Todd Bowles Blame Is Spreading
July 27th, 2026
Legendary Bucs nose tackle Vita Vea wants a new team, a new address.
He has asked for a trade, it was reported today.
The news caused a social media eruption with daggers of blame being thrown at Todd Bowles.
Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht has taken darts, too, but Vea’s request clearly has triggered temporarily pent up Bowles rage.
Somehow, Vea wanting more money is Bowles’ fault. Joe can’t believe how stupid that sounds.
Joe is quite sure Bowles would have been happy to pay Vea what he’s seeking in a contract extension or close to it. Hey, it’s not Bowles’ money. And why exactly would Bowles care about kicking salary cap room down the road to result in, say, a nasty debt burden in 2029?
Vea wanting to leave is not on Bowles. It’s on a combination of Vea’s greed and the Bucs’ front office planning. And Joe can’t call the latter poor without knowing what kind of money Vea is seeking.
Sure, one could argue Vea wants to play on a better defense and for a coach more likely to win a Super Bowl. But if that was really Vea’s desire, then he could have (should have?) requested a trade before April’s NFL draft.
Anybody with a brain advising Vea would have told him that timing would have been his surest way out of Tampa.
Up next? Bowles getting blamed for Lavonte David’s retirement and Mike Evans’ mysterious desire to play for about half of what Tampa Bay offered him with a quarterback known for shaky deep ball.
There’s plenty to blame on Bowles without pulling nonsense out of the sky.
Fans can start with Bowles picking the wrong offensive coordinator, defensive line coach and special teams coach for last season, along with his Bucs not responding following 10 days after Bowles’ historic and public December tirade. And throw in Bowles thinking SirVocea Dennis and Haason Reddick were ballers, among other things.
July 27th, 2026 at 9:51 pm
You can’t keep everybody. Even Warren Sapp and John Lynch left. If trading Vea for a bunch of picks allows the other guys to be signed, then so be it. It won’t be fun, but it is life in the NFL.
That said, Vea made 18 million the past season. 18 million dollars!? I’d be set for life if I played just one year for that amount. It is staggering how elitist these guys have become.
July 27th, 2026 at 9:55 pm
Players ask for trades all the time, it’s nothing new. Vita wants to cash in before he retires. If I was Jason Licht I would grant Vita’s request and trade him out of conference.
July 27th, 2026 at 9:56 pm
But I thought everyone was dying to get a chance to play with Baker. Did you know he has the highest passer rating in NFL playoff history! Also he was the league MVP last week after week 6! Everyone is beating down the Bucs door for a chance to play with him!
July 27th, 2026 at 10:03 pm
100% this is on Jason Licht. Todd doesn’t handle contracts. Licht is done here.
-David
July 27th, 2026 at 10:05 pm
I said a month ago or more to give Vita an extension – OR trade him. Do not choose the option of seeing how it goes. If you trade him now, I think you could legit get a 2nd out of a team like Buffalo. It’s not like Bowles is going to use Vita well in any case, not when he plays that garbage super soft zone that always gives QBs wide open WRs all over the field. And no, I don’t really care if the Bucs are great at stopping the run, if that was to happen again, teams will just do what they did in the past when the Bucs were a top run stuffing team – they’ll just throw it and move the ball at will.
However, and this is a huge IF, but if Bowles is going to finally go back to playing man, or at the very least just play a tighter zone, then resign Vita. He’s going to be a top player for at least a couple of more years, and then after that he’ll probably still be a very good player for another year or two. He’s not a guy who is breaking down – he played a higher snap percentage last year than any year in his career – and it’s been increasing each year for years. If he loses a step in the next couple of years, he’s got an easy solution – to just drop weight to get his speed back. He’s almost certainly playing around 380lbs – if he just got back to his combine weight of 350lb, or just a Suh sized 330lb, he’d gain speed and I don’t think for a second it would hurt his run stuffing ability. However, if I’m wrong, you got another easy solution – pump him with lard until he’s up over 400lbs, and make him a 2-down immovable object that just completely plugs up the middle. He’s a valuable player either way.
