Jan. 15, 2026, 6:55 a.m. ET
The Buccaneers’ decision to keep head coach Todd Bowles invited scrutiny from fans and critics alike. Nonetheless, Tampa Bay appears set to enter the 2026 offseason with Bowles at the helm, at least one more time.
Todd Bowles began his fourth season as Bucs head coach by making the best of a bad situation. His offense was beset by numerous injuries to the offensive line and the wide receiver corps. His team responded admirably, going 6-2 and boasting the NFL’s third-best defense by EPA per play and the most clutch offense in football under Baker Mayfield’s leadership.
Then, coming out of the bye, everything came crashing down. The defense completely melted down and Mayfield’s play was unable to compensate, leading the Bucs to finish the season 2-7 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
There is no one thing to point to explain the Bucs’ collapse over the latter half of the season. Everything went wrong, and no one, Todd Bowles in particular, could figure out why. Amid Tampa Bay’s epic collapse, Bowles’ admission that he had no explanation for his team’s struggles or plan to get them back on track was a categorical abdication of his duties as a head coach. “The coaches have done everything they can do,” he said following Tampa Bay’s Dec. 11 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. This is the moment that Todd Bowles made clear his days as head coach were numbered.
The Glazers had other plans, as Bowles confirmed he would return as head coach in 2026 following the Bucs’ elimination from the playoffs. His retention came at the apparent cost of most of his staff as offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, quarterbacks coach Thaddeus Lewis, cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross, and defensive line coach Charlie Strong were fired. The dismissal of Bowles’ senior staff begs the question of why Bowles himself would be retained.
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The answer is almost certainly financial. The Bucs signed Bowles to a three-year extension last summer that goes into effect in 2026. The Glazers may have been looking to avoid a repeat of their 2008 firing of Jon Gruden, who had just secured a new contract when his Bucs dropped their last four games and missed the playoffs.
The extension is also why Bucs fans should not expect Bowles to depart as Bruce Arians did in 2023, when he retired to a part-time executive role to make way for Bowles. He did not sign a contract to be Tampa Bay’s head coach through 2028 just to step aside for a successor who is not even in the building yet.
In any case, the Bucs are looking at a half-hearted organizational reset heading into 2026. Bowles finds himself once again in search of an offensive play-caller, though unlike the previous two years, his gamble on Josh Grizzard did not end with his departure for a head coaching gig.
Despite Tampa Bay’s offensive struggles in 2025, the job of its offensive coordinator remains attractive. When healthy, the Bucs’ offensive roster is stacked, and even with his uneven play in 2025, Baker Mayfield has a history of making careers for offensive playcallers like Dave Canales and Liam Coen.
While Bowles has a history of finding quality offensive coordinators, it may be in his best interests to lean on experience with his next hire, thereby reducing the number of variables going into a precarious 2026 season. At the top of his list should be former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who put together one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses even with a limited quarterback like Tua Tagovailoa. His run schemes alone would be a major boost to a Bucs team that finished 24th in rush EPA per play.
Bowles might also consider a franchise reunion with Todd Monken, who is unlikely to be retained by the Baltimore Ravens following John Harbaugh’s firing. In his last stint with Tampa Bay, Monken put together a top-10 pass offense with the likes of Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback.
A popular name swirling in the coaching rumor circles is Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. The Bucs already interviewed him for their offensive coordinator position, albeit last year, so it would be an opportunity to course correct on a rising star.
The Bucs also need to find someone to upgrade their special teams, which was among the NFL’s worst in 2025. The kickoff unit surrendered so many long returns that the Bucs opted for touchbacks by the end of the season. They were also bottom-five in net punt yards, which falls both on punter Riley Dixon and the punt coverage unit. Tampa Bay already interviewed Detroit Lions assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins to fill their vacancy, no doubt based on the consistency of Detroit’s special teams over the last five years.
Bowles will also need to reconstitute his defensive staff, but given he is likely to remain the defensive signal caller, there is little reason to expect wholesale changes to how the defense operates. What Bowles will want to change is his response to adversity. As he likely enters 2026 on the hot seat, the Glazers may not show as much patience for his inability to decipher his team’s struggles next season.