Buccaneers: Is Todd Bowles next in line as head coach?

The Buccaneers may like what they have going with Bruce Arians, but they should be grooming Todd Bowles to take his place in a few years.

While none of us want to look past the current era for the Buccaneers and the dominance it has brought, it is still important for every team to look towards the future with plans in mind. For the Bucs, Bruce Arians is not the long-term option at head coach, but Todd Bowles could very well be that person.

Arians has been nothing short of spectacular during his time in Tampa, culminating in a win that likely moves him into the realm of Hall of Fame voting, but there is little that indicates that he will be with the team much longer.

Arians and Jason Licht recently were rewarded for their efforts over the past few seasons. Licht received an extension, which will keep the team in great hands going forward, but Arians only received a raise for his remaining seasons, not an extension, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic.

This tends to point to the belief that Arians only has a few years left in Tampa. 2023 may seem like a long way away, but once Tom Brady finally retires and this team starts to move on, Arians will likely move towards retirement as well.

Fortunately for the Buccaneers, they have two excellent head coaching candidates on their roster already. Byron Leftwich and Todd Bowles should have received much more buzz this past offseason in the head coaching search, but the Bucs won’t complain. Tampa can essentially sit on either of these options with the promise that they will eventually get the keys to the kingdom, and Bowles sure looks like the right choice.

Bowles has more experience than Leftwich and would be the safer choice, but either would be great in the top role. Before revolutionizing the defense in Tampa, Bowles was the head coach for the inept Jets, and his lack of success there was more on the organization than his own decisions.

The Buccaneers were right to give Bowles a chance, and they reaped the rewards for their decision. Tampa’s defense is one of the best in the NFL, and the players throughout the roster love Bowles.

The Bucs have been blessed by their current coaching staff, and keeping it as intact as possible going forward is key to making sure that the franchise doesn’t fall off down the road. Todd Bowles looks like a perfect fit to take over after Arians, but the Buccaneers need to make sure they keep him interested before another team swoops him up.

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