To me, Vita is deserving of a new deal well before Baker is. While DT is obviously nowhere near as important as QB, Vita has been a very consistent player for years and very good at what he does. Baker, meanwhile, has been inconsistent and is coming off a bad year where he got his offensive staff fired. No reason to reward Baker when you can play out his deal and franchise him if he bounces back. Meanwhile, you’re not going to franchise Vita – so make a deal with him, or trade him. Pick one of the two, do not do nothing.
July 27th, 2026 at 10:07 pm
I thought Bowles was a players coach. Why are guys wanting out? Why are players quitting mid season?
This organization is a dumpster fire. Only Tom Brady could make it work for 2 years. The other 15 have been a joke.
If Jason and Todd have a future in Tampa, the Bucs don’t.
July 27th, 2026 at 10:08 pm
It is the true definition of (Insert name) Derangement Syndrome. And while they are a plague, unfortunately they are a plague that is somewhat sentient. And whether it’s because they feel they are being “edgy”, sarcastic or actually feel this way, Bowels – who deserves a whole lot more respect than he’s given – will always a punching bag for ANYTHING that happens with the Bucs. Because if you think he only comes up when things are wrong then y’all are in for a treat when/if Baker gets his extension and someone who probably credits themselves a ‘free thinker’ comments “Now if only Baker can cover receivers 20 yards down field” or something else stupid.
July 27th, 2026 at 10:10 pm
Vita > Baker
Vita is a winner and a rare commodity. Look at Bowles defense, how is it using him to his strengths or anyones strengths for that matter. Players that want to win are tired of the clown show. They’re tired of the bad on and off the field decisions from the “leaders” of this team.
Its not Bowles fault Vita wants money he deserve. Hes been playing at a high level for a long time and restructured in the past to help the team.
Notice the players that want to win either left the Bucs or are asking for a trade.
July 27th, 2026 at 10:12 pm
Good to see you’re feeling better, Munch.
July 27th, 2026 at 10:13 pm
If we’re being honest Bowles going to lose with or without Vita. Let’s not forget this the guy that lost the last 7 out of 9 games.
July 27th, 2026 at 10:20 pm
These guys see the writing on the wall. These vets in their final years know this
Team is on a downward trend and unlikely to be a playoff contender come January.
It could be am ugly season and a reset for 2027. The saints and Panthers both
Got better. We re headed in the wrong direction and putting way too much pressure
On Ruben Bain in his first year..
July 27th, 2026 at 10:26 pm
Oh here we go with Financial advisor Suh.
July 27th, 2026 at 10:28 pm
There’s a lot more going on here.
Licht is the only GM in history to return every starter after winning a Super Bowl.
>It wasn’t supposed to be possible.
>No one complained.
>No one asked for a trade.
>Everyone returned.
This off season, Mike Evans left for LESS MONEY! VV demands a trade. They are playing games with Baker.
Read between the lines. It’s not that hard to see what’s going on.
July 27th, 2026 at 10:54 pm
Those with BDS (Bowles Derangement Syndrome) may believe Bowles is responsible for climate change and the Iran War as well.
Vea is on the wrong side of 30 and this is really his best opportunity for one last big contract. This is nothing to do with Bowles. It’s business. It’s pretty rare for a player like Lavonte David to play his entire career with one team. Bowles and Licht love Vea, but to give him a long term contract at his age that he’s wanting is taking a big risk.
July 27th, 2026 at 11:12 pm
Blaming Todd for this is absurd. This is the business of the sport.
July 27th, 2026 at 11:56 pm
From Joes recent post…
“ The next 72 hours will be a firm test for Todd Bowles and Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht.”
Maybe part of the reason people get so riled up is that the thought is being recirculated on this here corner of the interwebs. I saw that comment and questioned how it would be a firm test for Todd? It’s Jason’s job.
That being said, people just hate Todd. It’s a game. Todd is an upstanding guy who has had to navigate significant headwinds in the post Brady era, including not being able to select his own OC that 1st year when the D carried the team. Salary cap issues. Every OC leaving every year. Significant and sustained injuries. Yes, is the head coach and should be held accountable for W and L, but not whether Vita plays for us.
