Warm Seat
July 16th, 2026
Pressure is on.
As Joe documented after last season, Bucs coach Todd Bowles is not a popular man among the rank and file of Bucs fans.
It doesn’t seem personal at all. It’s just that the personable Bowles does not meet many fans’ idea of a strong NFL coach who has solid job security.
Then throw in the fact that Bowles, a defensive guy, doesn’t exactly have a strong defense, and this, among many things, is just kindling to the anti-Bowles fire stoked by many Bucs fans.
In typing a preview of the NFC South landfill, Nick Shook of NFL.com apparently doesn’t believe Bowles’ seat is hot, but Shook also doesn’t believe Bowles’ job is secure if the Bucs don’t turn things around this fall.
Bowles’ seat is warm
Near the end of a frustrating, somewhat-inexplicable collapse in 2025, plenty of folks expected the Buccaneers to move on from Todd Bowles and start fresh with a new coach. That didn’t happen, of course, and Bowles is back to justify the organization’s support in 2026. If the Bucs struggle like they did last season — with Bowles’ defense finishing 20th in points allowed — he’ll likely be out of a job and Tampa Bay will be facing a potentially significant shift in identity for the first time since Tom Brady arrived in 2020.
Some thought it’s precisely what the Buccaneers needed after 2025 and pointed toward Evans’ departure as proof that things weren’t right at One Buc Place. The team will have to embark on the new campaign without two franchise legends in Evans and linebacker Lavonte David, who retired after 14 seasons, another concerning sign about Tampa’s trajectory. It will be up to Bowles to prove the concerns are overblown.
Well, Joe thinks the identity of the Bucs changed when Bowles was promoted to succeed Super Bowl-winning Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians. The offense certainly changed. Then Brady retired and the Bucs signed Baker Mayfield. Then, the identity of the team really changed.
Bowles has a hard job in front of him, Joe believes. He and the Bucs are banking on three rookies on defense to play like seasoned vets. That’s a tall task in itself.
Then throw in the fact that Bowles has never developed a double-digit sacks edge rusher, which rookie Rueben Bain might be (Joe still can’t picture Bain being an outside linebacker), and, well, Joe doesn’t like betting against never.
Bucs fans who holler for Bowles’ head should remember the following: The Bucs had a losing record in 2025. Since Team Glazer bought the Bucs in the mid-90s, only Chucky has survived back-to-back losing seasons.
And Chucky had street cred: He got Team Glazer their first Vince Lombardi Trophy.
July 16th, 2026 at 7:05 am
Nice guy, can’t coach.
So was Leeman Bennett, Richard Williamson and Dirk Koetter.
The patience of the Glazers on bad head coaches is impressive and frustrating.
July 16th, 2026 at 7:12 am
The Bucs gave Bowles a three year extension for less than stellar coaching. If Baker gets the “he needs to prove it treatment”, why isn’t the Glazer attitude the same with Todd?
July 16th, 2026 at 7:17 am
It’s not a ‘Warm Seat’ as long as the Glazer Family is in charge!!
The Glazers are apparently Balloon Heads and stick their head in the sand most of the day…. In fact, they are like Homer Simpson in the one episode where he forgets or his system of venting gas fails
In other words, the Glazers won’t do anything until something explodes and it’s too late!
July 16th, 2026 at 7:22 am
Liam Coen…the one that got away.
July 16th, 2026 at 7:24 am
Don’t replace Bowles unless Sean McVay is available. There aren’t any other coaches out there I’d rather have. And don’t trade draft picks for McVay!
July 16th, 2026 at 7:34 am
Zac Robinson will take over next season with Bowles taking Arians place as team advisor. No way the Glazers make the Coen mistake twice.
July 16th, 2026 at 7:42 am
The Bucs will never win with him.
July 16th, 2026 at 7:49 am
If I owned the team, I would want 10 wins, a significantly improved team, and at least 1 playoff victory. AN 8-9 win season with an average team, and a one and done playoff appearance would cost Bowles his job. To use the Glazer’s words, the arrow needs to be pointed up, not sideways or down.
