They say good things come to those who wait, which might be the case for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Despite an enraged fan base imploring the team to fire Todd Bowles, Black Monday came and went without a move being made. Not only that, but reports in the final days of the season seemed to indicate that the Glazers didn't want to move on from Bowles, and Bruce Arians was reportedly lobbying for his friend and colleague to remain in power.
All of that went out the window on Tuesday.
John Harbaugh was fired by the Baltimore Ravens after 18 seasons as head coach, a move that both felt surprising if not sort of expected. The shock of it is that for almost two decades Harbaugh has been one of the steadiest hands in the league, leading the Ravens through two different quarterback eras while also bringing a Super Bowl back to Baltimore.
It's not a lifetime appointment, though, something even the best coaches have learned the hard way. Where one team is deciding to move on from Harbaugh, the Bucs could use it as an opportunity to swoop in and enact some much-needed change.
John Harbaugh getting fired is a no-brainer reason for the Buccaneers to move on from Todd Bowles
Bowles is in a Diet Coke version of the Harbaugh situation, where he's had success, but it hasn't really felt that great. While the Bucs won three straight NFC South titles during his tenure as head coach, none of them were terribly convincing.
All of it led to the Bucs regressing this season for the first time since Bowles took over, and doing so in disastrous ways. Tampa Bay started the season 6-2 but finished 8-9 and barely out of third place in the worst division in football. It's not just the fact that the Bucs historically collapsed but how they did it that has fans fuming over the idea that Bowles could be back in 2026.
While the angst is justified and valid, all signs seemed to point toward Bowles returning. It was only the first time the team missed the playoffs under him, he has support in the building, and this year's coaching cycle isn't the strongest.
The tide has slowly been turning over the last few days, though.
Pewter Report brought to light some damning quotes from players who called out Bowles' soft mentality, particularly regarding how the team prepared for games. Hearing that players -- whose support was seemingly a safety net for Bowles -- are openly questioning him is the sort of thing that could push an ownership group on the fence about a coach's future over to the side of a firing.
Harbaugh entering the equation, combined with some of those other factors, could be the thing that convinces the Glazers to get bold and fire Bowles.
Historically the Bucs don't rush into coaching decisions. They waited three days to fire Lovie Smith and 18 days to fire Jon Gruden, so a lack of movement in the immediate aftermath of the season ending didn't necessarily mean Bowles was safe.
It could work out that the Glazers waiting to make a call on Bowles timed up well with Harbaugh hitting the market. Tampa Bay won't be the only team thinking about making a move to hire him, but the Bucs might be the team best positioned to convince Harbaugh that he can win sooner rather than later with.
Think of it like what happened with Andy Reid. He was already a top coach with the Eagles, but his tenure had simply run its course in Philly. Since moving on to Kansas City, Reid has become not only a Hall of Fame lock but is widely considered to be one of the greatest coaches of all time.
Harbaugh is in that realm, and could use everything the Bucs have to elevate himself even higher. Tom Brady came to Tampa under similar circumstances and won a Super Bowl, and Harbaugh could come in and completely change the culture into something fans have been longing for since Bruce Arians left.
It's risky, and far from a sure thing, but the Bucs biding their time with deciding on what to do with Bowles might have paid off.