After hiring Bruce Arians, Bucs gave G.M. Jason Licht a five-year extension

[Captain Fear]

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Hiring coach Bruce Arians gave Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht job security.

Licht signed a previously unreported five-year contract extension days after Arians was hired, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

That’s a lot of faith to put in a G.M. who has a 27-53 record in his five seasons running the front office. But the Bucs had good reasons to have faith in Arians, a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, and Arians has a long and close relationship with Licht. Arians likely wouldn’t have taken the Bucs’ head-coaching job if a good friend weren’t running the front office, so Arians and Licht were basically a package deal.

Now the question is whether Licht can finally put together a winning roster in Tampa Bay. Most general managers don’t last into a sixth year if they go 27-53 in their first five. Bucs ownership has put a lot of faith in Licht, perhaps more than he’s earned with his record.