July 16th, 2026 at 8:02 am
“It doesn’t seem personal at all. ”
LOL Joe, do you READ the comments here?
July 16th, 2026 at 8:06 am
BOWLES has a ton to prove…he needs 10+ wins and a deep run in the playoffs…i’d love to see us sweep the division but unfortunately bowles lacks urgency…still think Klint Kubiak shouldve been the guy
with the additions to the defense, i think they can be a top 10…still worries about CB but an improved DLine should mask some of their deficiencies
GO BUCS!!!!
July 16th, 2026 at 8:12 am
Show me one coach in the history of the league that went .500 over four years and kept his job. Hint: you won’t find one.
Does Bowles have pictures of a Glazer in a compromising position, or something?
July 16th, 2026 at 8:21 am
I will support him till we can UPGRADE the position.
July 16th, 2026 at 8:23 am
I agree with Willie G…
TB needs at least 10 wins and a playoff victory at least in order to cool that seat down.
July 16th, 2026 at 8:24 am
When you start allowing millions of revenue from what should have been a sure home playoff game slip away due to ineptitude in coaching or the intransigence of a GM-Trust me owners take notice and they care.
Just because an owner has never fired a coach in season at a certain franchise-do not be fooled into thinking that cannot or will not happen. Were the Bucs to stumble out of the gate to 0-5 or 1-6 somebody is going to pay and it will not be Joel and Bryan.
I would say Bowles seat is scalding hot and Licht is not much cooler than Bowles
July 16th, 2026 at 8:24 am
I thought at the end of last year was a good time to give Todd a gracious “Thank you for your service” type of departure. A big part was Baker having one year left on his deal so a new coach would have a capable guy in place at qb he could evaluate without commitment.
Whether you love Baker, hate him or something in between if he signs an extension it could impact a potential HC’s decision to come here.
July 16th, 2026 at 8:28 am
Zero playoff wins since 2023. No playoffs last season. Only one playoff win in four years after winning three putrid division titles. Those are the facts.
The collapse of 2025 was a perfect time to rid ourselves of this nightmare.
Going from 5-1 and looking like a guaranteed playoff team to an epic 3-8 collapse the rest of this way for an 8-9 finish should get you run.
It’s the defense stupid. And the overall malaise that Todd Bowles has created.
He’s always been a loser. And he’ll always be a loser. The Glazers are now losers.
July 16th, 2026 at 8:55 am
One of mama’s ‘guidance’ lines that’s stuck with me over the years is ‘Stop whining; you are where you are’ (fit in nicely with her ‘Hey, you made your bed; now you get to lay in it’).
But that’s reality … We are where we are. Glazers are the owners. Jason Licht is the GM. Todd Bowles is the HC. And oh ya, he’s also the DC. We’ve also got a new OC & a new S/Ts coach. We’ve got quite a few new players; some are quality veterans & some are rookies. Now we get to see what can be made out of this new concoction.
I’m rooting for Todd Bowles to lead us to a good year this year (10-7 is my expectation, with winning the NFC South again AND at least 1 playoff win, HOPEFULLY MORE). I expect that Zac Robinson will lead this offense to a Top-10 finish, as long as we can avoid the catastrophic injuries that we experienced last season. I expect that Danny Smith will lead our S/Ts to a MUCH better ranking than we experienced last year. And yes, I expect Todd Bowles to lead this defense to a Top-10 finish.
Will all that happen? We’ll all have to wait until next January to find out. But danged, ‘We are where we are’. And that includes Todd Bowles as our HC & DC. Oh I’ll get ecstatic when we make great plays, and get pissed when they pee on themselves. But as a Bucs’ fan for roughly 45 years, I intend to do my best to overall enjoy the journey game-by-game.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:10 am
” Come on you f***ing loser. Throw it at his head.” Baker Mayfield. Not a TB fan, but he doesn’t play the game.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:18 am
DR – all of your expectations are achievable with one exception. Top 10 defense. That would have to occur in spite of Bowles, not because of him. Bowles is too great of a liability for talent to overcome.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:22 am
It should be the toilet seat or he should sit on a whoopie cushion.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:59 am
Bowles is:
The beneficiary of being buddies with Bruce Arians
Stubborn
Coaching as if it’s still the 20th Century
Incapable of wearing both the HC and DC hat
Fat and getting fatter
Persevering as a below average HC
Clearly benefitting from the DEI mentality of ownership
A believer in nepotism
Clueless in some aspects of the game (ie. Special Teams historically embarrassing..let’s just leave it alone; I’ll save our timeouts for next game when we REALLY REALLY might need them).
