Todd Bowles didn't envision his team's epic collapse to end the 2025 season, but his inability to turn it around has put him on the coaching hot seat. It's not burning yet, but it is definitely getting warmer.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost all but one game after their bye week last season. The meaningless win against the Panthers in Week 17 did nothing more than provide a sliver of hope for a playoff appearance. Injuries aside, there were a lot of things that went wrong.
NBC released a new head-coaching ranking, placing Bowles at 16. That may not sound horrible until you realize they only ranked the 22 head coaches who are not among the 10 new faces hired by different teams. In other words, coaches like John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, and others were not included in the ranking.
Todd Bowles' HC rank leaves little doubt his future with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers comes down to the 2026 season
The synopsis of his ranking begins with a question that every Buccaneers fan has been asking: "Has Todd Bowles’ Bucs tenure gone better or worse than expected?"
There are no quick answers to the question. On the surface, it would seem as though the 2025 season was an anomaly, a misfire due to injuries, if you will. Bowles had led the team to three consecutive division titles before last season.
This makes the question of his tenure more difficult to define. At their best, the Bucs are a division contender. They have finished with a losing record under Bowles twice, including last season, but his 8-9 2022 season was enough for the NFC South title.
The Buccaneers are openly supporting him. They have stood by the decision to keep him despite fans wanting a change after last season's implosion, but will he be given a sixth season if they don't advance beyond the Wild Card round?
Tampa is working on a new contract for Baker Mayfield. That deal will put Mayfield in the pole position for his job for several years, but if the Bucs can't advance, they media and fanbase won't point to the QB; they will point to the head coach.
Finding a head coach that can bring consistent winning to a franchise is not easy, but in this era of the league, coaches are rarely given more than five seasons to turn a team around with seeing successful results in the playoffs. That makes this year a critical one for Bowles.