of player personnel beginning in 2012 and was promoted to vice president of player personnel in January 2013. General manager On January 21, 2014, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Licht as their general manager. Other candidates included Chris Ballard from the Kansas City Chiefs, Lionel Vital from the Atlanta Falcons and Marc Ross from the New York Giants. He signed a 4-year deal with a fifth-year team option. Licht was officially introduced at One Buc Place on January 23, 2014. In his first news conference, Licht talked about his plans: "Our philosophy is going to be to build through the draft. That's where we find our stars. That's where we find the next generation. But also in the short term and long term we're going to supplement our roster through free agency. But we're going to look for value. We're going to spend wisely." Despite the Bucs struggles for much of the 2010s, Licht survived 3 coaching changes (Lovie Smith, Dirk Koetter, and Bruce Arians), and they wouldn't make the playoffs under Licht's tenure until the 2020 season. Jason Licht's Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV on February 7, 2021. His work in the trade market and free agency helped build his Super Bowl-winning roster. The acquisitions of players like Jason Pierre-Paul, Shaq Barrett, Leonard Fournette, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, Ndamukong Suh, and Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady were critical in Tampa Bay’s success, as all played big roles on Tampa's Super Bowl-winning team. Along with Licht’s ability in free agency, he was able to pick up star performers in the draft. He drafted players Mike Evans, Vita Vea, Carlton Davis III, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Devin White, Tristan Wirfs, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Chris Godwin, all key parts of their Super Bowl-winning team. Licht was also credited heavily for his efforts to retain key, highly touted, free agents Chris Godwin, Shaquil Barrett, and Lavonte David during the 2021 offseason with the use of salary cap savvy deals. Personal life Licht and his wife, Blair, have two sons, Charlie and Theo, and a daughter, Zoe. References 1971 births Living people American football defensive tackles Arizona Cardinals executives Carolina Panthers scouts Miami Dolphins coaches Miami Dolphins scouts Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves football players New England Patriots executives New England Patriots scouts Philadelphia Eagles executives People from Fremont, Nebraska