The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a big time trade in the first round of last week’s draft. Here’s how it went down.
Jason Licht worked some serious magic for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he traded away the seventh overall pick in last week’s NFL Draft. In trading the seventh and 255th picks, he received the twelfth, fifty-third, and fifty-sixth picks. Those picks resulted in defensive tackle Vita Vea, cornerbacks M.J. Stewart and Carlton Davis, and offensive lineman Alex Cappa after trading out of pick fifty six.
Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News laid out how everything went down for the Bills that night in an interview with Bills’ GM Brandon Beane. Here was the insight he gave into the deal with the Buccaneers;
"“Joe would say, ‘the Buccaneers want this and this,’ and it included 22, and I said no. It was just too much. I would have done 22 at five. I wasn’t doing it there. Because I knew nobody could be offering that.”"
Licht’s insistence on both first rounders caused Beane to call Bucs legend John Lynch to try to work a deal out with the Niners to try and get into position for quarterback Josh Allen. Beane told Lynch he would call back after the Colts’ selection to work out details;
"Instead, the Bills’ phone rang 30 seconds after the Bucs went on the clock. Tampa General Manager Jason Licht was on the line.“He said, ‘I’ll do it for the twos, but we’ve got to do it right now,’ ” Beane said. “I said alright, I need another pick, though. I need a player. I don’t care what it is, just give me your last pick, whatever it is. He said, ‘Alright, done.’ ”"
Skurski does an incredible job of giving people some insight into the Bills’ war room and how crazy things can get. Both the Browns and the Broncos turned down deals that involved both first round picks in order to get Denzel Ward and Bradley Chubb respectively, allowing Jason Licht to ask for the moon while settling on what he knew was a good deal.
When teams are desperate, as the Bills were, it never hurts to ask for more than you think you should get. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? They say no – the answer you expect – and work out a counter-offer? That’s exactly what Licht did.
Imagine if Beane had told him yes. Imagine if Licht had pulled off that original request, preying on a GM acting out of fear and desperation to get his guy. Yes, the landscape of the team would be different right now, but this is why so many Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans say they trust Licht, they believe in him. They use the hashtag #FollowTheLicht because of things like this.
It’s slightly odd to read the column and think that Licht had to “settle” for two additional second round picks. The draft is a funny thing. It gives fans hope and excitement for the future, but to general managers and coaches it’s their future. It’s their vision. It’s their livelihood.
Next: Ronald Jones Isn't Expecting Anything To Be Given To Him
I can’t imagine the pure adrenaline and exhilaration of pulling off a deal like this and to still end up getting the player you wanted in the first place. Jason Licht? He’s done it twice.