It is anticipated that Todd Bowles will rejoin the Bucs as head coach in 2024.
Despite finishing 8-9 in the regular season, the Bucs won the NFC South, their seventh division championship overall.
TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Times revealed on Saturday that the Bucs want to keep Todd Bowles as their head coach through the 2023 campaign, barring an unexpected change of heart, regardless of the result of Monday night’s wild-card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite being only the fourth club to enter the postseason with a losing record (8-9) in a season without a strike, Bowles, 59, guided the Bucs to an NFC South championship.
The Bucs were never able to win more than two games in a row, and Bowles was only able to lead the team to its eighth division title in history.
The Bucs’ owners, the Glazer family, have never fired a head coach after just one season. Both Lovie Smith (2014–15) and Greg Schiano (2012–13) lost their jobs as head coaches following just two losing seasons and no postseason trips.
On March 30, Bowles was elevated from his role as defensive coordinator to head coach as Bruce Arians made the decision to carry out a succession plan and take on a front office role as senior assistant to general manager Jason Licht.
He was not allowed to alter the coaching staff in any significant way. Larry Foote and Kacy Rodgers were named co-defensive coordinators by Bowles, who continued to call defensive plays. With 21.1 points allowed per game, the Bucs are tied for 13th place with Tennessee and Denver.
Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots, came out of retirement on March 13 after 40 days, and Bowles gets along well with him as well.
While playing for the Patriots, Brady faced off against the defense of Bowles’ New York Jets. Throughout the regular season, he has shown Bowles a great deal of support.
Brady remarked last week, He’s done a terrific job, and I’m just enjoying my time with him. Naturally, I had a long game against him as well.
He exudes strong leadership and presence. Yes, he performs admirably. He has a lot of expertise, so I believe there are great expectations, and it has been a lot of fun.
Brady was questioned if he and Bowles had any similar mindsets.
Our goal is to win games, maintain professionalism, and avoid extremes during the extended season, he declared.
Being the same person every day and being consistent with that appearance is a terrific quality, in my opinion.
It cannot be one way at the start of the season and another way at the end, one way when you lose and another way when you win.
I believe that striving to be the best version of yourself over the course of a lengthy year requires a great deal of constancy.
The future of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is less certain.
Under Leftwich and Arians, Tampa Bay had scored over thirty points per game on average in their first three seasons.
Nevertheless, the Bucs’ offensive output this season—346.7 yards per game—finished 15th in the league, but their scoring average dropped to 18.4, which is the seventh lowest.
Next season, Bowles may designate Rodgers or Foote to assume the defensive play-calling responsibilities, as he has stated his intention to gradually relinquish that responsibility.
Tampa Bay’s offensive line has to be rebuilt. Ali Marpet, a guard in the Pro Bowl, abruptly retired at age 28.
The Bengals signed guard Alex Cappa as a free agent, and center Ryan Jensen has been sidelined for the whole season due to a knee injury he suffered on the second day of training camp.
