Jason Licht has earned a reputation as one of the NFL’s best general managers thanks to his success in identifying talent and keeping homegrown stars in Tampa Bay long-term.
Since taking the helm in 2014, no other team has had its draft picks from the first five rounds start more games — a testament to Licht and his staff’s ability to find impact players.
But even one of the league’s best executives has had his share of missteps, and he got brutally honest about a few of them in a conversation with The Athletic’s Dan Pompei.
The biggest mistakes Jason Licht wishes he could take back as Buccaneers GM
“The high draft picks who don’t make it are the ones who don’t work hard,” Licht told Pompei. “They don’t listen to coaching. And they don’t do the little things they are supposed to do.”
It’s eye-opening to hear Licht speak so bluntly about why some high draft picks fail to pan out. Since 2014, he’s made 11 first-round selections. Six are still with the team, two are out of the league entirely, and the others remain in the NFL but ultimately failed to live up to their draft status.
Licht got specific about two of his failed first-round draft picks who didn’t meet expectations in Tampa Bay — Vernon Hargreaves III and Devin White.
“He just didn’t want to be part of a team,” Licht said about Hargreaves, who was benched by former head coach Bruce Arians for a lack of effort and hustle and then released by the team shortly after.
Licht was even harsher when it came to Devin White. Although White shined early in his NFL career and played an instrumental role in the team’s Super Bowl LV victory, his performance declined significantly after his first two seasons, so much so that he was eventually benched toward the end of his Bucs career.
Demanding a new contract, requesting a trade, and then underperforming in his contract year certainly didn’t do White any favors.
"Knowing what I know now, he would have been off my board. It was too much about him."Jason Licht, Buccaneers GM
Licht also got brutally honest about his failed free agency signings over the years. In his first year, he signed both offensive tackle Anthony Collins and defensive end Michael Johnson, but neither panned out. Licht cites a ‘passion problem’ for why those once-promising signings didn’t reach their potential in Tampa Bay.
He also lamented his signing of wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who had all the talent but cared far more about himself as an individual than he did about the team.
"The me now would never sign DeSean Jackson."Jason Licht, Buccaneers GM
Licht’s conversation with Pompei is a rare chance to hear Licht open up about his past mistakes, and how he’s learned from them in order to blossom into one of the league’s top executives and turn the Buccaneers into a perennial playoff contender by focusing on character above all else.
The team has been far more successful in evaluating draft prospects and free agents in recent years, and the product on the field demonstrates that, as the Buccaneers have cruised to five consecutive playoff berths, including four-straight NFC South titles and a Super Bowl championship.
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