Tag: Licht

Feb 1, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) participates in the NFL Pro Bowl Skills Competition at the UCF NIcholson Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Baker Mayfield signs 3-year deal to stay ‘home’ in Tampa

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Baker Mayfield weighed multiple options and soon realized Tampa was “home,” leading to his decision to pass on free agency and sign a three-year deal to return to the Buccaneers.

“God had a plan for me, saw it through, and the group we had made it so special last year — a big reason I wanted to come back here,” Mayfield said Wednesday after putting his autograph on a contract worth up to $115 million.

Mayfield, who turns 29 in April, had options to leave but wouldn’t confirm reports the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots put offers in front of the former No. 1 draft pick.

“This is life-changing money,” he said when asked if he left money on the table. “I’m not going to act like otherwise.”

Mayfield signed a one-year, $4 million contract a year ago and was told by general manager Jason Licht that he’d need to win the job in a competition with returning quarterback Kyle Trask. He was named the starter over Trask in the preseason and led the Buccaneers to the NFC South division title, a playoff win over the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, and into the fourth quarter of the NFC divisional playoffs at Detroit with a chance to beat the Lions in an eventual 31-23 loss.

Licht credited Mayfield’s leadership, competitiveness and toughness as the reason the offense didn’t sink despite injuries and significant changes on the offensive line.

“He’s a 10 on the prick scale,” Licht said, prompting Mayfield’s ear-to-ear smile.

“I’ll take that. Thank you,” Mayfield said.

After a vagabond existence, going from the Cleveland Browns to Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams within a nine-month span before Licht opened the door to him being Tom Brady’s replacement last March, Mayfield said family was a major factor in re-signing. He shared with Licht and assembled media he was planning to make Tampa his permanent home regardless of the outcome of free agency. He and his wife, Emily, are expecting their first child, a daughter, next month.

“It’s a weight lifted off of our shoulders from the traveling journey that we’ve been on the last couple of years. For us knowing how much we truly loved being here,” Mayfield said. “So it’s a weight lifted off our shoulders — just knowing that we can settle in and truly make a difference whether it’s with the organization and throughout the community, that we can truly be rooted and have a boots-on-the-ground mentality and make a difference and see that through. It’s a special feeling.”

–Field Level Media

Jan 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) celebrates a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half of a 2024 NFC wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

GM: Bucs must plan for possibility QB Baker Mayfield leaves

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield can begin exploring other options in free agency on Monday, and general manager Jason Licht is preparing to do the same.

Mayfield flourished in 2023 under offensive coordinator Dave Canales, leading Tampa Bay to the NFC South division crown and a wild-card playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, a boatload of free agents left Licht with frayed priorities and limited funds, especially after using the franchise tag to retain safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and signing free-agent-to-be Mike Evans to a two-year deal.

Mayfield passed for 4,044 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in the 2023 regular season. He had a pair of 300-yard games in the playoffs, putting up 337 yards and three touchdowns against Philadelphia and 349-3 with two interceptions at Detroit in a 31-23 loss during the divisional playoff round.

Licht remains optimistic the Buccaneers can bring Mayfield back but understands the reality of their predicament.

“As Bruce (Arians) would say, look behind Door No. 2, 3 and 4 and 5. We always feel like we need options,” Licht said Friday.

Mayfield, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, had played for three teams since 2021 (Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams) before he signed a one-year deal in free agency last March.

The Bucs are in active talks with linebacker Lavonte David, another free agent, Licht said.

Evans signed his $52 million deal that runs through 2025 on Friday and gave his two cents on the quarterback situation.

“I think he’s an elite quarterback,” Evans said of Mayfield, assessing his confidence Mayfield will be his quarterback in 2024. “I’m extremely confident. I’m not 100 percent, but he played really great for us last year. The city took him in, the players loved him. Hopefully we get him back, but he should do what’s best for him.”

–Field Level Media

Dec 24, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) celebrates the touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans inks two-year, $41M deal

Posted on | by Field Level Media

With a chance to run a fly pattern into free agency, Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans opted for the comeback route.

Evans officially signed a two-year, $41 million contract on Friday to extend his career in Tampa Bay into an 11th season.