62 years old, League long timer…so he’ll surely adjust this season, right?
July 16th, 2026 at 10:01 am
Bosch … I still stand by my previous comment … ‘We’ll all have to wait until next January to find out.’
In the meantime, I guess I fit in the ‘cautiously optimistic’ category.
July 16th, 2026 at 10:11 am
Chester, NFL owners with two super bowl wins are rare and demonstrably, not “losers”.
July 16th, 2026 at 10:27 am
There’s not much I can add to what DR said. I’m going to watch every game win or lose. The ones I can’t watch I’ll play on the radio. It’ll be weird listening to somebody other than Gene Deckerhoff. I don’t even remember who was before him. Radios probably still had tubes. Hope is still free. I can afford lots of it.
July 16th, 2026 at 10:29 am
It’s certainly not personal. It’s the record.
All coaches have their flaws. But some of us believe that we should have beaten the saints the second time, the panthers the first time and the dolphins. That gets you to 11 wins.
McVay, Shanahan, Payton and others get that done.
July 16th, 2026 at 11:16 am
“You think you can win on talent alone? You don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone! Again!!” – Herb Brooks
We need a head coach like that. Period.
July 16th, 2026 at 11:20 am
Call it whatever you want. Warm seat, hot seat…
It’s winning record or bust for Bowles. The Glazers will not keep Bowles if he finishes with 8 wins or less. Mark my words.
This a a “prove it” year for lots of players and coaches this year.
July 16th, 2026 at 11:55 am
Of course its not personal. Its quite logical with a factual basis filled with numerous coaching blunders that leads us to want him gone.
July 16th, 2026 at 11:59 am
It’s not warm. It’s a countdown. 17 games. That’s all he’s got.
The team is priming for a new coach.
>$142M in Cap
>Great OL
>Young Talent Everywhere
Sign Baker/Don’t sign Baker, might come down to how it markets recruiting a new HC.
If they go 5-12, the Bucs will have great draft picks, too. I’m guessing Sean McDermott, Mike Tomlin, or whoever is the top OC.
July 16th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Todd Bowles must be really an excellent human being. He had Arians back him all the way… The Glazers let perhaps their best would be head coach Liam Coen slip through their fingers by not locking him up to become HC when they had a chance to. They preferred to back Bowels instead. All that backing from significant people means you gotta be highly likeable. Of course it doesn’t necessarily help win football games but it’s significant to note.
July 16th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
Has anyone spotted Sean McDermitt in town anywhere?
Hopefully these owners have already completed a back ally deal with a quality NFL HC to take over come Feb. and make this team respectable again!
July 16th, 2026 at 12:32 pm
He’s on the couch eating all the KitKats he wants before Thanksgiving.
July 16th, 2026 at 12:52 pm
Fred, Mark Champion was before Gene. He then became the Lions play by play man for many years.
July 16th, 2026 at 1:16 pm
I for one am looking forward to September!! With much luck… January! If all goes well…great! If not…there better be another HC and DC here next season or I will totally lose it !!!!!!!!!!!! One can only take so much crap! I didn’t get season tickets this year because Bowles is still here! If this team does a collapse again, I won’t get them next year unless there’s a new HC and DC in place.
