Latest news with #WDAE
NBC Sports
30-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Jason Licht: Emeka Egbuka allows us to make sure Chris Godwin doesn't rush back
After the Buccaneers took wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round last week, General Manager Jason Licht said that the selection had nothing to do with how Chris Godwin's rehab from a dislocated ankle is going. The selection of Egbuka isn't completely unrelated to Godwin, however. Licht explained on WDAE on Tuesday that the rookie's presence means that there's no need for Godwin to fee like he's under any time crunch to get back to full speed. "[Egbuka] does allow us to make sure that Chris does do his rehab correctly and we don't rush him, and all those things,' Licht said, via 'So that does give us a little comfort with the pick — that we can do that, to make sure that's he's not rushed back. But [Egbuka] had nothing to do with where Chris is currently in the rehab.' The Bucs were looking to the future with the Egbuka pick, but Licht noted that's also the case for Godwin. He said 'three years in the NFL is long-term' in reference to Godwin's new contract and that timeline is all the more reason not to overemphasize how quickly he is back in action.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jason Licht believes Haason Reddick will return to being elite
Less than 15 minutes into free agency (our story posted at 12:14 p.m. ET), the Buccaneers landed edge rusher Haason Reddick on a one-year, $14 million deal. G.M. Jason Licht explained this week on WDAE radio that the Bucs believe 2024 was an aberration for Reddick, and that he can get back to being an elite player. "He's such a freak, freak athlete and he really knows how to get after the quarterback," Licht said, via 'And, you know, [50] sacks in four years — just one year removed from that string that he had where he was an elite guy — and during the [2024] season, it was just kind of a bizarre year for him as he explained with the Jets. But when we knew that he was going to be a free agent, and we had talked several times internally that if he hits free agency or when he does, that this guy might be something that's worth, you know, betting on. Because he's going to be very hungry to prove to everybody that he is still the same player that he was before last year.' Licht confirmed that Reddick was Tampa Bay's first choice at the edge rusher position. And given the extreme speed with which the deal was done, it's obvious that the usual pre-free agency tampering resulted in no team making him a significant, multi-year offer. One could be coming in Tampa. 'He's very, very determined to prove to everybody that last year was a fluke, that he's still the same player,' Licht said. 'He's a great guy. He's going to be a great fit. He can already sense what the locker room is like. And he's just one of those guys that you like to be direct with. . . . He likes to hear the truth. And the truth was, 'Hey, you're going to love your team, you're going to love your teammates, and we have a history here of rewarding people after they come in on these one-year, prove-it deals. And there's a chance that we can do that here with you.'" Reddick, 30, was a first-round pick of the Cardinals in 2017. After four years in Arizona, he spent one season with the Panthers, two with the Eagles, and one (sort of) with the Jets.
NBC Sports
22-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Jason Licht believes Haason Reddick will return to being elite
Less than 15 minutes into free agency (our story posted at 12:14 p.m. ET), the Buccaneers landed edge rusher Haason Reddick on a one-year, $14 million deal. G.M. Jason Licht explained this week on WDAE radio that the Bucs believe 2024 was an aberration for Reddick, and that he can get back to being an elite player. 'He's such a freak, freak athlete and he really knows how to get after the quarterback,' Licht said, via 'And, you know, [50] sacks in four years — just one year removed from that string that he had where he was an elite guy — and during the [2024] season, it was just kind of a bizarre year for him as he explained with the Jets. But when we knew that he was going to be a free agent, and we had talked several times internally that if he hits free agency or when he does, that this guy might be something that's worth, you know, betting on. Because he's going to be very hungry to prove to everybody that he is still the same player that he was before last year.' Licht confirmed that Reddick was Tampa Bay's first choice at the edge rusher position. And given the extreme speed with which the deal was done, it's obvious that the usual pre-free agency tampering resulted in no team making him a significant, multi-year offer. One could be coming in Tampa. 'He's very, very determined to prove to everybody that last year was a fluke, that he's still the same player,' Licht said. 'He's a great guy. He's going to be a great fit. He can already sense what the locker room is like. And he's just one of those guys that you like to be direct with. . . . He likes to hear the truth. And the truth was, 'Hey, you're going to love your team, you're going to love your teammates, and we have a history here of rewarding people after they come in on these one-year, prove-it deals. And there's a chance that we can do that here with you.'' Reddick, 30, was a first-round pick of the Cardinals in 2017. After four years in Arizona, he spent one season with the Panthers, two with the Eagles, and one (sort of) with the Jets.
