“Very, Very Excited” Jason Licht Says Fans Don’t Know Todd Bowles
June 29th, 2025
Todd Bowles has a shiny new contract that pays him to be the Buccaneers’ head coach through the 2028 season, but he doesn’t have fans collectively behind him like one might think a coach with three division titles in three years would.
Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht also has a fresh contract extension, and he recognizes Bowles doesn’t have a powerful connection with a faction of Bucs fandom, so he told Sports Day Tampa Bay.
“I don’t think the general public and the fans truly know Todd’s personality,” Licht said. “Todd’s very stoic the way he carries himself. And he’s steady, and it’s a very positive thing, a quality to have. But [at One Buc Palace], he jokes around, gives everybody sh$%. I mean, he’s fun. I think if people saw that they would think a little differently.
“I’m not asking Todd to do anything different in front of the microphone at all, but secondly, it’s really hard to follow the coach that just won the Super Bowl and is iconic like Bruce [Arians]. You know, it’s hard. It’s like Baker [Mayfield] following [Tom] Brady.”
Joe can’t buy into the Brady-to-Baker analogy offered by Licht. Bowles already was on the Bucs’ staff under Arians and was a well-known commodity, a Super Bowl hero in Tampa for crafting a defense that kept Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs out of the end zone. Mayfield was a floundering outsider when he arrived.
Joe, however, does think Bowles is very much underappreciated by fans for his development of players on both sides of the ball, and for the steady hand Licht referenced.
It is worth noting that 58 percent of fans polled here agreed with the Bowles contract extension announced last week. So the majority of Bucs fans applaud Bowles’ leadership, though the negative types are louder on social media and sports radio.
Licht seems to think a great season is ahead, the kind that would get an overwhelming majority of fans behind the head coach.
“I like our team. I like it a lot,” Licht said. “We’ve got a lot of talent, but more importantly I think we have the right kind of people. And this team has a lot of chemistry right now. And the culture, because of the type of players we have, but more importantly the type of culture that Todd manifests and fosters here as the head coach. I mean, he’s the leader of this team. I’m very, very excited.”
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June 29th, 2025 at 5:39 pm
That’s true . Jason is right. In a results business we know Todd by his results only. He’s apparently the best HR oriented dude in the game.
Let’s anticipate that Jason knows everyone – coaches, players, owners, fans — expect a pass defense that doesn’t make a Dan Orlovsky look like a Dan Marino.
June 29th, 2025 at 5:41 pm
I didn’t agree with a lot of defensive calls and time management made by Bowles last season but he admitted his downfalls and took initiatives to correct them in the offseason and in the draft. He also isn’t afraid to shake up the coaching staff and he has been spot on at picking offensive coordinators. Glad he got his well-deserved extension.
June 29th, 2025 at 5:51 pm
But really Todd Bowles and staff did a heck of a job winning 10 games. And we beat 4 playoffs teams including the Super Bowl Champs. We spent most of the season playing special team players on defense. We had 4 rookies starting, and several other rookies getting playing time.
We overachieved last season
No one expected us to win 10 games, even with a healthy squad
June 29th, 2025 at 6:01 pm
What l like about Bowles team…..
The players refuse to quit on him
They play hard until the final whistle
They use to quit on Lovie before halftime
They quit on Gruden, Rah, Schiano, Lovie, Dirk
But they refuse to quit on Bowles
June 29th, 2025 at 6:12 pm
What I really like about Bowles is he’s willing to work on things he is not good at and isn’t too prideful to switch up his blitzing attacking defense when he has the personnel to cover with (see highlight films of KC Super Bowl where he ran 2 and even 3 safeties to make sure we didn’t get burned by long passes instead of constantly blitzing Mahomes and rushing with 4). It completely threw him off and he was unprepared for the scheme.
June 29th, 2025 at 6:14 pm
Comparing personalities of predecessors and their successors illustrates a lot of what has happened, especially with Todd.
Following the GOAT was always going to be tough because of his record. Expectations for wins justifiably went up. Many here had such little faith in Baker that they were shocked when he showed up the way he did. And personality wise there was no drop off! In fact while Brady brought a winning disciplined attitude Baker brought a fearless approach that fired up his teammates.
But BA was a larger than life personality and Todd is simply not. BA is a “no risk it no biscuit” coach, Todd is a a DEFENSIVE coach at heart. BA is quotable, Todd is boring. But Todd HAS been effective in playing the hand he was dealt.
It’s not always the flamboyant who get the job done. Dwight Eisenhour is IMHO the greatest Republican President of my lifetime. He was also the greatest and most respected General of WWII. But he didn’t have a flashy movie about him like Patton. Who would you rather have coach your team. Patton or Ike?
June 29th, 2025 at 6:44 pm
im sorry i didnt vote, hopefully that would have gotten the percentage higher
June 29th, 2025 at 6:53 pm
‘Joe, however, does think Bowles is very much underappreciated by fans for his development of players on both sides of the ball, and for the steady hand Licht referenced.’
