For the first time since the 2019 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't be participating in the NFL playoffs. It's a weird feeling for Bucs fans but missing out on the postseason has certainly turned up the heat on Todd Bowles and his job security (or lack thereof).
Some might point to injuries being the big reason why Tampa flamed out in 2025 and, to those people's credit, they're not wrong. Bowles is tied into that too, unfortunately, as players have reportedly been unhappy with him for how practices were handled this past year.
Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report wrote a detailed article about Bowles' practices and how he seemed to prefer walk-through practices rather than full-speed practices. This irked Bucs players, who didn't hesitate to let Reynolds know their thoughts on the matter.
"One Bucs veteran defender, who did not want to go on the record, told Pewter Report that Todd Bowles had more walk-through practices this year than in any other season he had been in Tampa Bay. He noted that Bowles is a cerebral coach that put too much stock into mental reps with too many walk-through practices.
"Another player, who also didn’t want to go on the record, believes that led to players not taking proper angles, having coverage busts or not getting to proper landmarks in coverage in time because the defense didn’t practice enough at full speed during the year."
Anonymous Bucs player throws Todd Bowles under the bus
This is obviously not a good look for Bowles and could add fuel to the fire in discussions on his future with the team. Sure, Bowles and the Bucs won division titles and reached the playoffs in his previous three years on the job but when you take a step back and evaluate that more, you see that one of those titles came with a losing record. Tampa has also won just one playoff game under Bowles.
Considering the massive collapse the Bucs experienced this year, it wouldn't be a crazy move if Bowles was fired. The Bucs looked to be a surefire playoff contender early in the season but, as we saw, things change in a hurry. If the players in the locker room aren't scared about slamming their head coach, that could be the beginning of more unraveling to come.