GENERAL MANAGER JASON LICHT

(On how the team uses artificial intelligence throughout their scouting process)

"We're still kind of walking through all of that. It's still kind of relatively new to everybody, so we're still kind of trying to tread lightly on it. I'm sure that there's a time and place for it. No real substantial findings right now to tell you [about]."

(On weighing college production versus physical attributes in edge rushers)

"You find that the guys that are very productive in the NFL also, most of the time, had productive college careers, too. Not all super productive college edge rushers become productive in the pros, but it is a trait that usually [translates] for the good ones in the NFL."

(On what the Las Vegas Raiders are getting in General Manager John Spytek)

"I could talk for a long time about John. He means a lot to me personally and professionally. [He is] a very loyal, very dedicated, hard-working, smart, genuine, authentic person."

(On what the Jacksonville Jaguars are getting in Head Coach Liam Coen)

"Liam is a fantastic coach. We had a fantastic offense last year – very dynamic, very innovative. I have a lot of respect for Liam and the job that he did."

(On the decision to hire new Offensive Coordinator Josh Grizzard)

"We wanted to hire somebody from Lizard Lick, North Carolina, and he fit the bill. No, I'm kidding [laughs]. Josh did a fantastic job all year. Everybody in the building saw how smart he is – he follows the same things I just said about Liam. He is easy to get along with with the players [and] in front of the room, he was fantastic. They call him 'The Wizard' – a lot of players have mentioned that. I'm just very excited to get to see Josh in that role. I know he's excited to get going. He's going to bring some fresh ideas, which is always good."

(On how important it was to have continuity on the offensive side of the ball)

"It was important to have Josh [Grizzard], it was important to have as many of the offensive staff as we could. As great of a coach as Liam [Coen] is and we all have a lot of respect for him – he was one part of it. There [are] a lot of other parts, including players and coaches, and to have that core group with our offensive line coaches, our tight ends coach, our [wide] receivers coach…I could go on and on…Jordan Somerville, Jeff Kastl, and we added some other people to our staff, too, that we're excited about. We felt continuity was very important, especially for the players. That's what they were very excited about once the hire was made."

(On navigating the salary cap)

"It forces you – in the position we've been in the last few years – to really draft well and rely on young players and some cheap labor to step into big roles. It forces us as scouts, as coaches, as an organization as a whole, to dig a little deeper and turn over more rocks and to be a little bit more open to giving other players opportunities. The proof has been there for a lot of teams, like you said, and we're very proud for the way that we've come out of this with a young team and ascending."

(On the young quarterbacks in the NFC South division)

"We've been talking about this a lot. In Carolina, Bryce Young really came on this year and showed why he was such a coveted pick. We think [Michael] Penix is a really good quarterback, a dynamic quarterback. He's got a really good arm and is a smart guy. It's keeping everybody on their edge. We have to continue to not just remain competitive but try to stay ahead."

(On how the strength of the division affects his scouting process)

"You're always trying to get better; you're always trying to improve in all areas. There isn't a year where you think, 'Oh, the quarterbacks in this division aren't any good, so we don't need to do anything.' You're always trying to stay ahead because there's always the other teams in the NFC that you're trying to compete with."

(On college players not attending the combine as much as they used to)

"It means they're not here and hopefully we've identified them, and we can keep them a secret and we can get better value."

(On how much an injury changes a team's evaluations of a player, as in the case with WR Chris Godwin)

"I wouldn't say change at all. The facts are he had a serios injury, missed a lot of time, and there's still some uncertainty with any injury like that at this point. We moved the void [year date] so it gives us more options and more flexibility as it pertains to him. We've just got to make a good decision. We, hopefully, can come to an agreement with him because Chris means the world to this organization – to all of us individually, but to the organization as a whole, nobody has been more resilient than him. We've been down this road before, a similar path with him. Nobody has been more resilient and works harder than him. Those are the good things. If I were a betting man, I'd bet on Chris. Still, the facts are that we have to wade through some variables here."

