The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have rewarded both general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles with multi-year contract extensions following a particularly successful period in franchise history.

Under the duo’s stewardship, the Buccaneers have reached the playoffs in five straight seasons, representing the longest such stretch in franchise history, and, on four of those occasions, did so by winning the NFC South division, with Bowles becoming the first Buccaneers head coach to claim three straight division titles. In that time, the team has collected 57 wins, 51 of which came in regular season play, again bettering any other five-year run in team history.

Tampa is the only team in the NFC to have reached the postseason in each of the last five years, joining a small group league-wide, with only Buffalo and Kansas City having achieved the same on the AFC side.

The NFC South crown not won by Bowles as head coach, of course, came in 2021 and was earned with Bruce Arians at the helm and a certain Tom Brady under center, prior to both retiring from the NFL once Tampa had come up short of repeating their Super Bowl success of the 2020 campaign. Bowles was the defensive coordinator under Arians and went on to succeed the veteran head coach upon his retirement.

“Jason and Todd’s excellent leadership and vision have been critical to our organisational success, and the winning culture they have established has us well positioned into the future,” said Buccaneers owner Joel Glazer. “Jason has evolved into one of the top talent evaluators and general managers in the NFL, while Todd has led us to three consecutive division titles and is one of the league’s leading defensive minds. Under their guidance, we will continue building towards another championship.”

Licht has occupied the GM’s office 2014 and has earned his reputation largely by bringing in the right players to ensure the team’s run of success continued seamlessly. Of the 38 players he has had a hand in drafting in rounds 1-6 of the 2019-24 drafts, all remained on NFL rosters last season — a feat that no other team in the league can touch — while 40 of the 50 players who started a game for the Buccaneers in the past two seasons were either drafted by Licht or signed as undrafted rookies.

“I am very grateful to the Glazer family for the trust and belief they have shown in what we are doing here,” Licht was quoted by the Buccaneers official website. “Their commitment to providing the resources, along with their dedication to fostering a winning culture throughout our entire building, are the primary reasons for the great success we have enjoyed these past five seasons.”

The Buccaneers have won 27 regular season games under Bowles’ leadership, and he continues to put the team’s defense in the top five of most metrics, making full use of Licht’s finds on both sides of the ball.

“I am excited to continue working with Jason for years to come as we build on the success we’ve enjoyed and keep reaching for even bigger and better goals,” he commented.