A Kacy Rodgers Return?
January 9th, 2026
Todd Bowles is looking for help.
Coaching help. He just fired assistant coaches.
Bowles’ history says he likes coaches he knows, especially guys intimate with his complex scheme (too complex)?
A year ago, the Bucs lost longtime Bowles confidant and defensive line guru Kacy Rodgers to the Lions. Rodgers was a defensive playcaller for Bowles with the New York Jets and followed Bowles from the Jets to the Bucs and seemed to do a hell of a job in Tampa.
Unlike many Bowles defensive assistants, Rodgers was not from the Bucco Bruce Arians coaching tree. He and Bowles coached together with the Cowboys under head coach Bill Parcells 20 years ago.
Joe could see Bowles wanting to lure Rodgers back to Tampa with a defensive coordinator title and a raise, and having Rodgers take over the defensive line room again, where the Bucs are sure to add a replacement or two. It’s hard to imagine Greg Gaines or Logan Hall returning for 2026.
Joe is not lobbying for Rodgers, a good dude and seemingly a strong coach, but Joe could see Bowles leaning in that direction.
January 9th, 2026 at 11:28 am
Sounds reasonable under the circumstances of Bowel’s being back for strike 4
January 9th, 2026 at 11:35 am
As long as he doesn’t run Bowles defensive scheme. Has to be simpler coverages with no giant gaps in the midldle of the field.
January 9th, 2026 at 11:35 am
Nah this place needs fresh faces and new perspectives. Not retreads. Bowles needs someone that has different views or a different style than he does so he can escape his echo chamber.
January 9th, 2026 at 11:36 am
He might as well bring him back. No one worth their salt is going to come in for a 1 year deal on a team sure to have a losing record next season.
January 9th, 2026 at 11:37 am
You got to be kidding. Bring back last years scapegoat. You can’t make this up.
January 9th, 2026 at 11:37 am
He can bring Calvin Shepherd with him!
January 9th, 2026 at 11:44 am
NO BUENO!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
January 9th, 2026 at 11:46 am
Yep. Just what I thought. Lickt and Bowles remaining inside their little bubble. The good old Buddy-system at work. Nothing new. Nothing fresh. Just more of the same old boring. It’s WEAK.
January 9th, 2026 at 11:47 am
Mike Mc is interviewing for OC in Detroit 😮
January 9th, 2026 at 11:50 am
And the hits just keep on coming!
We are in a closed loop of failure and malaise.
This is like refusing to change the oil in your car and blowing the engine.
Then you replace the engine but continue to refuse to change the oil.
And after the tow truck removes your car from the side of the road you decide to keep your mindset of never needing to change the oil.
Makes absolute perfect sense to any logical person.
January 9th, 2026 at 11:52 am
Sounds good. And while we’re at it, let’s bring in some key FAs like Ryan Neal and Jordan Whitehead.
I know this is just a hypothetical article, but for the love of god, expand your horizons. Stop bringing back the same old faces with the same stale voices.
January 9th, 2026 at 11:53 am
Joe that sounds like a winning scenario but my question is , why did Rodger’s leave? Did he and Bowles bump heads or something else.
January 9th, 2026 at 11:58 am
No changes will matter until Bowles simplifies his defense. He may be a defensive genius, but not all of his players are. How many times have we seen guys pointing at each other like the Spiderman meme before the snap. How many times have we heard a loss blamed on “communication issues”. Paralysis by analysis.
AND IF I SEE VITA VEA DROP INTO COVERAGE ONE MORE TIME…
January 9th, 2026 at 11:59 am
Correct me if I’m wrong but I remember way back when Bowles was asked about who would be his DC (when Bowles was made HC) and his answer was, paraphrasing, “I’ll be calling the plays but I already have 2 DCs” and Kacy Rodgers was one of them.
January 9th, 2026 at 12:05 pm
So same defense as last season?
January 9th, 2026 at 12:10 pm
i can absolutely see logan hall returning next year…if you would keep an anthony nelson, why would you not keep a logan hall…
now greg gaines is a completely different story
January 9th, 2026 at 12:24 pm
They’re tanking this year y’all so we all need to start looking towards the 2027 draft that’s why I’m more likely will be watching college football this year more than careing about the bucs this year. This is Baker Mayfield last year with the bucs rather you like it or not Baker Mayfield will be gone with Bowles next year.
January 9th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
Why settle for mediocrity when you can have super mediocrity.
January 9th, 2026 at 12:34 pm
A mime waving a surrender flag would be an upgrade over Charlie Strong.
January 9th, 2026 at 12:45 pm
There’s a reason Bowles is Mr October so I Don’t think it matters who they bring in if Bowles will drop Vea back in coverage. Teams will figure the scheme out and the collapse will begin in November. He sells out to stop the run in a passing league and leaves the secondary exposed so nothing really matters because we’ve seen this horror film before
January 9th, 2026 at 12:45 pm
“Joe could see Bowles wanting to lure Rodgers back to Tampa with a defensive coordinator title and a raise, and having Rodgers take over the defensive line room again, where the Bucs are sure to add a replacement or two. It’s hard to imagine Greg Gaines or Logan Hall returning for 2026.“
DT – Landon Robinson out of Navy, his style of play reminds me of Suh.