(On he would summarize Tampa Bay's 2024 season)

"I think in some regards, it was a very fun season. We dug ourselves a hole and got out of it and it was great to see that with our young players. I've never seen a more cohesive group – the chemistry in the locker room is off the charts, and I think that played a huge role in it. Baker [Mayfield] plays a huge role in that, along with a lot of other players…Lavonte [David], Mike [Evans], Chris [Godwin]. We showed that we were competitive until the end. Washington is a fantastic young team with a great quarterback, and we were right there until the end. I think we're there. We just need to continue to build on it."

(On what areas of the team he'd like to improve)

"I don't think it's a secret [that] we need to get some help in a lot of areas – particularly defense. It's not as easy as some people might think. The answer isn't always just throwing a lot of money at positions. You've got to be smart about it, because as happy as we are with the offense, we also want to continue to enhance there, too. We need some help in a lot of areas, which, in some ways, is exciting for me, because we could go any which way in the draft and it would help our team."

(On evaluating quarterbacks and how teams know when it's time to extend someone or move on)

"There's a little bit of luck involved in that but it's also – if you know the individual relationships that you or someone on your staff or your head coach might have and kind of know how the players are wired, it makes it a little easier to take a chance on a quarterback. In the situation you're talking about, that's why these meetings and the process that we're going through right now in the spring of the draft – isn't necessarily right now but it could be beneficial for us down the road."

(On the value of the running back position potentially increasing and how big of a role RB Bucky Irving's rookie performance may have contributed to that)

"I'm sure it has [been] part of that, and justly deserved. He's been a fantastic player for us in a short amount of time so it has a lot to do with it. He accelerated our offense a little bit – added a new dimension along with Rachaad [White] and we have an awesome running backs room right now. But yeah, he probably had a lot to do with it."

(On how happy he is to have drafted a player like RB Bucky Irving last year)

"Oh yeah, [I'm] very happy. This is a good running backs draft so it kind of goes to show you, last year we didn't think it was as deep but we hit a home run. It doesn't matter in a draft if the experts or the pundits are saying it's very strong or weak at a certain position. You can still find a great player."

(On what about RB Bucky Irving persuaded them to draft him)

"Well, I think I would probably throw it back at you Jenna [to Jenna Laine] . You've talked to him and you see how he is when you talk to him and we saw the same thing."

(On the impact of last year's rookie class as a whole)

"It was outstanding. My staff and the coaches, they hit it out of the park. We're looking forward to riding the coat tails and doing it again this year, hopefully. It's not every year you do that. You strive for it, but it's going to go down, when it's all said and done, when I'm sitting on a beach somewhere retired, I'll think about this class and how excited I was about it."

(On the Buccaneers being able to have hit on Day 3 draft picks like LB SirVocea Dennis, CB Zyon McCollum and TE Payne Durham)

"Because it's guys like Andy Speyer, Tony Hardy, Donovan Cotton, Rob [McCartney], Mike Biehl – I talk about them a lot – John Spytek. I'm leaving a lot of my good scouts out without mentioning them – I need to mention all of them here, I feel bad. But it's the scouting staff that has done such a great job. They know what I'm looking for, they know what Todd [Bowles] is looking for and we know the kind of person that we're looking for and we see what a great locker room can accomplish and so we want to continue to keep those types of players coming in."

(On how much time is spent on training the scouts on what kind of personality traits they look for in a player)

"It's gotten to the point where I'm not training them – they know exactly what to do. In fact, since I'm not on the road that much anymore and they're the ones that have the boots on the ground. It's guys like Antwon Murray that has to kind of keep me freshened up on what the kids are like these days. He's another scout that's [an] amazing scout for us. I don't want to get antiquated so 20 years ago what I thought was maybe something you wanted to stay away from is now kind of the norm. Kids are on their phones all the time, social media is important. It's part of their life. It's little things like that so I have to keep freshened up."

