The Buccaneers’ 16-3 lead vanished, Pittsburgh won in overtime, and now Tampa Bay is staring at a 1-5 start with Todd Bowles’ job security under even more scrutiny. Baker Mayfield was already out because of injury, so the loss wasn’t exactly a shock on paper. Still, the way it unfolded only turned up the pressure.
If Tampa Bay does decide to move on, the next question is obvious: who would step into that chair?
One name that jumps out is Grant Udinski. The Jaguars’ offensive coordinator is only 30, but his rise has already put him on the radar.
He was in the mix for the Browns’ head coaching job this past offseason and was also considered for the Bills’ opening before staying in Jacksonville. With Trevor Lawrence looking terrific early in the year, his stock has not taken a hit.
For a Buccaneers team that may want an offensive-minded leader, Udinski fits the profile, especially if Tampa Bay wants to pair him with an experienced defensive coordinator.
Mike Tomlin is the splashiest possibility, even if it feels like a long shot. The former Steelers coach spent nearly two decades in Pittsburgh, and it’s fair to wonder whether he’d even be interested in jumping back in this winter.
But if Tampa Bay is going to ask, why not? The weather, the relatively calm setup, and a division that doesn’t exactly loom large could make the job attractive if Tomlin is open to a fresh start.
Nate Scheelhaase also belongs near the top of the list. The Rams’ offensive coordinator is in his first season in that role under Sean McVay, and his reputation continues to grow.
He was another serious Browns candidate in the last hiring cycle, and teams seem to come away impressed after interviewing him. The bigger question for Tampa Bay is whether it wants to hand the whole operation to someone who is not the one calling the plays under McVay.
If the Buccaneers believe in his football mind, that might not matter.
Zac Taylor is a more complicated fit, but not an impossible one. The Bengals are known for sticking with their head coaches, yet if they miss the playoffs again, the pressure around Taylor would get real.
With Joe Burrow in his prime, a change would not be hard to imagine. For Tampa Bay, Taylor would bring something the franchise has been chasing: stability at offensive play-caller and a coach with Super Bowl experience.
And with less competition in the division, a fresh start in Tampa Bay could make sense for him too.
Klay Kubiak is another rising offensive name worth watching. He isn’t the 49ers’ play-caller, but he comes from a football family with serious pedigree, being the son of Super Bowl-winning coach Gary Kubiak and Raiders coach Klint Kubiak.
The Shanahan-McVay coaching branch keeps producing head-coaching candidates, and Kubiak looks like someone next in line. For the Buccaneers, he would represent the kind of offensive mind they seem to need after so much turnover.
If Tampa Bay wants to chase the same kind of energy it had when Liam Coen was on staff, Anthony Campanile could enter the conversation too. The Jaguars’ defensive coordinator has impressed in his second season as a play-caller and picked up interviews in the last cycle. He would not change the basic challenge, though: like Bowles, he would still need to keep searching for the right offensive play-caller.
In Other News...
Leonard Fournette Just Added To Todd Bowles Biggest Buccaneers Problem
Todd Bowles is already facing plenty of scrutiny as the Buccaneers try to sort out their direction, and now Leonard Fournette has added another layer to the conversation. On a podcast, the former Tampa Bay running back offered a blunt view of Bowles leadership, saying the head coach is not the kind of vocal presence Bruce Arians was and that his messages on accountability do not come across the same way.
Fournette also drew a distinction between a defensive-minded coach and the offensive side of the locker room, suggesting Bowles did not spend as much attention there. He went a step further by implying this could be Bowles final season in Tampa Bay, a remark that only adds more intrigue to a situation that already has the Bucs under a microscope. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Fans Still Have Reason To Fume Over How Week 6 Ended
The lingering frustration from Week 6 still has a clear target for Buccaneers fans: a Steelers game plan that left too much time on the clock when it mattered most. In a tight finish against Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh had a chance to squeeze the game down and make life easier on itself, but the decision-making around that late possession opened the door for the Bucs to stay alive.
Instead, the sequence swung back toward Tampa Bay in a way that kept the outcome in doubt longer than it needed to be. The Steelers came away with points, but not enough of a cushion to close the door, and the Buccaneers were left with a late chance to answer. For a team that has lived through plenty of close endings, it was the kind of finish fans will replay and second-guess for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Ugly Start Has Fans Bracing For A Painful Finish
The Buccaneers early-season stumble has put a very different kind of conversation around the team, one centered less on where theyve been and more on how much trouble the rest of the year might hold. A week-by-week look at the remainder of the schedule paints a grim picture, with each matchup getting its own verdict based on how Tampa Bay has played so far and how the opposition stacks up.
For a fan base already bracing for a rough stretch, the biggest immediate question hangs over the Week 7 trip to Carolina and Baker Mayfields injury status. That uncertainty matters because it could shape not just one game, but the tenor of the next few weeks, and it leaves the Buccaneers staring at a finish that feels increasingly difficult to salvage. [Read more 🡒]