Does Jason Licht Think Buccaneers Are a Super Bowl Contender?

Jason Licht has seen it all as an NFL executive. He's been around plenty of Super Bowl-winning teams while working with the Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots, and most recently, the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With that in mind, it's safe to say that Licht knows what a Super Bowl roster looks like.

It's also his job to build one, and he's going to try to do that in eight days when the NFL Draft kicks off. The Bucs pick at No. 15 in the first round and can do a number of things there, but Super Bowl rosters are built by nailing picks in every round. Licht grabbed some players in free agency that should help the team out this season, but with a lot of defensive depth to still bring in, he has quite a bit of work to do.

Licht had his pre-draft press conference on Wednesday, and he was asked whether or not he thinks this current Buccaneers roster could be a Super Bowl contender. Naturally, he was very confident in his team, and he seems to believe Tampa Bay's contending prowess will manifest itself as the year goes on.

Jason Licht sees Super Bowl roster 'starting to come to form'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

"I've been around several Super Bowl teams, most recently here, obviously. I see it really starting to come to form," Licht said. "You don't really full see it — first of all, players all have to be here, and then you have to get through training camp, and sometimes you hit a stride some point during the season where you start to see it. It can be the same team, but it can be a different dynamic. I really feel strongly about this group of guys that we have and the leadership that we have, starting with the quarterbacks, so it very well could be."

Jason Licht says he can see the roster starting to formulate into a competitor in Tampa Bay and expects quite a few players to break out in a leadership role this year: pic.twitter.com/Z3IhsLcgke
— River Wells (@riverhwells) April 15, 2026

Licht's Buccaneers are almost entirely home-grown players, with just two players last year of 22 opening-game starters (Ben Bredeson and Baker Mayfield) not drafted by him in 2025. He's since brought in players like Alex Anzalone to start at linebacker and Kenny Gainwell to get a lot of reps at running back, but there is still work to be done to ensure the defense is stout in 2026.

If Licht is able to nail some of these draft picks — and if he's able to get a starting edge rusher to produce right away — the Buccaneers could end up being a much, much better team than last year. Things could take shape a few games into the season like Licht said, but that can be deceiving sometimes, as the Bucs started out 6-2 before finishing the season at 8-9 without a playoff berth last year.

Finally, Licht made sure to mention his starting quarterback. Baker Mayfield has revitalized his career in Tampa Bay, and despite a sharp downturn in play at the end of last season, he's played mostly good football for the Bucs. Licht is clearly a big fan, and the mutual interest will likely result in Mayfield signing an extension to stay in Tampa Bay for quite a bit this offseason.

The 2020 Buccaneers Super Bowl team was dominant in every phase of the game. And if he can hit on multiple picks in the NFL Draft, Licht seems confident that this year's Bucs could do the same thing in the near future.

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