The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Tom Brady sweepstakes that few anticipated in 2020. But Buccaneers GM Jason Licht was ready — just in case Brady had as much interest in the Bucs as the Bucs had in Brady.
That’s exactly what materialized in 2020 during free agency when Brady signed with Tampa. Licht faced questions about how that deal came together and he reflected back on it.
“It was in our plans. He was — we had to have door number one, door number two, door number three,” Licht said during an interview with NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Tuesday. “All those different things kind of converging at once. And it came to a head when free agency started. At this point (last year), we had no idea. I really knew about as much as you did. So it came to a head as soon as free agency started. And, man, what a day that was.”
.@Buccaneers fans, get over here!
GM @jasonrlicht joined @PSchrags at the #NFLCombine.
"You always leave the light on for a guy like @TomBrady." pic.twitter.com/3nclaP6fsa
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) March 1, 2022
Brady won a Super Bowl in his first year with the Buccaneers. It was his seventh NFL championship after winning six in his 20 years with the New England Patriots. Brady may have retired, but he has left his mark on the Buccaneers organization, even after just two years.
“When we signed him, we talked about that — how the impact that he was going to have. Me, having first-hand experience in New England for seven years, what he’s done for them,” “And what he’s done for us is just that — along with the coaching staff in BA (Bruce Arians), of course. (Brady) built a winning culture, set the bar very high and now everyone knows with the standard is and everyone works a lot harder in reaching that standard.”
