bowl selection in 2020. The most significant change came in March after signing six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady in free agency and conducting a trade with New England to bring five-time Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski out of retirement.

The 2020 season saw Evans – Licht's first ever draft selection as general manager – record more than 1,000 receiving yards, becoming the first player in NFL history to do so in each of their first seven seasons. In 2019, Evans' fellow receiver Chris Godwin posted his first career 1,000-yard season and earned AP's Second-Team All-Pro honors. The duo became the first pair of receivers voted to the Pro Bowl since Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin in 2009.

On the defensive side of the ball in 2019, outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett was named Second Team All-Pro and earned a Pro Bowl selection after setting a franchise record for single-season sacks with 19.5. Linebacker Devin White – the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft – was named Defensive Rookie of the Month in both November and December, in addition to making the PFWA All-Rookie Team alongside cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting. Rookie cornerback Jamel Dean recorded 17 passes defensed, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL, while second-year cornerback Carlton Davis recorded 19 passes defensed, the second-most in the NFL.

During the 2019 offseason, Licht made a handful of changes to the team's defense, most notably adding free agent defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, a five-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. Suh – alongside 2018 first-round draft pick Vita Vea – helped anchor a Buccaneers defensive line that held opponents to  Licht also brought in outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett while spending the team's first five draft picks on the defensive side of the ball, including linebacker Devin White, selected with the fifth overall pick. In 2018, White was named the Butkus Award winner as the best linebacker in college football.

In 2019 offseason, Licht signed left tackle Donovan Smith to a contract extension, after having done the same with left guard Ali Marpet during the 2018 season. Marpet (61st overall) and Smith (34th overall) entered the league as second-round picks in the 2015 NFL Draft. Since the start of the 2015 season, they have been part of an offense that has recorded the third-most yards per game in the NFL (380.5), second-most passing yards per game (278.5) and fourth-highest yards per play (5.82) during that span, while ranking third in third-down conversion rate (43.2 pct.).

In 2018, Mike Evans ranked third in the NFL in receiving yards and set a franchise single season record (1,524) one the way to earning his second career Pro Bowl selection. Prior to the 2018 season, Evans was rewarded with a contract extension.

In the 2018 offseason, Licht transformed the team's defensive line with the addition of Jason Pierre-Paul, Carl Nassib and Vita Vea. Pierre-Paul went on to lead the team in sacks with 12.5 – then the most by any Buccaneers player since 2005 (Simeon Rice, 14.0). Acquired through waivers from Cleveland. Nassib finished the season ranked second on the team in sacks, with 6.5. Vea, whom Licht selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, finished the season strong, ranking second among defensive linemen in tackles over the final six weeks. 

In the 2017 NFL Draft, Licht selected six players, with three stepping into starting roles as rookies. The Buccaneers' first-round pick, tight end O.J. Howard, started all 14 games he played in, tying for the team lead with six touchdown receptions – tied for the second-most among NFL rookies and the fourth-most ever by a Buccaneers rookie. Howard had 565 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 10 games in 2018, before missing the final six weeks due to injury.

The Buccaneers also got contributions from wide receiver Chris Godwin, a third-round pick who started the final two games on the season and earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 17 after catching seven passes for 111 yards, including a game-winning 39-yard touchdown. In 2018, Godwin stepped into a more featured role, catching 59 passes for 842 yards and seven touchdowns, prior to his breakout season in 2019.

The Buccaneers finished the 2016 season at 9-7. Mike Evans earned his first career Pro Bowl selection after finishing the year with 96 catches for 1,321 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 12 touchdown catches tied his own franchise record (set in 2014) and were tied for the second-most in the NFL in 2016. His 96 catches were the second-most in Buccaneers history and the sixth-most in the league that season, while his 1,321 yards were then the third-most ever by a Buccaneers player and ranked fourth in the NFL.

Another major contributor to the team's offense was tight end Cameron Brate, who originally joined the team as a college free agent out of Harvard in 2014. After only playing in five games as a rookie, Brate has since become an integral part of the Buccaneers' offense, catching 26 touchdowns since the start of the 2016 season, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL among tight ends during that timeframe. His 29 career touchdown receptions are fourth-most in franchise history. Brate's production was rewarded with a contract extension during the 2018 offseason.

In 2015, Licht drafted quarterback Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick. During Winston's five seasons with the team, he set franchise records for pass attempts (2,548), completions (1,563), passing yards (19,737) and passing touchdowns (121).

Licht joined the Buccaneers in 2014, on the heels of two seasons with Arizona as the vice president of player personnel, working under general manager Steve Keim, who earned NFL Executive of the Year honors from both Pro Football Talk and Sporting News. Licht's first draft pick with Tampa Bay, wide receiver Mike Evans, was selected seventh overall in the 2014 NFL Draft and went on to have a stellar rookie season, finishing with 68 receptions for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns and being named to the PFWA, NFL.com, ESPN.com and SI.com All-Rookie Teams.

Licht first worked for the Cardinals in 2008 as a personnel executive, before leaving to spend three seasons as director of pro personnel with New England. He returned to Arizona in 2012 as director of player personnel before being promoted to the vice president position.

In addition, Licht's career has intersected with some of the NFL's greatest head coaches, including Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Belichick and Andy Reid. In all, Licht has worked alongside seven head coaches who have led a team to a Super Bowl (Shula, Johnson, Belichick, Reid, Pete Carroll, Lovie Smith, Ken Whisenhunt) and seven who have won AP Coach of the Year honors in their careers (Shula, Johnson, Belichick, Reid, Smith, Dom Capers and Bruce Arians).

While with Arizona, Licht worked directly with the head coach and general manager on player acquisition and contract negotiations, as well as leading the club's scouting efforts as he oversaw both the college and pro scouting departments. The 2013 season saw the Cardinals improve to 10-6 from a 5-11 campaign the previous year.

In 2008 Arizona won the NFC West and advanced to the Super Bowl. Licht then spent three seasons (2009-11) as director of pro personnel with the New England Patriots, where he was responsible for monitoring every NFL roster with an emphasis on scouting talent of upcoming pro free agents, while also maintaining depth on New England's roster. The Patriots were AFC East champions in each of those three seasons and advanced to the Super Bowl following the 2011 campaign.

Licht spent five years with the Philadelphia Eagles (2003-07), first serving as the club's assistant director of player personnel before being promoted to vice president of player personnel for his final two seasons. The team won three NFC East titles during that span and earned a berth in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Prior to joining Philadelphia, Licht enjoyed his first stint in New England, serving as a scout and assistant director of player personnel from 1999-2002, a stretch that included a victory in Super Bowl XXXVI. He was part of a front office that drafted core pieces of the team that won three Super Bowls in four seasons, such as Damien Woody, Kevin Faulk, Tom Brady, Richard Seymour, Matt Light, and Deion Branch.

Licht began his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins in 1995, where he worked as a scouting department assistant before spending the 1996 season as an offensive assistant/quality control coach. In 1997, he worked for National Football Scouting, a college football scouting service, before joining the Carolina Panthers' scouting staff in 1998.

Licht played linebacker and guard at the University of Nebraska from 1989-91 before transferring to Nebraska-Wesleyan, where he was an all-conference defensive tackle. He and his wife, Blair, have three children: Charlie, Zoe and Theo.