The deal includes $29 million guaranteed, according to ESPN. He’ll resume his pursuit of Jerry Rice’s record of 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2024 after hitting that mark in each of his first 10 years with the Bucs.

“The first 10 years of Mike’s time in Tampa have been truly unprecedented and we look forward to seeing him continue to break records and add to his legendary career as a Buccaneer,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said. “Mike is a special player who has made a lasting impact on this franchise and in our community. As great as he’s been on the field, Mike and his wife, Ashli, have had an even bigger effect in the Tampa Bay area through all their charitable work. He is crucial to our team success and exemplifies everything we want our players to be.”

Evans said Friday his goal all along was to be with the same franchise from the start of his career to the finish.

“Tampa is home,” Evans said, noting he and his wife briefly discussed what it would be like to play elsewhere before coming to the joint realization a return was the option they wanted.

Evans was the first draft pick Licht made as general manager, selected seventh overall in the 2014 draft. Now the Buccaneers are focused on bringing back quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is ticketed for unrestricted free agency after leading Tampa Bay to the NFC South title and playoffs in his only season with the team.

This is Evans’ third contract with the Buccaneers.

Evans has been a team captain seven consecutive seasons.

The 30-year-old was ticketed for free agency at the turn of the new league year next week. He just finished a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Bucs, but Licht and head coach Todd Bowles sent strong signals in recent days that they weren’t letting Evans out of town.

“He came to work every day, he came into play every day, as you can see as a result from his statistics,” Bowles said at the NFL Scouting Combine last week. “You know, he he’s been here for like a decade and he’s done the same thing every year. He’s been very consistent. He’s very dynamic yet he’s very humble off the field, but he’s a confident player. He’s one of my favorite players. I have a lot of respect for Mike and everything he does. He’s earned what he done.”

Evans had 79 catches for 1,255 yards with a league-leading 13 touchdowns last season.

He has 762 career receptions for 11,680 yards and 94 TDs in 154 games (153 starts). He also has 709 yards receiving and five TDs in nine postseason games, two of those TDs coming in the 2020 Super Bowl run.

–Field Level Media

Sep 17, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) is congratulated by quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) after scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Bucs focus on re-signing Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield

Posted on | by Field Level Media

INDIANAPOLIS — Keeping quarterback Baker Mayfield and retaining receiver Mike Evans are major priorities for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason.

Mayfield was plucked off the scrap heap and put together his top all-around season, while Evans reached 1,000 receiving yards for the 10th straight season, a record at the outset of a career and just one off the overall consecutive seasons mark held by the legendary Jerry Rice.

Evans is a legend with the franchise while Mayfield stands to earn much, much more than the $4 million he received last season.

Negotiations are continuing with the soon-to-be free agent but the Buccaneers also plan to study quarterbacks this week at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“I know he wants to be a Buc. We want him to be a Buc, so that’s usually a good starting point,” Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht said Tuesday. “We want Baker back. Trust me, I can’t go two blocks in Tampa without somebody asking me that and you understand that and I totally understand it.

“He’s been great for our team. He’s been great for the organization and we would love to have Baker.”

Mayfield, 28, has a 40-46 record as a starting quarterback, including stints with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. He went 9-8 with the Buccaneers while setting personal bests of 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Evans, 30, caught 13 touchdown passes last season to match Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins for the NFL lead. Evans had 79 catches for 1,255 yards.

“Mike did a heck of a job and he came to work every day,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. “He came to play every day, as you can see as a result from the statistics. And he’s been here for a decade and he’s done the same thing every year.

“He has been very consistent, very dynamic, yet he’s very humble off the field. But he’s a confident player. He’s one of my favorite players. I have a lot of respect for Mike and everything he does and he’s earned what he done.”

Evans just finished a five-year, $82.5 million contract with Tampa Bay.

But extension talks didn’t go well leading up to the 2023 season and the two sides didn’t reach a deal.

Licht declined to discuss where talks stand now.

“He’s an unprecedented player. We want him to be a Buc for life. We’re working towards that,” Licht said. “Obviously it takes two sides. I know he wants to be a Buc. We’ll probably have to strain a little bit (financially) but we’re working towards that right now.”

