Pete Prisco On Todd Bowles’ Hot Seat: “It’s Searing Underneath Him”
September 29th, 2026
Hottest of hot seats.
Prickly Pete Prisco of CBS is no stranger to One Buc Palace. Though the CBS NFL analyst is based in Fort Lauderdale, he makes it to One Buc Palace at least twice a year. Sometimes more.
And Prisco has a solid relationship with KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles, but Prisco won’t let his rapport with Bowles get in the way of the obvious.
Prisco noted in a CBS Sports HQ video that Bowles’ hot seat is hot as a kiln now, starting the season 0-3 and his hand-picked offensive coordinator fully destroying any effectiveness on offense.
In other words, the Bucs offense is really offensive these days.
Throw in the fact that the quarterback who has led the Bucs to a 2-10 record in the past 12 games (setting an NFL record for not covering in all 12 of those games), the same quarterback who no doubt Bowles lobbied Team Glazer to re-sign, is showing he’s not a $6 million quarterback much less $165 million, and by any objective standard Bowles is on very, very, very thin ice.
“That thing [hot seat] is searing underneath him right now,” Prisco said. “And it should be. I mean, this is a team went into the season in a bad division that I thought would win the division and play good football.
“They have not played good football at all, and there’s a variety of reasons. They haven’t got better on the offensive line, which I thought they’d be good on the offensive line. The pass rushers haven’t established themselves. We thought [Rueben] Bain would come in. Now he’s not playing. He’s hurt. He didn’t do anything in first couple games.
“They haven’t rushed the passer. They have a lot of busts in the secondary.
“I’ll be honest with you. They look poorly coached.”
And the worst part? The Bucs are now turning to a rookie undrafted free agent who has a grand total of four snaps under his belt to carry the team for at least the next three games (Green Bay, Dallas and Pittsburgh).
Joe doesn’t think 0-6 is a crazy prediction with Mayfield out with a bad thumb. And once you lose that many in a row, who knows how the players react?
Would Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht then have a firesale to load up on draft picks in order to fetch Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith or perhaps chase after Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss?
(Yes, Joe is well aware of Mayfield’s contract. After the 2027 season, the Bucs could eat the remainder of Mayfield’s contract and not suffer too much heartburn.)
Prisco continued.
“The offensive line. … They haven’t been very good,” Prisco said. “So I think the heat is on [Bowles]. I mean, when Todd Bowles starts saying, “‘Yeah, we’re not, we’re 0-3, but we’re only one game behind in division,’ that’s the reality of it. But you shouldn’t quite be saying that publicly. I don’t think that’s the message to be sending.
“So I like Todd a lot, but I’ll be honest with you, I think he’s in big trouble.”
As for the offensive line, some 18 months after these guys were one of the very best units in the game, you’re telling Joe that four of the five got shaky overnight? Joe doesn’t believe in coincidences in football and certainly doesn’t believe that four decent to good offensive linemen all forgot how to block at the very same time.
What’s the difference between Liam Coen and Zac Robinson? Coen knows what he is doing. Robinson doesn’t appear that he has a clue unless he’s facing a Bowles-led defense.
The walls seem to be caving in on Bowles. His hand-picked offensive coordinator has been nothing short of a disaster. Heavily-hyped outside linebacker Reuben Bain — though it is very early — makes Bucs fans pine for the return of Joe Tryon Shoyinka.
Mayfield has simply been brutal and now he’s hurt and gone for three games.
And now Bowles needs a rookie undrafted free agent quarterback to save him.
What a mess!
Todd Bowles on the hot seat?@PriscoCBS: "That thing is searing underneath him right now … they look poorly coached."#justfootball pic.twitter.com/653ZCbtJJb
— NFL on CBS đ (@NFLonCBS) September 28, 2026
September 29th, 2026 at 4:49 am
That sear has taken out the seat….might as well ride it out though for some good draft picks and give the new coaches time to plan.
September 29th, 2026 at 5:00 am
I just don’t get how people so easily dismiss year after year todd’s poor performance as a HC over 9+ season’s and start thinking “this year is the year he figures it out”. It’s not happening folks… that .437 career win% isn’t a mirage or an accident and he hasn’t been constantly saddled with poor rosters. It’s a FACT that he’s just a disaster as a HC. The sooner the Glazers wake up & cut ties the better.
