Todd Bowles will be back as Buccaneers coach, but changes will reportedly be made to his staff
Bowles gets a fifth season with Tampa Bay two days after saying he earned the right to do so
•
1 min read
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told reporters on Monday that he has earned the chance to remain as the Bucs lead man in 2026 following an 8-9 campaign, pointing to his three straight division titles as a reason why. On Wednesday, we learned that Bowles will indeed be back for his fifth season, per CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Bowles reportedly met with the Glazer family on Tuesday, and conducted interviews with his coaching staff on Wednesday. He also told the Tampa Bay Times that there will be some changes made to his coaching staff.
This season marks the first time that the Bucs missed the playoffs in the Bowles era. Tampa Bay started the 2025 campaign 6-2 and looked like it had an MVP frontrunner in quarterback Baker Mayfield. However, after their Week 9 bye, the Bucs lost seven of their remaining nine games. That includes four straight losses from Weeks 14-17 to the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins.
That four-week stretch was a tough one that ultimately decided the Bucs' season. In Week 15, Bowles' defense allowed Kirk Cousins to convert a fourth-and-14 late in the fourth quarter to set up a Falcons game-winning field goal. In Week 16, Mayfield threw an interception while attempting to lead a game-winning drive against the Panthers. Then in Week 17, the Buccaneers were upset yet again, allowing rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers to earn his first career win in the Dolphins' 20-17 victory. The Buccaneers did defeat Carolina in a Week 18 showdown last Saturday, but the Falcons' victory over the Saints on Sunday gave the three-way NFC South tiebreaker to the Panthers, who will host the Los Angeles Rams in wild-card weekend.
Bowles previously signed a three-year extension that runs through 2028, and has gone 35-33 in his four seasons as coach. That includes a 1-3 record in the playoffs. Jones had reported that this losing season was unlikely to spell the end of the Bowles era in Tampa.
"I understand their frustrations, and I understand our own frustrations, as well," Bowles said on Monday. "It's well warranted and well warranted within the building, as well."
