How the Bucs Built the Team Tom Brady Wanted
It was hard enough to believe that Tom Brady would actually leave the New England Patriots after 20 years, six Super Bowls and three NFL MVP awards.
But that he would leave the Pats for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? That was just a whole different level of absurd.
One of the least successful franchises in NFL history, the Bucs actually code-named their offseason pursuit of Brady, calling it "Operation Shoeless Joe Jackson." The reason? Because it was just as likely that Brady would leave the Patriots for the Bucs as it was for Ray Liotta's character to come walking out of that cornfield in Iowa.
Well, the Bucs built it, and the greatest quarterback of all time has come.
How did it happen? After all, isn't this the team that traded up in the second round for a kicker (who is already out of the NFL) just a few years ago? The same team that has two winning seasons and four fired head coaches in the last decade?
Over his first four years as general manager, Jason Licht drafted 26 players. Only seven of them remain on the Bucs' roster, and nine of them are out of the league completely.
Yes, there were plenty of misses. But it's been Licht's big hits that have slowly built the Bucs into the team Tom Brady picked this offseason.
"I have taken my fair share of criticism – a lot of it deserved – and I'll never shy away from that," Licht said Thursday via video conference call. "But we've also had a lot of hits and brought in a lot of good players that got us to this point, like you said. It feels very good. It feels damn good to have a player of Tom's stature and the résumé that he has, that he felt like this is a place where he could come and win. It feels damn good."
It started with Licht's first-ever draft pick. At No. 7 overall in 2014, Licht chose Mike Evans, who dominated at Texas A&M with his combination of size, physicality and confidence. Evans has since put together the beginnings of a Hall of Fame career, topping 1,000 yards in each of his six NFL seasons. The only other player in NFL history to do that? Hall of Famer Randy Moss. If Evans tops 1,000 yards again in 2020, he'll beat out Moss with seven.
The next year, Licht used the No. 1 overall pick on Jameis Winston, who just became the latest quarterback to continue Tampa Bay's streak of never giving a second contract to a quarterback they've drafted. He also stole linebacker Kwon Alexander in the fourth round, a player who broke the bank in free agency last year, leaving Tampa Bay with a fourth-round compensatory pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Those players aren't part of the team anymore, but Licht built the foundation of his offensive line in the second round of the 2015 draft, taking Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet. The pair has started a combined 151 games since. Both recently received long-term extensions.
Yes, the 2016 draft was abysmal for Licht and the Bucs. Only fourth-round special teams ace Ryan Smith remains from that entire class.
Injuries have decimated much of Tampa Bay's 2017 class, with second-round pick Justin Evans and third-round pick Kendell Beckwith barely seeing the field in their careers so far. But that class netted the Bucs a still-promising weapon for Brady in tight end O.J. Howard, and quite possibly the steal of that entire class in wide receiver Chris Godwin.
Godwin, the 84th overall pick and 10th receiver off the board, has become one of the NFL's best and most reliable pass-catchers. He finished third in the NFL with 1,333 receiving yards last season despite missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. He's likely to get his own long-term extension this season, something Evans already has. Both Evans and Godwin made the Pro Bowl last year, and they will head into 2020 locked up for the foreseeable future and in the prime of their careers.
Over the last two drafts, Licht has rebuilt Tampa Bay's entire secondary, stocking it with promising young talent at both safety and corner. His last two first-round picks, defensive tackle Vita Vea and linebacker Devin White, already look like stars in the making. Only two of the 16 players Licht has drafted over the past two years have failed to make an impact for the team, and that's mostly been due to injury.
In free agency, Licht has been much more effective after taking more control over the decision-making process. His first class of free agents was heavily influenced by the wants and wishes of new head coach Lovie Smith, and the results were disastrous. Licht opted for more economical, lower-risk moves over the next few years, landing some solid values and effective role players.
In 2018, Licht signed a key building block in starting center Ryan Jensen, who brought a nasty edge to the entire offensive line. He's become one of the team's better players and provides Brady with an anchor in the trenches.
Last year, Tampa Bay unearthed a hidden gem in Shaq Barrett, who led the NFL with 19.5 sacks while playing on a one-year, $4 million deal. The Bucs kept him for the 2020 season via the franchise tag. Licht also signed Ndamukong Suh to replace Gerald McCoy at defensive tackle, and re-signed him again this offseason.
Licht traded a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft for Jason Pierre-Paul, who has since racked up 21 sacks in 26 games for the Bucs, all while providing much needed leadership and experience in a championship culture. He was re-signed to a two-year deal this offseason.
Yes, there are still a few places the Bucs could upgrade. Right tackle is the biggest need following the departure of long-time veteran Demar Dotson, and running back could use a boost, even after a bounce-back season from 2018 second-round pick Ronald Jones II. But the foundation is there on both sides of the ball.
Oh, and the coaching? That's one of the biggest reasons Brady flocked south to Tampa Bay. It doesn't happen if Licht isn't Tampa Bay's general manager.
His close relationship with Bruce Arians allowed him to lure the coach out of his brief retirement to replace Dirk Koetter after the 2018 season. Arians then put together an all-star coaching staff, led by one of the league's best defensive coordinators in Todd Bowles, and a perfect blend of experience and potential on offense with Harold Goodwin and Byron Leftwich.
Yes, it's been a bumpy road for the Licht and the Bucs in recent years. The franchise, and their fans, are starving for on-field success and national relevance. They've already got the latter now that Brady is on board, and the former now appears to be within reach.
The Bucs stuck with Licht despite the missed picks, the fired coaches and the free-agent whiffs. Now he's delivered a loaded coaching staff, a promising roster with a perfect balance of young talent and veteran experience on both sides of the ball, and the greatest quarterback of all time.
