It’s starting to feel like the Todd Bowles chapter in Tampa Bay is coming to a quiet, unceremonious close.
This isn’t the dramatic collapse some fans might’ve expected-or even hoped for-but the writing is on the wall. After three straight divisional losses and a slide out of the NFC playoff picture, the Buccaneers are staring at a hard truth: the Bowles era has likely run its course.
Let’s be clear-this isn’t about Bowles being a bad coach. He’s earned respect around the league and inside the Buccaneers’ building.
Players still speak highly of him. Front office relationships remain strong.
But results matter, and over the past few seasons, Tampa Bay has been stuck in a loop: start slow, rally midseason, and ultimately fall short when it counts. That kind of rinse-and-repeat performance doesn’t cut it for a franchise with postseason expectations and a recent Super Bowl still fresh in memory.
Bowles has shown he can steady a ship mid-storm. He’s done it more than once.
But the Bucs are no longer just trying to stay afloat-they’re trying to sail forward. And right now, it feels like they’re drifting.
The most recent loss-a deflating one to the Panthers, just a week after blowing a 14-point lead to the Falcons-wasn’t just another tally in the loss column. It was a signal.
Bowles, usually composed, let loose in a rare postgame outburst after the Atlanta game. But instead of a fired-up response from the team, they came out flat.
That kind of disconnect is telling.
It doesn’t necessarily mean Bowles gets the axe. In fact, a more likely scenario is a quiet transition-perhaps into a front-office or advisory role, something similar to what Bruce Arians did before him. That would allow the Bucs to preserve the respect they have for Bowles while still making the kind of change that feels inevitable.
And let’s not forget-Bowles has a place in Buccaneers history. Say what you will about his head coaching record, but he was the mastermind behind one of the most dominant defensive performances in recent Super Bowl memory.
That win over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV? That was Bowles’ defense, and it was a clinic.
It’s part of why he was handed the reins when Arians stepped down. That success earned him the opportunity.
But that was five years ago.
Since then, the team has struggled to find consistent footing. Even with a talented roster and moments of promise, the Bucs have looked more like a team treading water than one building toward something bigger. And in today’s NFL, standing still is just another way of falling behind.
Bowles’ tenure won’t be remembered as a disaster. It’ll be remembered as a stretch of near-misses and unfulfilled potential, anchored by a coach who was steady, respected, and at times brilliant-but ultimately unable to push the team to the next level.
Whether it’s retirement, reassignment, or something in between, it’s time for a new voice on the sideline in Tampa Bay. The Bucs need a fresh direction. And while Bowles may still have a role in shaping the franchise’s future, it’s clear that role shouldn’t include calling plays on Sundays anymore.