Todd Bowles is under heavy fire in Tampa Bay, but a midseason firing is not coming.
After the Buccaneers stumbled to an 0-4 start, frustration has spilled everywhere - social media, talk radio and message boards have all turned into vents for fans demanding Bowles be shown the door. Still, the Glazer family’s long-held approach has not changed: they do not fire head coaches during the season.
That means Bowles, now in his fifth year after an 8-9 finish in 2025, will remain on the sideline for the rest of the 2026 campaign. Ownership will wait until the season ends before deciding what comes next.
Part of the reason is simple: Tampa Bay does not have an obvious interim answer sitting on the current staff. The Buccaneers overhauled the coaching group this offseason, adding assistants from Atlanta and promoting others internally, but none of them bring the kind of head-coaching or interim experience that would make an in-season handoff workable.
On offense, Zac Robinson came over from Atlanta to run the unit, with T.J. Yates, Ken Zampese and quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer also joining the staff.
Andrew Mitchell was brought in to help with the offensive line. They are all respected additions, but none has served as an NFL head coach or interim leader.
The defensive side includes Todd Bowles Jr. as an assistant, while the special teams operation remains under longtime coordinator Danny Smith and assistant Luke Smith. The staff also went through departures, retirements and other restructuring after the disappointing 2025 season.
From the organization’s point of view, 2026 is a transition year, built around new systems, new voices and a broader long-term plan. Pulling the plug on Bowles now would only disrupt that process, and there is no clear replacement ready to take over.
For now, the Glazers are sticking to their policy. Bowles’ future will be reviewed after the season, but he is staying in place through the end of 2026.
In Other News...
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Washington found itself in a similar spot when Athan Kaliakmanis was thrust into action for Marcus Mariota and handled the moment well before the Commanders ended up on the wrong side of the result. Mariota is expected to miss time with a knee injury, while Jayden Daniels is set to return despite his elbow issue, leaving Washington with an immediate question at quarterback and a decision that could shape the next stretch of its season. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Fans Have Every Right To Question This Late-Game Decision
Late in the game against the Green Bay Packers, Todd Bowles faced one of those calls that can hang around long after the final whistle. With 1:34 remaining, the Buccaneers coach chose to keep the offense on the field rather than send Chase McLaughlin out for a 65-yard field-goal try, even though the kicker has built a strong reputation for accuracy and had already connected from that same distance earlier in the 2025 season.
Bowles pointed to the length of the kick and the wind conditions as the reasons for passing on the attempt, but it is the kind of decision that naturally invites a second look. When a kicker has already shown he can hit from that range, leaving points on the table in a tight late-game spot is the sort of move fans will remember, especially if the drive does not end with the kind of payoff the choice requires. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Have One Roster Problem Fans Cant Ignore Anymore
The Buccaneers 0-4 start has left little room to dodge the bigger issues, and the loss to Green Bay only sharpened them. Tampa Bay got enough from the defense to keep things from unraveling completely, with Jacob Parrish coming away with an interception and Tykee Smith forcing a fumble, but the offense never found much rhythm. Jalon Daniels had an uneven night, and the protection in front of him was part of the problem, leaving the unit searching for stability in every phase.
What stands out now is how many pieces around the quarterback have failed to consistently lift their share. The wide receiver group has underdelivered, Cade Otton has not given the passing game the steady help it needs, and even with special teams holding up reasonably well, the Buccaneers are still fighting an issue that goes beyond one bad outing. The roster has enough talent to avoid looking this ordinary, but the gap between what they have and what theyre getting is getting harder for fans to ignore. [Read more 🡒]