July 16th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
DR agreed. People act like his defense has always bin the worst the nfl has seen while yes it’s bin bad that past 3 or 4 years with the right talent it can be a top 10 defense. Stats back that up it’s not just hearsay. Like Joe said banking on 3 rooks to play big time is a tall task but not impossible. Great thing is Bain doesn’t have to the guy right away. We have AQM. Trotter is in the same boat. We have anzalone and Scott same thing again. They can all 3 get some good reps on and learn thru the 1st part of the season and be ready for back end and playoff push. It’s funny to see the haters predicting a 3 or 4 win season. Even with the total collapse last year we won 8 which has bin Bowles worst season.
July 16th, 2026 at 1:48 pm
Just read that in the last episode of QB Mike tells mayfield he appreciates him and didn’t know if it was going to be their last game together. So either he wasn’t sure he was leaving but felt strong enough that he was and wanted to have a moment with baker or he had already made up his mind and didn’t know if New Orleans or Atlanta would win and thus getting a playoff appearance.
There’s zero doubt Mike had told his agent to find a legit HC/QB combo that was looking for a WR in ‘26 after 3rd and 28. That list likely included the 9ers, Lambs, Broncos and maybe more.
And yes I think baker is legit, but not the other half.
July 16th, 2026 at 2:26 pm
I think bowles gets a bad break when it comes to public perception. His game plan against MAHOMES in the sb should be studied and I think that’s what landed him the job as a head coach. To the fans saying he can’t coach has no ball knowledge, if that was the case players would be coming out voicing their frustration everyone he coached has nothing bad to say about him. Players have to make plays you can’t blame everything on the coach.
July 16th, 2026 at 2:54 pm
I don’t think it has anything to do with not understanding football. He clearly understands the game of football….x’s and o’s. He wouldn’t be where he is without it.
However, what is also clear is he doesn’t understand how to manage. It’s def games and it’s more than likely people (players and coaches) and processes. Otherwise each season wouldn’t follow the same script, start out great, awful in the middle and save ur rear the last month of the season. Last year we didn’t even get that part right.
Also just to be fair to the players, since we have talked about a lack of resources for Todd’s team in recent years. That superbowl the chiefs were playing with two practice squad tackles going up against Barrett, PP with white blitzing from all angles. The guards and centers had to deal with vea and Suh. So I’ll give Todd some slack for not having a lot to work with in the front 7 the last few years but by the same token it’s only fair to cite that he had pro bowlers playing against inferior tackles in that particular instance.
July 16th, 2026 at 2:55 pm
@Herbiebuc, I am saying this with due respect to you. Bowles had JPP and Shaq Barrett playing against a back up left tackle and a back up right tackle. We all saw first hand last year what a drop off in talent when going from a starter to a back up can be. They are back up’s for a reason. And I recall multiple catchable balls that the Chief’s receivers and Kelce dropped.
Just because players like Bowles as a person doesn’t mean he can coach -it just means he’s a good dude. His lifetime .500 record (or there abouts) screams mediocre. What have you done lately coach?
And what actually gave him the head coaching job was some shady deal Arians made with the devil prior to hanging up his whistle.
July 16th, 2026 at 2:56 pm
Obvious so if you think the 3rd n 28 made Mike mad enough to leave how do you think he felt after the interception baker threw to put the defense in that situation? That 3rd n 28 came after baker turned the ball over while driving down the field to go up two scores. Mike left because the QB. 🤷🏿♂️
July 16th, 2026 at 3:01 pm
Lt. Dan shaq and jpp was wrecking havoc the whole playoffs so you can’t blame it on kc tackles being injured. I admit his .500 record isn’t nothing to celebrate but last season should be blamed on injuries and players not playing at 100%. It was only so much that can be done with over 9 key starters being injured and the star QB hiding injuries lol
July 16th, 2026 at 3:31 pm
BuccoMarty Says:
July 16th, 2026 at 8:12 am
Show me one coach in the history of the league that went .500 over four years and kept his job. Hint: you won’t find one.
————————
Obviously you haven’t bothered to do your own research Marty
Zac Taylor
Stefanski (coach of the year winner)
Even Shanahan in 9 seasons has barely beaten 50% =.550
Same with Dan Campbell .550
Those are just a few current coaches….if you go back further in history I imagine you’ll find quite a few more
July 16th, 2026 at 3:33 pm
Ya, Bowles won some games in 2015. Maybe that should be studied.