(On what stands out to him about this year's draft class going into the NFL Combine)

"[It's a] good O-line draft. It's a good running backs draft like I said. There's some good interior defensive linemen, but there's always some guys that we've identified as potential sleepers on Day 3 and those are the ones that – we're as excited about the first round pick as we are as anybody, but those are the ones that kind of my staff has been making their bread and butter."

(On if QB Baker Mayfield has any input on player acquisition)

"I talk with Baker often, just like Todd [Bowles] does, but I talk with Baker often. We have a very good, healthy relationship where we can speak our minds."

(On what the relationships between quarterbacks and their front offices are like around the league)

"I don't know how it is at other places. I only know what it's like here but I imagine it's – when you have a leader like Baker [Mayfield], it's easy to go to them and it's easy to take their advice or let them give their input. You don't necessarily go with everybody's input but when you have a leader like that, he knows the locker room better than I do."

(On the importance of the NFL Combine workouts and interviews in his scouting process)

"It's a piece of it. The interviews I do like but you also have to keep in mind that these guys are prepped more and more every year and better and better every year. It goes back to the scout's information that they get during the fall. [That's] where you weigh most of your decision on what type of player they personally are. The testing here is a piece of it but it all goes back to the tape. I mean, we use some analytics, everybody does. It's part of the supporting cast of the whole profile but it goes back to the tape."

(On what he thinks of OLB Chris Braswell Jr. heading into his second season)

"I think he has all the traits, both as a person and a player to make a big jump. We did a little study on edge rushers in their first year. Some of them have a good first year, a lot of them… The team that won the Super Bowl took a first rounder and his rookie year, he had one sack and played very little and this year, he had 10 or 11 sacks and played a huge part in their Super Bowl run. It's that second year that you kind of like to see a jump and I think he's definitely got the mentality for it. He's excited to show what he can do in that second year. Sometimes, you have to get use to the pace of the game, the speed of the game, and the physicality. There's a lot of intricacies and variables in the defense that can overwhelm a lot of people so he's not one that's going to be overwhelmed this year."

(On hiring defensive line coach Charlie Strong and what he brings to the staff)

"A lot of wisdom, a lot of leadership. He's a good person. He's a great football mind and I think the defensive line room is going to be very happy about that move."

(On the reaction of the offensive players after promoting Josh Grizzard to offensive coordinator)

"A lot of great emojis and memes and gifs sent. He was a very popular person in the locker room amongst all players. The O-line – I got a facetime from [them], they were in the Bahamas and they were all cheering and having beverages and things like that. So a lot of excitement."

HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On Tampa Bay's 2024 season)

"I thought we found out about a lot of players. I thought [Kaevon] Merriweather came back and did a heck of a job. I thought [Christian] Izien carried us probably halfway through the season when he was healthy. I thought 'J-Mac' (Jalen McMillan) came on late in the season from a rookie standpoint. We had a lot of young guys stand up, so that was encouraging. We've got to find a way not to have all the injuries that we've had and figure out a different way to do things – possibly practice or do other things or how to coach it a little differently…Overall, I thought the competition part of it was great. The games we lost, we were in, with the exception of probably the Denver game – I thought we were in every other ballgame and had a chance to win. We've got to figure out how to close those games out – that was a positive. It's never going to end the way you want it unless you win the Super Bowl, but overall, considering the guys that were down, I think us playing with six or seven safeties at certain points and different guys…The big thing, when Luke [Goedeke] went down and 'Skuley' (Justin Skule) had to step in, that was huge. Nobody really talked about Luke being down for a few weeks, but I thought those guys got some experience and really helped us in the end and developed some depth. Going into this year, that's something we can hopefully build on."

