Heading into his fifth season coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Todd Bowles finds himself on the hot seat entering 2026.
Through four seasons, Bowles has led the Bucs to a 35-33 regular season record, and a 1-3 postseason record. They’ve been able to win the lowly NFC South in three of four seasons, but they haven’t gotten much further than that.
After a brutal collapse in 2025 in which the team squandered a 6-2 start, ultimately finishing 8-9 and missing the playoffs, Bowles is entering a do-or-die season in 2026.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles is on the hot seat
CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani put together a list of head coaches who are entering the upcoming season on the hot seat.
Bowles ranked No. 2 on the entire list, and the only head coach deemed to be in more trouble than him is New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.
“The Buccaneers were the best team in the worst division last year and still failed to make the playoffs. It was a failure, and another one could lead the franchise to make a change,” wrote Dajani.
Winning the NFC South on its own may not be enough to save Bowles.
The organization has lofty expectations for a talented roster, and Bowles’ status quo of winning 9 or 10 games a season before a first-round playoff exit might not satisfy ownership for much longer.
The Bucs are entering a truly pivotal season beyond Bowles’ status, with a handful of core players entering contract years. Baker Mayfield, Vita Vea, Yaya Diaby, and Cody Mauch are all in the final year of their deals.
It’ll be hard for the organization to justify spending big money to keep all four of those key players for a middling team that hasn’t proven to be Super Bowl contenders.
There’s a sense of urgency for Tampa Bay to take the next step and win 11+ games for the first time in Bowles’ tenure and prove they can go on a deep playoff run. Another season of mediocrity could force the organization to press the reset button, moving on from Bowles and electing to let some free agents walk.
The ball is in the Bucs’ court, and the stakes are high with the future direction of the franchise on the line in 2026.
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