Bill Belichick praises Buccaneers G.M. Jason Licht (and all that that implies)

Bill Belichick is strategic. About everything.

He was strategic as a coach. He was strategic in accepting media gigs. He's strategic in what he says on those platforms.

In a nutshell, Belichick spends his time settling scores or advancing his agenda. And his recent ManningCast comments from the Buccaneers-Chiefs game has prompted speculation in some circles that he has his eye on the Tampa Bay job.

Via JoeBucsFan.com, Belichick praised G.M. Jason Licht (a former Patriots employee).

"Jason did a great job for me," Belichick said. "He’s really a great evaluator, a really smart guy. He’s done a great job putting the Bucs together. And then, you know in [2022 and 2023,] they were kind of down a bit, it looked like they were rebuilding, got Mayfield and a lot of young players in there. And here they are playing really competitively again. So he’s done a tremendous job. I really enjoy Jason. He’s a great guy to be around. You know, he’s really done a great job with that franchise.”

That's important, because it's a signal that Belichick and Licht could co-exist.

Throw in the fact that Belichick spent time grumbling about the Tampa Bay defensive performance, and it's possible that Belichick is interested in coaching the Buccaneers next year. Or, more generally, that he's hoping to maximize his options in order to generate the most possible leverage.

Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Dallas. Where else? The more, the merrier for Belichick.

Regardless, Belichick doesn't say anything accidentally. He has a reason for everything he says and does. And what he's doing now is trying to create the highest possible demand for his services in 2025.