Having said all that, personally don’t think a fire sale is needed. There is plenty of talent across this roster for the next coach to inherit and hit the ground running. If they decide to jettison Winfield, Vea, or Godwin for a draft pick so be it, but wouldn’t go crazy doing that. Have to think Jason is about done with todd at this point too considering the poor performances he’s gotten out of some decent rosters over these past few years. We’ve seen what the talent on offense can do under a legit OC, time to let the defense shine under a proper DC. They deserve that at this stage.
September 29th, 2026 at 5:40 am
So now Bowels is finally in big trouble. He should have never been promoted to head coach to begin with.
September 29th, 2026 at 5:49 am
4 of the 5 OLine starters are playing on a bum knee. Just because they go to the Bahamas together doesnât mean they can function as a unit on the field. It hasnât looked good. And from my seat it looks like zero chemistry between Baker and his receivers. Face it – we donât have a true #1 receiver yet and we canât get separation.
Anyone that expected big changes on the D side of the ball were sorely mistaken. Whatever happened to bumping receivers at the line to throw them off their timing? Nah – we play 8-10 yards off on a 3rd and 5. Bowles has not adjusted his scheme to fit the talent on the field and I donât think his ego will let him âdumb it downâ simply because he believes heâs a defensive guru.
Just malfunction junction all around.
September 29th, 2026 at 5:54 am
Itâs not that theyâre 0-3 so much as how theyâre 0-3. Putrid is a word that comes to mind.
September 29th, 2026 at 6:03 am
Uh, ya think
September 29th, 2026 at 6:15 am
“But you shouldnât quite be saying that publicly.”
yea no kidding pete.
coach shouldnt be saying or thinking it, but the rotten mentality is widespread through the bucs, obviously.
baker said it. zyon lives it. was it bredeson sneering last week about how they had a good game on the o line against the browns or bengals?
who cares…you lost. all three.
loafgate was not just a last season thing. some are lazy on the field, some in their mind, some both.
September 29th, 2026 at 6:16 am
Theyâve been saying this for yearsâŚ
September 29th, 2026 at 6:37 am
Blah blah blah, we all know it and have known it. Heâs not good, or even average.
September 29th, 2026 at 6:38 am
How can the Glazers be that Dumb…..
September 29th, 2026 at 6:40 am
This Boweles has been in trouble for a few years now. Now everyone is opening their eyes to the fiasco. So glad the end is near for this ridiculous situation. It is disgusting to watch as a fan, who has invested a lot of money on the Bucs.
September 29th, 2026 at 7:04 am
Our patched up offensive line at the beginning of last year played better.
Whatever you do – don’t watch the Coen postgame speech on YouTube…its depressing đ
September 29th, 2026 at 7:12 am
First of all, Mayfield is just a better virgin of Winton, he plays well several games and then stinks up the palace and mo matter how many times the coaches talk to him about a situation ( like throw damn ball away he continues to do just that, same as with Winton with interceptions Bucs would be wise to draft a QB maybe at the top of the second RD
September 29th, 2026 at 7:37 am
This isn’t going to happen We will be tied for the division lead when Baker gets back. Although we’re 0-3, we’re just one game out of the division lead. That number is more important than our win-loss record.
September 29th, 2026 at 7:44 am
The only thing wrong with the Oline is sitting on the bench for the next 3 weeks. Bowles gave3 reasons for the Olines’ struggles and all three pointed to Baker. People who have played and know football know this. Others see Baker running for his life and reason that the Oline isn’t playing well. But,you will see a difference this Sunday with a calm QB in the pocket.
I’m not saying that JD is better than Baker. But, in his current PTSD from last season lingering, Baker is hurting the team. He’s playing scared.
September 29th, 2026 at 7:54 am
After Bakes stellar top 5 QB season under Coen, I get angrier and angrier that that weasel left! If he stayed one more year he most likely would have been head coach here! And say what u want, I firmly believe Baker and this team and offense would be humming right now and we definitely wouldnât be 0-3! They kept the wrong coach, I mean look at the Jaguars if u need any proof! Deep down the Glazers know this too, they did offer him fantastic money to stay to give them credit, now weâre in this weird limbo until Blows is firedâŚand it is a matter of time, there is no way their keeping him unless a miracle turn around happens, so we just have to wait unfortunatelyâŚand most importantly, who we get as his replacement
September 29th, 2026 at 7:55 am
Welcome to reality Pete. Took you much too long arrive here. The signs have been in place for well more than a couple of years. Bad divisions and coen were the only things allowing Todd to hang on.
