Bucs GM Jason Licht jokes he’d say “f— you” if a player rejected Tampa

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht gets brutally honest if a player would reject a draft day call.

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht has never been shy about speaking the truth, no matter the topic of conversation. Sometimes he will keep things close to his vest, but for the most part, he isn't afraid to let his true thoughts fly.

It's just who he is, and the Buccaneers' fan base doesn't mind Licht and his expressiveness. In a recent interview on the Pat McAfee Show, Licht once again spoke his mind when discussing the type of players Tampa Bay has on their board in the NFL Draft, and as you can imagine, it wasn't quite safe for work.

There was plenty to take from Licht's appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, however, he once again took out his dictionary of curse words when describing making calls to players on draft day and the possibility of a player eventually denying coming to join the Bucs.

READ MORE: Which Buccaneers players were affected most by the NFL Draft?

"I get a little nervous making those calls on draft day because that recording lives in infamy," said Licht. "And, it's the most important day for these players, so I don't want to come out sounding like a dork... one day one of them is going to say I don't want to be there, and I'm gonna have to say 'f--ck you'."

"I get a little nervous making those calls on draft day..

It's such an important day for the players and I don't wanna sound like a dork 😂😂

One day one of them is gonna say they don't wanna come to Tampa Bay and I'm gonna say fuck you" 😂😂 ~ @jasonrlicht #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/iNxepiWIHC

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 30, 2025

It is interesting to hear Licht even think that a player would deny his drafting, no matter who the team is that calls them, but there have been similar instances of this being the case even before the draft gets underway.

One can look at the Eli Manning and Ryan Leaf situation for example back in the early 2000s, and more recently, Shedeur Sanders' father Deion Sanders claiming that his sons would go to specific teams and not others only for the Shedeur to end up being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth-round of this year's NFL Draft.

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

These scenarios are rare indeed, but it doesn't mean that they won't happen. The Buccaneers have fortunately become a desirable location for free agents and draftees despite being a small-market team. Their success likely has a lot to do with that, and if the reactions of their most recent draft class have any notion towards feelings of the franchise, then they are sitting pretty.

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READ MORE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2025 post-draft roster reset

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