Why not go back to when Raheem Morris won his first game in 2009.
Maybe the 1977 win against the Saints would be relevant.
Simple Jack is a genius compared to some of the Pollies around here.
July 16th, 2026 at 4:57 pm
Maroon isn’t just a favorite color.
July 16th, 2026 at 8:11 pm
The qb was banged up as was everyone else. So do not blame the only hope the team had of advancing. Blame the 328 idiot because that wasnt the 1st time he blew it and it will not be the last. Bowles can be replaced by anyone and still not give up a 328. Idiots!
July 16th, 2026 at 8:29 pm
I’m a big believer in past performance signals future results. That leads me to two conclusions. First, Bowles will Bowles and we will finish with 10 wins or less with agonizing losses due to being outcoached badly and will underperform again.
Second, the Glazers don’t care and Bowles is inoculated against getting fired no matter how badly he craps the bed.
July 16th, 2026 at 8:44 pm
When has Bowles ever had a complete competitive team?
In Arians’ last year, the Bucs spent their first round pick on JTS and their second round pick on Kyle Trask. That began digging a hole for Bowles, and I don’t know how Bowles felt about the JTS pick.
In Bowles’ first year on the job, Marpet retired and Jensen’s career ended for practical purposes before the first snap was played, and the contracts of Ndamukong Suh and JPP were not renewed. Two key players from the championship offensive line and two key players from the championship defensive line gone to trenches gone before Bowels ever coaches his first game as the Bucs’ new HC. And, he inherited the “stayed to long” and “understandably distracted“ Tom Brady.
“Welcome to your new captaincy of your new crew, Mr. Bowles. Step right this way to the plank and keep walking!”
But, he managed to scratch out a division title three years in a row with the team improving a bit each year until injuries and an unfortunate OC hire wrecked things last year.
That is not to say that Bowles has been great or done everything right. I cannot conceive of what he saw that persuaded him that the 2024 and 2025 ILB starters were adequate. Picking a WR may have been more Licht than Bowles. But, for whatever part Bowles had in taking a WR in the first round who looks to me like he will be a good WR2 when the Bucs had a desperate need at ILB with the soon to be Defensive Rookie of the Year Schwesinger and the soon to be Defensive Rookie of the Year contender Campbell on the board at their weakest position, Bowles bears responsibility.
And, like just about every coach, Bowles has made some game management blunders that have been greatly magnified by the other problems.
But, this year, if the Bucs can avoid crippling injuries, the Bucs look to have the best roster with the best depth that they have had since Bowles became HC. This is the year we may really see what Bowles is capable of, and I have hopes that we will end up quite pleased.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:32 pm
Bowles just ain’t it.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:33 pm
Herb – I don’t think Baker is an elite qb by any means. If you think I’m in that group you are wrong. It’s certainly possible that Mike thinks that Purdy is a better qb.
I think baker is a tier two qb and with the right offensive HC he could thrive because that coach puts him in the correct positions. For instance if Coen had been promoted I think they could have worked together for 6-7 years at a high level and potently even won a sb.
I don’t think under any circumstances Bowles could win a Super Bowl. Possibly if he had prime Mahomes, Allen, Brady. And even that’s a stretch IMO.
July 17th, 2026 at 12:17 am
So let me get this straight. The “Licht” decides to get Anzalon full knowing that Bowles 328 mentality permiates through the defence? I pitty the fool.
July 17th, 2026 at 8:20 am
He will be gone at the end of the season. He is what he is a 500 coach that can barely get into the playoffs in the worst division in football. I full expect him to start strong and then the collapse will start to take place by mid October.
July 17th, 2026 at 8:46 am
Bowles chair needs to be a fold up metal chair that has been sitting in the hot desert sun all day. Five finger discount HC/DCs should fill a temporary coaching gap, not have long tenures. The Glazers and JL should have known there would be fallout keeping him. Good luck selling tickets and merch!