Itâs insane that so many could see what was obvious and the glazers could not. I really do hope that they knew and just didnât want to spend the money. That would at least give me some hope that they understand they need to select an offensive up and comer this January.
September 29th, 2026 at 8:01 am
Kid – I donât know how long archived posts stay up but there were many of us that said letting Coen walk and keeping Bowles would end up poorly. It was beyond obvious.
Some cried about how Bowles won 10 gameâŚblah blah blah. All the glazers had to do was fire him and promote the other. Of course we would have seen so many changes in the coaching staff, but that is to be expected
Baker would be playing at an acceptable level and the team would have won 11 games last year.
September 29th, 2026 at 8:04 am
Itâs all about the Head Coach. A good coach can turn around a team almost immediately (Cohen with Jags, Johnson with Bears, etc). The Glazers are terrible at picking coaches. In 50 years weâve only had 3 good coaches (Dungy, Gruden and Arians). Let that sink in for a second.
September 29th, 2026 at 8:14 am
ATLBUC; you thinking a rookie QB, who has never played ONE DOWN in the NFL is gonna stay calm in the pocket when it collapses around him is laughable! That kid has wheels and will scramble for his life when the moment hits him! I do feel were gonna beat the Packers Sunday, with either QB playing, they might be worse than us right now, but do have 10 days to game plan for us , that will get the fan base all pumped up and say see we needed a change at QB, then reality will set in and he will look like a rookie who has never played in the league! And lastly, if Blows cleaned house to save his job this off season, how bad are the replacements he hired!? Because team definitely did not get better with said new coaches
September 29th, 2026 at 8:17 am
Arenât the Browns 2-1 under Monken? Giants won even with Winston. Head coaches matter
September 29th, 2026 at 8:29 am
Looks poorly coached? Are you kidding me he’s THE worst DC with players always out of position. And he’s an even worse HC.
the glazers have hung this albatross around the neck of this franchise. They kept his ass when they should have kept Coen and then they didn’t fire him after last years collapse.
September 29th, 2026 at 8:29 am
Daniels look far more poised than baker vs the vikes in his limited snaps….baker was holding on to the ball for too long and was inaccurate on most of his throws….
Zac was trash in ATL…i saw this coming from a mile away
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 29th, 2026 at 8:33 am
Bowels couldn’t win with Brady. He’s not going to win with Mayfield/Daniels. This DEI hire was a disaster…….
September 29th, 2026 at 8:43 am
Those of us with our heads on straight called this years ago. But we were called trolls, idiots, cry babies, racists, etc.
The fact is that Todd Bowles was forced upon us by Arians. It was a calculated decision to wait until the Glazers had no other choice.
And the lie cooked up was continuity and the success would continue. It didnât.
We got meaningless division titles barely hovering at 500 and only winning one playoff game vs a broken Eagles team.
Bowles stating that 0-3 puts us one game out of first should have earned an immediate visit to the unemployment line.
Every day heâs still the coach is an insult to the fans. Wake up Glazers!!!!
September 29th, 2026 at 8:57 am
this has Tomlin/Barber written all over it. I said this before the year.
Even though I really like Licht, heâs walking the plank too.
September 29th, 2026 at 9:11 am
Ha, what do you do when your horse is halfway across the river and drowning. Do you get off the horse or go down with it. Glazers are going down with their horse. Todd will be here along with Zac âon Crackâ the entire season. This is a lost season with a total rebuild next year. I just hope they also get rid of Licht. With the exception of Brady, the guy is a loser. How the Glazers could trust this guy is beyond me.
September 29th, 2026 at 9:16 am
I think we are past the DEI stipulations, just pull the plug, please!!! Go Bucs
September 29th, 2026 at 9:18 am
ATL fans warned us about Zac. They were right. The guy was a one trick pony with Robinson. Now that he really has to call plays, he is even worse than Grizz. Does he even know what a two minute drill looks like. How to deal with all out blitzes, Timing plays, quick outsâ, three step drops with slants. Just wondering?
Not sure I saw any out routes or curl routes last week?
At any rate the Glazers better bring Gruden in as a OC consultant for Zac. The guy is a total moron.