I’m glad you said that Joe. Todd is very much underappreciated IMO for how well he & his coaching staff have developed these young players. And for those who think that he’s ‘stubborn’, his coaching staff has undergone major change since he took over in 2022. And since our record has improved every year, I’d have to assume that’s been change for the better.
June 29th, 2025 at 7:23 pm
I think it’s disingenuous to call those that aren’t thrilled with Todd ‘negative.’ Some of us see a very mediocre HC that oversees a regressing defense. I simply don’t think he has what it takes to lead this team to a SB. (And many of the unbiased national pundits see the same thing; they’re not out for blood or making it personal – they’re just calling it as they see it, without rose-colored glasses.)
In my opinion, greatness is clear and apparent. Every local media article or word out of Licht’s mouth is trying to persuade the fans “Todd’s really not that bad! You should see him behind the scenes, I swear!” If you have to put that much effort into convincing people how great something is, well, maybe it ain’t that great.
June 29th, 2025 at 7:29 pm
Sorry, All I care about is getting to the SB. If Todd can get to that level this year, then I will be the first to admit I was wrong about him, until then he is an overpaid, mediocre HC that makes poor game time decisions.
June 29th, 2025 at 7:53 pm
At least he is not Ray Perkins or Leeman Bennet
June 29th, 2025 at 8:15 pm
Yea yeah…. a great number of fans know how the “buddy system” works around the NFL…
His resume and what Licht is projecting isn’t quite matching…
If Todds winning percentage were much higher (especially playing 3 poor teams twice a season the past few years) then he would have a much larger support from Bucs fans!
June 29th, 2025 at 8:21 pm
If we have to be convinced and persuaded to like him, then the product isn’t that great.
I think the players probably like him, but the X’s and O’s don’t add up most weeks on his side of the ball.
They gave him his an extension, so it’s a moot point for the foreseeable future. Licht is tying his own future to Bowles, which i think has the chance to bite him in the rear in the end.
June 29th, 2025 at 8:33 pm
I think far too many people, mostly due to their pre-programed dislike for Bowles, don’t appreciate how he was trying to glue together a severely depleted defense last year made up largely of rookies and has-beens.
He had to play ridiculously soft coverages and blitz even more than he usually does because he just didn’t have the personnel. Frankly, it’s amazing their below average defense was as good as it was and if nothing else, a ton of rookies got a chance to get more experience which will only help the team this year.
I fully expect the Bucs defense to be far better this year, barring another barrage of injuries. In fact, I’m expecting a defense that looks a whole lot like the 2020 Bucs defense.
June 29th, 2025 at 8:34 pm
I think it’s more a problem that fans (some) don’t understand football, how “teams” work, how many factors go into becoming the very best (Superbowl winner), etc than not liking his personality or demeanor.
You have to have good players and good coaches and a little luck…
Anyone ho’s even trying SHOULD be able to see lack of starting quality players, in key positions, has held us back the past 2 years, not coaching. Coaching is what kept us from sucking completely and helped us win 2 x what we were “expected” to and make the playoffs the last few years.
June 29th, 2025 at 8:52 pm
I like Scotty Mack’s assessment. Well readoned
June 29th, 2025 at 9:02 pm
@buc4evr
It’s odd that you say Bowles is “an overpaid, mediocre HC” when we don’t know his salary.
You have no idea if he is paid beyond the “mediocre” grade you feel entitled to give him.
You didn’t say he was horrible, you said mediocre, so we know his value isn’t zero. So how he is deemed overpaid
June 29th, 2025 at 9:12 pm
The players and the coaches are all in on this team. The Glazers are all in on this team. From top to bottom everyone on the payroll is all in on this team. That’s why the Glazers made these moves before the summer break. Just so everyone is on the same page. The “All In” page. And we’re moving forward with a hell of a leader of this team. Of this very good team as Jason said. Todd’s won a Super Bowl as a player. Todd has won a Super Bowl as a defensive coordinator. Anybody wanna guess what may be the next feather in his Super Bowl hat?
June 29th, 2025 at 9:14 pm
Winning some games that are there for the taking late in the 4thQ, instead of losing all but one (thank you Anthony Nelson) might help move the needle on the negative. Winning more than 25% of your playoff games might also help.
June 29th, 2025 at 10:44 pm
Todd,
1. Produce a better defense this year and 2. Don’t have a quitter’s mentality and quit at the end of any games this year, and the fans will wholeheartedly embrace you.
– The Fans
June 29th, 2025 at 11:59 pm
Bowles as brand ambassador, chief culture officer?
Yes!
Bowles as DC? Not enough evidence to support an extension to 2028. Nor an extension at all for that matter.
Bowles standing in the way of us retaining a promising OC if we are so lucky this season?
Unacceptable.