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Former New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles reacting ahead of an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins.
Todd Bowles won’t be returning to the New York Jets in 2026.
Bowles, 62, is currently the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After starting the season 6-2, the Bucs have lost six of their last seven games. Tampa Bay is 7-8, and there have been rumors that they could move on from Bowles after this season.
On social media, ESPN radio host Jake Asman posted, “I don’t think Todd Bowles is going to survive the season if Tampa misses the playoffs. Look for him to be a possible DC candidate for Aaron Glenn.”
I don’t think Todd Bowles is going to survive the season if Tampa misses the playoffs.
Look for him to be a possible DC candidate for Aaron Glenn.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini immediately responded to the post, saying, “No chance, Jake.”
NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY quote-tweeted Jake’s suggestion and responded, “Todd’s divorce from Jets was u-g-l-y. No chance he’s back as DC.”
Bowles Has an Impressive Overall Resume, but Things Didn’t Work out for NYJ
The veteran NFL coach has won three Super Bowl championships at every level of the league. He has won titles as a player, an assistant coach, and an executive.
Bowles played eight years at the NFL level as a player. After his playing days, he joined the Green Bay Packers as a member of the football operations staff. Since 1997, he has been coaching football.
That long coaching career includes two stints with the Jets. He served as a secondary coach in 2000, and then he returned as the head coach from 2015-18. Bowles finished with a 24-40 record as the HC of the NYJ across his four seasons.
Over the last 15 years, the Jets have only had one winning season, that was Bowles’ first year with the Jets as the HC (10-6) in 2015.
Insider Explains the Many Reasons Why Bowles Won’t Be Returning to NY
“Now, Jake, on a side note, I answered a question on Twitter you had referred to the fact that the Jets could possibly look at Todd Bowles as a defensive coordinator. I gave a very brief, perhaps snarky response, and I said ‘Not a chance.’ I didn’t mean to be so abrupt with that, and the reason why I said that is because if Todd Bowles is fired as the Bucs’ coach, I think he is probably going to retire from coaching,” Cimini revealed on the “Flight Deck” podcast.
“I think that was his plan all along. I think he landed in a very good situation there in Tampa, taking over for his mentor Bruce Arians. So I think he decided to put off retirement. So I think if things were to go south there in the south in Tampa Bay, I think he would probably retire. I don’t think he’d go back to a coordinator job. Especially not with the Jets. I know he really likes Aaron Glenn, but I don’t think he would work for Glenn in New York or anywhere, for that matter,” Cimini added.
Sorry #Jets fans a Todd Bowles reunion as the DC is NOT happening in 2026.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini added some context to his brief response to @JakeAsman on social media about why that’s the case.
“Now, Jake, on a side note, I answered a question on Twitter you had referred to the
Head coach Aaron Glenn is going to be here in 2026. He fired Steve Wilks before year No. 1 was up. Glenn has to find a suitable replacement, or he could soon find himself on the chopping block.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
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