When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Missouri EDGE Josiah Trotter with the No. 46 pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, it wasn't just another draft day move—it was a full-circle moment steeped in family legacy and a hilarious, cautionary tale.

Josiah is the son of Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, a feared defender who dominated the NFC for years. And as it turns out, Bucs General Manager Jason Licht knows the Trotter family better than most. Early in his career, Licht served as the Eagles' vice president of player personnel—meaning he was actually in the room back in August 2007 when Philadelphia made the difficult decision to release the elder Trotter.

Fast forward to draft weekend, and Licht shared an unforgettable story during an appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" about how that release almost went sideways—thanks to his own wife.

According to Licht, the Eagles' brain trust, led by head coach Andy Reid, decided to cut Trotter during training camp. The news was explosive, and the team planned to announce it the next day. "The decision of the team was that we were going to release Jeremiah Trotter, which was big news at the time," Licht recalled. "He had been our leader. He's a bad man. You don't want to mess with him. We couldn't tell anybody. … It was very secretive."

So, of course, Licht told his wife, Blair—and swore her to secrecy. "Who am I going to tell?" she assured him.

But the next morning, Trotter's release was all over Philadelphia radio, sending shockwaves through the Eagles facility. Licht, baffled, confronted Blair—who sheepishly admitted she had told her cousin Vincent, a die-hard Eagles fan. And Vincent, it turns out, couldn't keep the scoop to himself.

"Well, that was just too good not to tell anybody, so I called the radio station," Vincent reportedly said when Licht called him.

The whole ordeal became a valuable lesson in discretion for Licht, who now uses the story to educate new Tampa Bay hires about keeping team secrets under wraps. "You cannot tell anybody these secrets," he said with a laugh. "If you live in the Allentown, Pennsylvania, area and you run across cousin Vincent or Jesse, do not tell them your secrets."

Now, nearly two decades later, Licht had the chance to draft Trotter's son—a move that feels both poetic and full of good-natured humor. For Bucs fans, it's a reminder that the NFL is a small world, and sometimes the best draft stories come with a side of family comedy.