July 28th, 2026 at 12:04 am
This is about money, plain and simple. Vea wants one last big fat deal and he knows that Licht and his crew would rather have him play out his contract and then talk which would probably result in a one year deal. vea thinks he can still command more coin. Vea is gambling on himself in this game of chicken but he might end up with egg on his face if the Buccs do not trade him and he holds out and then gets fined excessively. Then all of his leverage would be gone and likely any chance at a big contract from anyone else including John Lynch or John Spytek……
July 28th, 2026 at 1:03 am
Trade Vita Vea–his request to be traded crossed a red line, no way to go back to the way it was. Obviously Vea is not inspired to play hard or focused for Todd Bowles. He was on the Loaf Brigade late last season. He is on a contract, if he is not even going to practice then ship him out for a 3rd round pick and truckload of snacks.
July 28th, 2026 at 1:06 am
Since Brady’s last year (when Godwin was out, JPP was washed, Shaq was washed and about to be done, Jensen was lost, Brady tried to leave Tampa, come back, then leave for weeks before coming back for the final year, Bruce resigned) there has been ONE season that Tampa was supposed to be a contender, that was last year. And they absolutely underperformed, injuries included.
But every season Atlanta was supposed to be next, or NOLA was supposed to get back to contention by getting Carr, and Tampa was supposed to be trash because of all the dead cap they owed or that they (Bowels) put their faith in Baker was going to lead them to a top five overall pick, and yet they continued a run of playoff appearances.
And while some of you are truly vile individuals (I’ll never get over a commenter here saying that keeping Bowels was a “Woke hire”, you know where you belong), I believe the majority of you are just performative, or just listening to the next dip who is talking mess because they think their ‘independent’ thought is what’s getting them the most views.
Oh, and if we were trying people on their first 4-5 years with the team, Bucs Ring of Honor GM Jason Licht should have been ‘Incompetent Fired GM Jason Lichts Out’ for trading up in the draft to select a kicker in the second round, turning that area of Special Teams into a carousel of hilarity.
July 28th, 2026 at 2:47 am
Hey Rod Munch: Wasn’t Todd Bowles “helping” the offense down the stretch last year? He didn’t get fired. If the Bucs would’ve kept Trask over Baker, would they have had a perfect season last year, since you blame every loss on Baker?
July 28th, 2026 at 4:57 am
Nothing but respect for Via, bit you can’t pay everybody 20+ million a year and guarantee it all. Is he worth more money? Probably yes. But who do we cut to keep him?
July 28th, 2026 at 7:02 am
Love you Joe. But this is a bad take. I only say that because for years now you’ve reported on the otherworldly culture of brotherhood and sunshine and unicorns that the Bucs have created. And this was supposed to bear fruit on things like looking for an exit, throwing contract tantrums, demanding trades etc. That culture was cited by the team as the primary reason for Bowles being retained (can’t say it was his defense or game management, or W-L record!) I don’t know how you don’t lay a massive piece of this at Bowles feet —in light of Mike finding the first boat out of town.
July 28th, 2026 at 8:20 am
Always get me when a player making say, 22 million a year wants more. To feed his family. Yeah that’s it. Lol. Now with all this talk, I don’t think he’ll be a Buc this year. Will miss him. Get a haul for him Jason.
July 28th, 2026 at 8:38 am
While players are going to use what leverage they have to make more money the culture has become toxic thanks to Bowles inept leadership. Bowles has a worse W/L percentage than Lovie Smith right now, he blamed the entire team for the meltdown last year, taking no accountability, and he is still the HC. Dungy and Gruden were fired for far less, yet he is still here. Why? Is he dating one of the Glazers or something? Seriously, what the hell is so great about Todd Bowles that you can’t give another young up and coming coach a shot. I don’t get it, but the players are over it and this team needs a new HC.
July 28th, 2026 at 9:30 am
Literally Evans, David, and Vea are ALL ON BOWLES!!! No one wants to play for the crap coach anymore 3rd and 28 I’m out!!! Oh wait the entire team is….