(On Tampa Bay moving on to their fourth offensive coordinator in four seasons)

"No. 1, it taught me I don't get a vacation, but the biggest thing is that at least we know we're picking the right guys. It's been different. This one was a little different than the first time because our system is still in place with this one and the coaches are the same and 'Grizz' (Offensive Coordinator Josh Grizzard) was at least here a year, so it shouldn't be wholesale changes. Obviously, there will be some different things, but you try to pick the right guys. It's not the right guys depending on how smart or good they are, it's about the right guy [for] how your team is built and how you think your guys can get the most out of what they're coaching. We try to do a good job picking that and making sure we've got the right guy that way. We think 'Grizz' is that guy."

(On how NIL has changed how he evaluates college draft prospects)

"I don't know if it affects how we evaluate them, because we see what's on the tape. Then, when you meet them in person, you want to make sure the attitude [matches] the tape. Some of those guys make more money [in college] than they'll probably make in this league, so that would be hard to do…But the guys that are coming out that can really play and love to play, you just evaluate them off their play. College is a whole different deal right now with the NIL and everything else. Believe me, I've got two sons in college. I understand it very well. It doesn't affect how we pick players though."

(On evaluating quarterbacks and ensuring they have given a player enough time before moving on from them)

"It all depends on how you're teaching them. I think everybody is different and every team is different when you get a quarterback. You have to kind of groom him…You've got to have a vision for him and you've got to put guys around him to help him make plays. I don't think any quarterback can do it by himself, although [Patrick] Mahomes has kind of dispelled that notion. Most of them cannot. You give him time – you give him a lot of time. You see how he grows and if he's growing the right way, you kind of stay with him. That doesn't mean you're winning, but if he's growing the right way, you kind of keep it that way."

(On the inside linebacker position and there not being many first-round selections there as of late)

"I think it's the state of the position. There are good football players at linebacker coming out in the draft, they're just not going as high. Between the quarterbacks, the tackles, the edge rushers, the cornerbacks and the [wide] receivers, they kind of make up the bulk of really the top-10 [picks] so to speak, if you will. There are good linebackers coming out, you're just not getting them as high."

(On Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen)

"If he's got a good staff around him…Liam is a bright guy. He understands football very well. He's hired a bright staff around him. Just doing what he's been doing – expanding his knowledge to the whole building instead of the offensive side. I think he'll be fine."

(On Detroit Lions defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers)

"They're getting a heck of a coach. He understands football inside and out. Me and Kacy have been together for 15+ years now. He's like a brother to me. He understands the game very well. Dan [Campbell] had been with us in Dallas and Miami, so they know each other already. He should be fine there. They're going to get a very smart coach, a very tough coach, and a very disciplined coach."

(On where he'd like the defense to improve in 2025)

"We've got to do a lot of things. I'm very disappointed in the way we went after balls this year – we didn't get our hands on enough balls and get a lot of turnovers. I don't think we rushed the quarterback as well on the outside on the edge. We've got to get better at a few things, and we missed too many tackles."

(On defensive line coach Charlie Strong)

"[He is] an extremely smart coach. He's been in the college and the pro level. He knows a lot of the guys that were already on the team. He's very good schematically, very energetic, and he can get the guys going. He's a good fit for the building."

(On the changes to the defensive coaching staff)

"With Kacy [Rodgers] leaving, it was important for me, with 'Grizz' (Josh Grizzard) as a young [offensive coordinator], to try and spend some more time on offense. Making George [Edwards] the pass game coordinator will take a lot of things off my plate that way. With [Mike] Caldwell coming back, having been in the system and being available, it does a heck of a job for us keeping all of the guys intact as far as schematics. Then, putting [Larry] Foote back on the outside [linebackers] – he was on the outside before, before we moved him inside. He did a hell of a job there. Between those three, we've got three good guys right there that are also coordinators that can really help out. The smarter we are on defense as a coaching staff, the better we are."