July 17th, 2026 at 10:58 am
I think overall, Coach does a terrific job. Occasionally, he makes a mistake. Don’t we all? It’s a team game; there are many factors involved. I love his innovation. I’m glad the Glazers look to stability first. I have a sneaky suspicion this year is going to be a lot of fun to watch. So, everyone get off the guy’s back and go mow the lawn!
July 17th, 2026 at 6:49 pm
BucsFan – i am sure you’re correct about the 8-9 or 9-8 record. But I’m not so sure you’re correct about the fact he’s gone. Those glazers love their home playoff game check. If he wins this participation-trophy division again with 8 or 9 wins im afraid they keep him.
They are so averse to change.
July 18th, 2026 at 12:29 am
Obvious,
You are absolutely Correct. And Chester Cooperpot, for the win… At least there was a guy or two that actually attempted to give solid answers as a defense for Bowles… But let me clear them up..
Each divisional win came with a Very, Very un impressive thump on the ground, MINIMUM! Most were much MUCH closer to a painful and absolutely pathetic and un inspiring crawl on our bellies across the finish line!
Each and EVERY YEAR the worst and weakest division in all of football, WAS NOT WON STRAIGHT OUT! NOT ONCE! It always depended on another teams failure. We “dominated” NOTHING AND NO ONE! The One plqy off win we had was from a reluctant Eagles team that was LITERALLY TRYING to tank…. They didn’t even mean to be there!
There is NO BONE IN BOZO’S BODY THAT CRIES OUT FOR DOMINATING GLORY! He IS A WEAK MAN as it pertains to leading or inspiring other men. ESPECIALLY MEN who Also play football for a living! He’s ALREADY FAILED for Almost 9 YEARS CONSECUTIVELY, STRAIGHT! And his final disaster this season WILL make it 10 YEARS OF ALMOST CONSECUTIVELY (He was put to rest for a year after the Jets LITERALLY THREW HIM OUT OF THEIR BUILDING!) And then unfortunately, Arians couldn’t find anyone better than him in such a short time so Bozo was offered a job. And after Bozo was gifted the head coach job…..
INSTANTLY we went from a DOMINATING 13 win team, to reapplying for membership right back at the “Den of Depression”. with a pathetic 8 barely won season. He tanked us immediately. He couldn’t get along with the OC he had been working with what so ever, nor could he be bothered to communicate with our QB at the time, Tom Brady. WORSE EVEN? The man who gifted him the job? Bozo stabbed him in the back to! Bozo CERTAINLY DIDN’T take Any of the HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL Coach Arians advice. And as we’ve read lately, he hasn’t taken any True sage advice from ANY successful coach for that matter!
The Glazers, SCREWED UP! And I CERTAINLY HOPE that my lack of continued finance is GOING TO BE FELT! Their POOR DECISION MAKING has now cost them AT LEAST (2) season tickets and PLENTY of thousands on trips and gear that I REFUSE TO SPEND in their owned establishments!
Hel!, if they wouldn’t have done SUCH A LOUSY JOB CHOOSING LEADERSHIP AND WORSE, CONTINUE TO DRAG THIS CLOWN OUT OF THE GARBAGE LILE AS AN INSULT, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKELY that I would have traveled to check out the soccer team!
But, PLEASE! NO WAY will I even consider it with what they are waisting my time on a CLEAR LOSING MENTALITY! The Glazers judgment is GOING TO BE poor decision making, no matter where in the world, NO MATTER what ga.e is being played!
You can look at their charmin soft skin, and their COMPLETE LACK of muscle tone and it becomes OBVIOUS that they have never “personally participated” in any true “man type” of sport. They don’t understand the pride and passion of utterly WINNING… Wrong owners since they’ve literally thrown the team to the ground like a “toy” that they simply aren’t Interested in, and decided soccer is what they want to care about for the last almost 5 YEARS NOW!
WE NEED OWNER THAT HAVE A “TRUE AND UNCOMPROMISING, DESIRE TO WIN!”
And these guys OBVIOUSLY DON’T HAVE THAT…