September 29th, 2026 at 9:27 am
Pull the trigger already….jeesh. It can’t get any worse than zero wins.
September 29th, 2026 at 9:46 am
I’m so glad I didn’t renew my sec 208 club seats this year. When Bowles wasn’t released, I thought the end was near! Unfortunately!
September 29th, 2026 at 9:50 am
No one is pining for JTS. What a moronic comment to make. We were all hoping we’d see some flashes from Bain to carry the excitement from drafting him, but literally no one wants JTS or the other litany of useless pass rushers this team has trotted out there. Hoping that Bain gets healthy and comes back ready to show us something.
September 29th, 2026 at 9:56 am
nope – next September weâll have the same the same cast of characters – Licht Bowles Mayfield Vea – some musical chairs for the assistants probably – maybe Bowlesâ kid will be the DC ! – the die is cast – the Glazers will still have the corporate fat-cats in the suites and the Cowboys-Giants-Colts fans in the stands along with a smattering of die-hard long-suffering hometown season-ticket-holders – JBF folks like me will mutter and fume but nothing ever changes – until the Glazers every 20 years go out and beg / bribe a winner like Gruden or Brady to come in for a season and get their crap franchise a Super Bowl
September 29th, 2026 at 10:21 am
Bowles was a DEI hire and anoyone eho thinks otherwise is clueless
September 29th, 2026 at 10:23 am
The glaciers need to be talking to Shawn McDermott or Mike Tomlin and hire one right away because there’s no one qualified to be a interm head coach so hire one of these guys and fire bowles as soon as possible
September 29th, 2026 at 10:24 am
The glaciers need to be talking to Shawn McDermott or Mike Tomlin and hire one right away because there’s no one qualified to be a interm head coach so hire one of these guys and fire bowles as soon as possible try to save the season
September 29th, 2026 at 11:42 am
I hold the Glazer family personally responsible for the plight of this team. You get what you deserve Glazers. You know you should have fired Bowles after last season. What has the man won? Mediocrity for the last 9 yrs? You will win maybe..6 games this season. MAYBE.
September 29th, 2026 at 11:45 am
Bowl does not have the ability to capitalize on what his roster consists of
September 29th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
SMH I mean really it takes this long for everyone to wake up and go oh Bowles should be fired he is in big trouble now. Pretty sure majority of us fans were calling for Bowles to be fired back in December of 2025 yet it takes 10 months later to see what us fans have been seeing and saying. This just comes down to bad owners and not being responsible. I get it that it would have looked bad to fire Bowles after just giving him an extension last year but some times you just have to go well that didn’t work and move on.
September 29th, 2026 at 12:41 pm
Toad should never have been forced upon this franchise by Arians. Glazers should never have bought into that. For God sake they should have promoted Coen in 2024!
September 29th, 2026 at 2:25 pm
Bowles is a poor motivator. He isnât a head coach, doesnât have the temperament or personality to inspire these young men. Very undisciplined team with players out of position. Offensive line and QB play has been some of the worst in NFL through week 3.
The other common denominator is Licht. He isnât a very savy GM. Other than Wirfs, who has he drafted in recent memory that is a Pro Bowl player. These are all pedestrian players. I see some talented plays by Bucky but the rest of the roster is average and below average talent. Thatâs why theyâve been a .500 club past 3 years in a bad division.
The contract situation is insane. Vea isnât the monster he was 4 years ago and they extend him? Baker coming off a losing season last year. Turnovers and not leading comebacks at end of games. He isnât a top 10 quarterback at best and now he has sunk to not even a top 25 quarterback and is extended to $55,000,000 a year. How in the hell could anyone believe he is a true franchise QB. He canât see the field, he isnât accurate and he runs too much.
Licht or Glazers are a big problem throwing big money at average players. This franchise missed its opportunity with Coen.
September 29th, 2026 at 2:25 pm
Kidfloflo Says:
September 29th, 2026 at 8:14 am
ATLBUC; you thinking a rookie QB, who has never played ONE DOWN in the NFL is gonna stay calm in the pocket when it collapses around him is laughable!
——————————————————————————————-Actually, the rookie played three or 4 plays Sunday. In those plays, he wasn’t ducking, cowering and running out of the pocket too soon like his predecessor. He actually had a pretty calm demeanor.