Former Buccaneers Champion Stirs Conversation About Jason Licht’s Future

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to run it back completely after a 2025 campaign that started 6-2 and ended 8-9, ending in a disastrous skid that saw the Bucs lose seven of their last nine games to miss the playoffs entirely. Head coach Todd Bowles took the brunt of criticism for this skid, but despite that, he will remain Tampa Bay's head coach in 2026.

General manager Jason Licht was never thought to be on the hot seat, but according to a Buccaneers Super Bowl Champion, he might need to have a good year in 2026 to keep his job going forward.

ESPN analyst Booger McFarland — who won a Super Bowl on the Bucs' defensive line in 2002 — recently appeared on WDAE, per JoeBucsFan, and he had some interesting thoughts on Licht and his job security heading into the 2026 NFL season.

Is Buccaneers GM Jason Licht in trouble?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

McFarland told WDAE that the Buccaneers have a lot to prove as a whole, and since they're piloted by Bowles and Licht, Licht has to succeed just as much as Bowles does for his job to be truly safe.

“I think the entire team has a lot to prove. Not just Todd [and] Jason. Like, that’s a building that has a lot to prove,” McFarland said. "I think the Glazers gave them a vote of confidence by bringing Todd and Jason back. I think now, based on that vote of confidence, it should be a pretty pissed-off building. That building has a lot to prove from the general manager all the way down.”

McFarland also spelled out that, if Tampa Bay's downward trend continued, Licht might not be around in Tampa Bay much longer.

“I think both Todd and Jason are under pressure right now," he said. "I don’t think Jason is going to get to hire another coach.”

Licht has often been praised as one of the league's best general managers, building a roster that helped win a Super Bowl in 2020 and signing multiple free agents who contributed to that championship. The Bucs also won a playoff game in the aftermath of those Tom Brady years and won the NFC South four times in a row, so there is plenty to praise Licht for in how he handled the Bucs.

That being said, some criticisms are warranted. Detractors have pointed to his reliance on draft picks and personal development since the Brady years, preferring to keep his draft picks and sign players in-house instead of signing big-name free agents or making any trades. The Bucs have struggled with depth on both offense and defense in the wake of injuries, and under Licht, the Bucs have neglected positions of need and suffered as a result. The Bucs have the highest rate of draft picks that make the team in the NFL, but it hasn't particularly helped Tampa Bay as much as it should in past seasons.

That being said, Licht still has plenty of goodwill among the Bucs fan base. As McFarland pointed out, however, that could very well change if the Buccaneers struggle next season.

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