The Buccaneers also cleared close to $5 million in salary cap space by releasing outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett. The 31-year-old made the Pro Bowl twice in five seasons with Tampa Bay.

“Did not want to make that call,” Licht said. “At the same time I did — I wanted to give him some time here to look for another team if that’s what he wants to do. We can’t officially release him until the beginning of the league year, but he actually calmed me down on the call.”

–Field Level Media

Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Bucs GM likens overhaul to finding ‘gems at the dollar store’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Tom Brady’s retirement in February was the just the tipping point for Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht to put a massive roster overhaul in motion.

When the Bucs made their final roster cuts to 53 more than six months later, the team had gone from the oldest in the NFL to the eighth youngest. It was a necessary band-aid to tear off as Brady’s retirement brought a $35 million dead-cap hit and put the franchise nearly $60 million over the cap.

The ensuing months saw the departure of numerous veterans including running back Leonard Fournette and tackle Donovan Smith, and the addition of a slew of rookies — including six undrafted players who made the initial 53-man roster last week. They team with seven rookie draft picks on the roster.

“It was challenging for us, but it was fun. It was exciting,” Licht said Thursday. “Any time you challenge your staff to go find gems at the dollar store, there is kind of an excitement to it. That’s what we get paid to do.

“That’s how we earned our bones early, trying to kick the weeds and find guys, so it was a lot of fun for all of us.”

Licht admitted the focus was not only from getting younger while also paring the salary cap, but on getting faster and more athletic throughout the roster in the process.

“We knew that there would be a lot of opportunity for new faces, but if you would’ve told me back in April that we’d keep six undrafted rookies, I probably would’ve thought you were crazy,” Licht said. “But it worked out. We’re excited about every single one of them. I think a lot of them are going to play big roles for us.

“It’s an exciting time. Whenever you have a young team and are thinking you can compete with that young team, it’s great. It worked out well for us.

“We’re paying the bills right now.”

Whether the Bucs can be competitive in 2023 remains to be seen. After being preseason favorites during each of Brady’s three seasons, Tampa Bay is now the longshot to win the NFC South — including +750 at BetRivers and +1000 at DraftKings.

Head coach Todd Bowles spoke to the overall intelligence he sees in the team’s rookie class, which he believes picked up the Bucs’ system extremely quickly. He believes if players have the talent, they can play and contributing no matter the experience level.

“We have guys on the team that can play ball. Just because their names are not known doesn’t mean they can’t play,” Bowles said. “They’re just unknown at the time, but they’ll be known pretty soon.

“It’s up to us to get them ready and it’s up to them to play, and we feel confident in that.”

The Bucs face a difficult opening stretch that will likely determine realistic expectations. After opening at Minnesota, Tampa Bay will play host to Chicago and defending NFC champion Philadelphia before its first divisional game at New Orleans ahead of a Week 5 bye.

There are still veterans at key positions the Bucs will rely heavily on to get through that opening gauntlet. Among them are wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin along with quarterback Baker Mayfield, who won the job over Kyle Trask to begin the season.

“Baker was obviously better or we wouldn’t have chosen him to be the starter,” Licht said. “I think Baker is in a great head space right now, so I’m excited to see how this turns out.”

Meanwhile, the defense will be led by linebackers Shaq Barrett, Lavonte David and Devin White along with nose tackle Vita Vea and defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr.

“I just know I like the vibe that our team has right now, I like the energy and I like how far we’ve gotten in the offseason as a team,” Licht said. “I can’t make any predictions — I just feel like our team has the DNA to want to compete against anybody.”

–Field Level Media

Feb 10, 2021; Tampa Bay, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady during a boat parade to celebrate victory in Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady, Buccaneers GM to talk contract extension

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Tom Brady committed to the 2021 season in the afterglow of his seventh Super Bowl victory this month, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht envisions talking about another contract with his 43-year-old quarterback.

Brady signed a two-year deal in free agency in March 2020, exiting New England for $25 million in 2020 and the same amount in 2021.

The Buccaneers are strapped for cash entering the new league year, and turning Brady’s $25 million salary into a bonus, or splitting his contract between base salary and bonus, would bring significant cap relief. The accounting maneuver was commonly utilized by the Patriots.