January 9th, 2026 at 12:47 pm
@oneilbuc:
yeah i’m starting to sniff this out too…
baker and bowles gone, after a tankeroonie of a season…
sniff sniff…
let’s see how the full offseason plays out before etching anything in stone tho
January 9th, 2026 at 12:53 pm
do they resign ME13 in a tanker…
do they trade for max fuzzbee, from the raiders…
this is a potentially heavy offseason of moves, to keep up with a division that is fully ready to compete from top to bottom…
there will be many many telltale signs to a tank job…
gotta see how things go…
if the zombie effect is in full swing from week one, you’ll know…
the writing is always on the wall
January 9th, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Greg Gaines was as useful as a sack of wet cement. No way is he coming back
January 9th, 2026 at 1:07 pm
LEFTWICH next?
January 9th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
They must be moving Bucs to London. Nothing else makes sense.
January 9th, 2026 at 1:15 pm
If Rodgers comes back as DC he’ll probably just be a figurehead to “calm the masses” as Bowles will run the DC as usual.
January 9th, 2026 at 1:22 pm
““I’ll be calling the plays but I already have 2 DCs” and Kacy Rodgers was one of them.“
Foote & Rogers were “Co-DCs” at one point. I know this past preseason a different assistant got a chance to call the defense in each of our preseason games.
Whether or not Bowles gives up the play calling duty will be another development to watch this offseason. Architect and the contractor aren’t always the same guy, for whatever’s that worth. We get some better works I think we can bounce back.
January 9th, 2026 at 1:26 pm
I’d rather have Raheem and his edge guy Smith. See comment 41 of mine on the Raheem post.
January 9th, 2026 at 1:26 pm
No. Didn’t we not offer him a contract/allowed him to make a lateral live because our defense was so bad last year? He should have taken Foote with him to Detroit….
January 9th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
I don’t want anyone remotely linked to Bowles coaching tree on the defensive side.
January 9th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
Stupid is as stupid does
January 9th, 2026 at 1:45 pm
How the hell is George Edwards still on the staff? That dude needs the can.
January 9th, 2026 at 2:03 pm
Over and outg with these Tampa Bay Bozos. Only JBF dor me. Not one red cent for Yucs or NFL. GO Away.
January 9th, 2026 at 2:04 pm
Bowzo will not win 5 games.
January 9th, 2026 at 2:28 pm
New Yuc Motto….Hum De Dum De Doo! Who cares? If anyone does let us know.
January 9th, 2026 at 2:31 pm
None of our suggestions matter, SIGH. There are a lot of good ones I’ve seen posted here. Who knows. Matt Patricia is a helluva DC as well. I really don’t have the confidence for Bowles to look farther than his buddies. He hired 2 good OC’s but he HAS to let go of the defensive reins and seriously look for a very good DC. Players would help too. The plot thickens…. like fog
January 9th, 2026 at 2:38 pm
So you’re saying he wants to buy a ‘YES’ man.
January 9th, 2026 at 2:48 pm
Generally speaking, if you need to ask whether something is “too complex”, you don’t really need to ask.
January 9th, 2026 at 2:49 pm
Bowles needs to move on from his staff and former staff. They arent great
January 9th, 2026 at 2:52 pm
Pass.
January 9th, 2026 at 3:14 pm
Rex Ryan is out there, IJS…
January 9th, 2026 at 3:19 pm
Why not just hire some high school students as assistant coaches? Save a lot of money that way. And be a serious upgrade from the clowns they had last year.
January 9th, 2026 at 3:43 pm
When you got a blind man leading the expedition who cares who they hire
January 9th, 2026 at 4:32 pm
Low energy Todd would rather hire the familiar than cast a large net to look for the best.
January 9th, 2026 at 4:46 pm
No, to Kacy Rodgers. He was a DC already for Bowles with the Jets. After their first years, defense kept getting bad year after year.
Defensive line play was terrible in 2024, his departure was welcomed and celebrated. The hope was it would improve with Charlie Strong, it did not. The Lions defense line also regressed this year in 2025 with Rodgers leading the DL.
If anyone should call plays as DC, it should be Larry Foote. Better to give him a shot than Rodgers or Caldwell who have been there done that as DCs.
January 9th, 2026 at 4:54 pm
Would be a very meh move, so I’m sure Bowles is all about it!
January 9th, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Sounds like more of the same
January 9th, 2026 at 6:33 pm
Doesn’t matter with our current roster. We need 3 new line backers! Plus not even talking about the dline. Logan Halls bum ass is gone. Are we going to replace him with another scrub. The roster needs a major overhaul in OLB, MLB & DE.
January 9th, 2026 at 6:56 pm
He was sent packing for ineptitude, why bring him back?
January 9th, 2026 at 6:58 pm
Sure, why not, it doesn’t matter.