(On if he plans to spend more time with the offense during the regular season or keep it to just during the spring and summer)

"It's a spring/summer thing right now. Just things situationally, we've done a good job of getting guys ready to call plays. We understand Dave [Canales] didn't call plays [before] he was here, so I've got to do a heck of a job making sure 'Grizz' (Josh Grizzard) is ready and making sure all that stuff is taken care of from an offensive standpoint. Not that I'm going to be inserting myself into the offense but from a practice schedule standpoint and situations that we work on, I have to make sure he goes through everything possible before we get to Week 1."

(On what he expects from LB SirVocea Dennis next season following his injury)

"The number one thing is just being healthy. If we can get him healthy, he had a role on defense starting out the season, but he got injured right there, so coming back with surgery, hopefully he doesn't have any more injuries. He'll be right in the mix to play a lot of plays for us."

(On what position groups stand out to him in this draft class entering the NFL Combine)

"For me, I'll be very interested in looking at a lot of guys on defense. Obviously, the edge rushers, the corner[backs], and the inside linebackers for me, which I'll be looking at. I'm really interested in the wide receivers as well."

(On WR Chris Godwin)

"Jason [Licht] has been working [on] it. Obviously, Chris is a great player, and I love him to death, and we want him back here every way possible. Obviously, we have to heal and there's medical things going on right there and they're trying to work through that but hopefully we can get them back because he was on a tear before he got hurt."

(On what gives him the confidence that WR Chris Godwin will return from this injury with as much success as he did in previous seasons)

"If there was anybody on the team I thought could come back from an injury that I would pick, that I would bet on, it would be him. Because his work ethic, his confidence, the way he attacks treatment, the way he tries every day to be the best he could be… He's probably the best at it on our team."

(On the value of the running back position potentially increasing and how big of a role RB Bucky Irving's rookie performance may have contributed to that)

"I don't know if it's gone up a lot, you have to run the ball more. I still think it's a two-headed attack in this league nowadays. One person really doesn't get all the carries, but Bucky has helped immensely. He's come in from getting a few carries at the start of the season to being the bell cow at the end of the season. I thought he's come along a great deal, and we haven't had a real running game here in like six years so with Bucky coming in along with Rachaad [White] and they had a one-two punch, I thought they were very effective."

(On how he plans get the team to be more efficient in the pass rush)

"We have to do a better job rushing four. We can get pass rush with pressure, but you don't want to pressure all the time. I think we have to do a better job with four."

(On what he saw from OLB Chris Braswell Jr. this season)

"Just seeing him at the end of the season playing faster. We knew he was physical but it took him a while mentally to get everything down. Just knowing he's got a year under his belt, and he can come in without thinking and play faster, that excites me."

(On if the Eagles successful pass rush reaffirms that the Buccaneers need to be stronger at it)

"It doesn't reaffirm it. We've been talking about it all year. We can cover guys but when we don't get there, sometimes it's a problem and sometimes the quarterback got out of the pocket, and we did get there and the ball was out. I'm not saying it was all the time, but we just want to be able to do both."

(On how long playoff losses like this season tend to stick with him)

"It probably still sticks with me but it affects me differently. You're pissed off at first and then you have to try and get better and do things to try and get better so that doesn't happen."

(On his thoughts on OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka)

"I think Joe did everything right for us except get to the quarterback on a consistent basis. I thought from a run standpoint he was fine, from a drop standpoint he was fine, from a toughness standpoint, he was fine. He did everything [we asked of him]. Obviously, when you think edge rushers, you want to think get to the quarterback first. And that didn't show up from a double-digit standpoint and some of it – we drop differently than normal teams and some of it is you have to turn the corner at some point but just rushing the passer a little bit more will be the only thing. Everything else, he did okay."

(On what traits he looks for in a cornerback)

"Speed, toughness, tenacity and leaping ability."

(On the reaction of the offensive players after promoting Josh Grizzard to offensive coordinator)

"They were excited about it, you know. I talked to Baker [Mayfield] beforehand and told him what we were thinking about. Obviously, I talked to Tristan [Wirfs] and those guys and everybody was all for it. They have a great relationship with 'Grizz' and they look forward to it."

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