It’s such a lazy narrative to say the Glazers are “cheap.”
Aren’t these the same owners who, in 2002, traded for Jon Gruden, paid the compensation to the Raiders, and continued paying Tony Dungy because they believed Gruden gave them the best chance to win a Super Bowl?
They’re also the same owners who signed Tom Brady, paid to have his personal trainer on staff, and gave Jason Licht the resources to bring in virtually every free agent he wanted during the team’s championship window.
In the NFL, there are generally two types of owners
There are owners like Jerry Jones, who want to be front and centre and essentially act as the general manager. Then there are owners who hire smart football people, trust them to make football decisions, and stay out of the way.
The Glazers clearly fall into the second category.
Have they always hired the right people? No. But they also haven’t hesitated to fire coaches and general managers, continue paying them, and hire replacements. Not every owner is willing to do that.
If Jason Licht tells the Glazers that Vita Vea is worth a certain amount, are they supposed to ignore their general manager and hand out a bigger contract anyway?
Glazers Trust Licht’s Process
They’ve put their faith in the football people they hired because that’s exactly what good owners do.
Every contract creates a domino effect on the rest of the roster. Yes, the Glazers write the cheques and have final approval, but when was the last key free agent the Buccaneers lost simply because ownership refused to spend?
As for Vita Vea, he’s still under contract. The Buccaneers already paid him what the market dictated at the time. Now he wants a longer-term extension, and most fans understand there’s legitimate concern about committing significant money to a defensive tackle on the wrong side of 30.
Blame Game
If you’re looking to blame someone other than Vea, Jason Licht is at the top of my list. If there was concern that Vea would eventually demand a new deal, the time to explore a trade was before or during the draft, when his value may have been at its highest.
The same applies to Baker Mayfield. I still believe he’ll eventually receive a long-term extension. While it’s not ideal that he’s entering the final year of his contract without a new deal, is that really the Glazers’ fault? Or are they simply following the recommendations of the football executives they hired to make those decisions?
The Glazers will never be confused with Jerry Jones.
And, personally, I’m thankful for that.
Greg has been nominated for “Best Columnist” in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay. If you would like to vote for me here is the link.
For more from Greg click here, then make sure to follow him on Twitter.
Follow, Like and Subscribe to Bucs Report
BucsReport.com
For more on this and everything Buccaneers check back here hourly at BucsReport.com.