“We’d like to keep this going,” Licht said on The Rich Eisen Show.

The NFL league year, which is the official start of free agency, begins March 17.

A move on Brady’s contract likely would come before March 9, the deadline for the Buccaneers to employ the franchise tag. Likely candidates for the one-year tag include wide receiver Chris Godwin.

Head coach Bruce Arians said Brady is showing no signs of wear and the uninformed observer would never guess his age. Brady repeated this month that he’d like to play multiple more seasons, and in the past pointed to 45 as a benchmark he was striving to hit. He will turn 44 in August.

“It appears he had a really good time this year winning the Super Bowl and likes our organization,” Licht told the Rich Eisen Show. “Likes our coaches, likes our head coach and ownership and we certainly love him. Usually when you have those two things going for you, it’s a match made in heaven. So we’d like to keep this going.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 9, 2020; Tampa, Florida, United States;Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette (28) talks with general manager Jason Licht, owner Joel Glazer and owner Bryan Glazer at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Bucs GM Jason Licht basks in afterglow of turnaround

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Long before Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht and head coach Bruce Arians shared morsels of Tampa Bay’s 2020 vision last February, the end game for the franchise was crystal clear.

Optimistic or outlandish depending on your vantage point, the Buccaneers planned to play for the Super Bowl in their home stadium in February 2021.

And here they stand, NFC Champions prepping to host the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 7.

“I look back at this time last year compared to where we’re at right now — and we still have unfinished business,” Licht said Wednesday. “Everybody is very focused on this game — I can assure you of that. But, just how far we came in a short amount of time in terms of our record and where we’re at. It’s just a feeling of being grateful for our ownership for giving us the resources that they have to keep this team together, to go out and get Tom [Brady], to trade for Gronk [Rob Gronkowski] and make some other moves during the season when it would have been very easy for owners to pull the reins back a little bit for reasons that go along with being in a pandemic. But, [they] still wanted us to push forward because they desperately want this.”

Last February, Arians opened a choose-your-adventure offseason by revealing he wasn’t committed to quarterback Jameis Winston at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Jump ahead to pandemic times. As the sports world and world in general was slamming the brakes, high fives, hugs and handshakes were impossible to resist at One Buc Place.

The Buccaneers were celebrating in private when Brady penned a public farewell to the Patriots, leaving New England in free agency for a two-year deal in Tampa. About six weeks later, they had Gronkowski under contract and landed a dominant right tackle in Tristan Wirfs plus a starting safety, Antoine Winfield Jr., in the NFL draft.

The slow turn from challenging for the NFC South cellar to playoff — dare they say, Super Bowl — contention was rapidly looking like reality through Licht’s lens.

“You want to make some moves that hopefully get your team into the Super Bowl. I think when you sign a guy like Tom, it makes it a little more realistic,” Licht said. “Just talking to him the days after we signed him, you could just hear and feel the confidence that he had. It made it a little bit more real. Now, you never take anything for granted. We had some highs and lows in the season where things at times looked a little grim. We needed to pull together, but we never lost our confidence. Looking back on some of the things we talked about, you do kind of want to pinch yourselves a little bit saying, ‘Wow, this really did happen.’”

The Buccaneers couldn’t overtake the Saints in the South, but as a wild card won three playoff road games — one in New Orleans — to claim the NFC title. Brady, a 43-year-old quarterback, got them there along with a strong defense and young, talented wide receiver group.

Licht isn’t willing to take much of the credit, deflecting to Arians and the team’s scouting staff. Arians, the team’s call-em-like-you-see-em leader, won over Brady with a combination of tough love and autonomy that only makes sense when viewed in action.

For example, Arians said last week the difference between Brady’s 20 years in New England and this season in Tampa is the Buccaneers got out of his way.

“I allow him to be himself. Like, New England didn’t allow him to coach. I allow him to coach,” Arians said.

Offensive guard Ali Marpet said Wednesday the chemistry with a younger team is a credit to Arians.

“B.A. has done such a great job for us,” Marpet said, “kind of letting players play their own game and giving guys the opportunity to do what they do that makes them successful.”

–Field Level Media