“They Showed Me Something”
January 16th, 2026
Sees glimmer of light with Todd Bowles, Baker Mayfield.
Noted sports provocateur Skip Bayless seems to feel many Bucs fans’ thoughts about a move many believe the Bucs should have made last week but did not.
Todd Bowles is still the Bucs’ coach.
Appearing on a recent edition of “The Arena: Gridiron,” Bayless listened to former Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib and former Eagles backup quarterback Cody Kessler make their cases that Bowles should have been retained.
Bayless also listened to former Bucs safety T.J. Ward argue Bowles should have been launched.
Bayless said he couldn’t argue with either position, in part, because he cannot be objective about the subject.
“You know, I’m having a hard time talking about this, because I still haven’t recovered from Tampa Bay’s collapse,” Bayless said. “I couldn’t, I couldn’t figure it out. I couldn’t understand it.
“They lost four straight going into the final game by 11 total points, and they’re losing to teams like Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami. Come on, that [Dolphins] game. Come on, man.
“Everything [Talib, Kessler and Ward] said is correct and right. And I’m probably not objective about this, because I’ve been around Todd Bowles, and I like the heck out of him, because he’s solid. He’s a rock.
“Is he that guy that can take you over the edge into a Super Bowl? I don’t know.”
Bayless also confessed, “I was actually slightly surprised [the Bucs] kept Todd, that he wasn’t gone.”
But Bayless said he saw a flickering light at the end of the Bucs’ dark tunnel. He liked how the Bucs weren’t total choking dogs; they rose up and beat Carolina to keep their playoff prayers alive.
For Bayless, that showed him players respected Bowles and themselves.
“The final game showed me something, they came out and played some football against Carolina,” Bayless said. “For what it was worth, it was ‘quote, unquote’ for all the marbles, except for what Atlanta did to the rams and reopened the door for Carolina.
“…It wasn’t the most beautiful game I’ve ever seen played, but they beat the Carolina Panthers when they had to, and I’m pretty sure that saved Todd Bowles job.”
What Bayless couldn’t figure out was why, down the stretch, the Bucs didn’t sit Baker Mayfield to allow him to heal and be more effective.
Bayless is confident Mayfield was much less than 100 percent.
“Obviously, I love me some Baker Mayfield,” Bayless began. “And you’re going to say I’m making excuses, but I think [Mayfield] got the hell kicked out of him this year.
“I think his left shoulder, it was bothering him. … I think it was bad. I think he might need some cleanup surgery, and I think he was struggling with it because he couldn’t follow through.”
This was a mystery to Joe. Like Bayless, Joe is confident Mayfield was beat up and that affected both his play and likely changed the Bucs’ offense to compensate for a quarterback who couldn’t throw well.
Joe asked Bucs coach Todd Bowles about that in his season wrap-up, and Bowles flatly said the Bucs didn’t change anything on offense to adjust for Mayfield’s injuries.
(If true, you could also suggest that was a mistake by the team.)
Yeah, yeah, Mayfield is the heart and soul of the team and he may have refused to sit. Joe loves Mayfield’s intangibles but someone should have been the adult in the room and told Mayfield to take a weekend off so he could help the team later.
And if the Bucs didn’t sit Mayfield because they were scared of Teddy Bridgewater, then why the hell was Bridgewater eating a roster spot?
"I was slightly surprised they kept Todd Bowles. They kept him because of the final game. That win saved his job."@RealSkipBayless says Baker Mayfield saved Todd Bowles from being fired by the Buccaneers this season. pic.twitter.com/vr7hyTvOQH
— The Arena: Gridiron (@ArenaGridiron) January 6, 2026
January 16th, 2026 at 9:07 am
Bowels also said his defense was almost there and that he figured out what was wrong with his scheme last off-season you can see how that worked out, either he is a liar or he doesn’t know what he is talking about, he sucks either way.
January 16th, 2026 at 9:10 am
Why wasn’t he sat? Because despite being hurt, he was still our best option by far. Was he hurting the team? Sure. But was he hurting the team more by not being out there and letting a backup play far worse? Definitely not.
January 16th, 2026 at 9:16 am
Soft ass website does not like the truth about this sorry ass team sick of my posts being denied
January 16th, 2026 at 9:20 am
Bowles isnt a good leader. He should have told Baker, we are going to really need you the last 3 games and into the playoffs. He should have sat Baker for 2 weeks after the Bye to give him 3 weeks to get healthy. Look how Kyle Shanahan handled their QB situation and look where that has gotten them.
Bowles should have been fired weeks ago.
January 16th, 2026 at 9:23 am
Skyp Bayless?????
Seriously……Jeeeeesus H Christ, this is a very low point on JBF life…..
My Goodness Joseph…..
January 16th, 2026 at 9:25 am
@WM,then get tf off of here!saying so makes you look stupid
January 16th, 2026 at 9:28 am
Am I the only one who is becoming bored with the Bowles retention articles and posts ?……Let’s move on please….
He’s here….we are stuck…..live with it!!!
January 16th, 2026 at 9:30 am
No one is deleting your posts unless you are using foul language or your IP address is raising a red flag with the gremlins who control the webpage’s software.
Of course, if you attack Joe, that’s another thing.
If you think Joe is protecting the Bucs, you don’t visit this site very often or never read the comments.
January 16th, 2026 at 9:31 am
Well, unless you can drum up something more relevant. It’s the offseason and the Bucs aren’t playing. And Joe wants to avoid mock drafts like the plague.
And as you can see in the comments, this is still a raw subject for Bucs fans.
If you are sick of Bowles chatter and Joe instead started typing about free agency, you’d want to pull your hair out weeks before free agency began.
And Joe isn’t and never will be the kind of guy who ignores subjects fans want to read about. As always, as long as someone is talking Bucs, Joe is writing about it.
Joe built this site to serve Bucs fans with what they want. That’s not changing.
January 16th, 2026 at 9:32 am
Skip who? Nobody cares what he says.
Glazers please keep the doors locked while MM is being interviewed (hired)
Thank you
Will Todd be OK being paid half of what his new OCs salary is?
Really I wish this would happen but not expected
January 16th, 2026 at 9:33 am
Bowles is still here because of one reason.
He was not replaced by Liam for the same reason.
The fallout would have been too much for the Glazers and their PC
values.
Case in point; Ryan Clark”s statement about Mike Tomlin’s DECISION to step down.
I mean the man made his own decision about resigning and it still got spun the way it always does with certain people.
Sad times.
January 16th, 2026 at 9:38 am
LOL Glazers don’t give two s(p)its about public perception. LOL They quite likely are the most anti-PR ownership group in the league.
January 16th, 2026 at 9:41 am
Win or lose we are stuck with Bowles and I don’t think it is for just this year. I think we could be stuck with him for awhile. They don’t want the PR nightmare and they don’t want to eat that contract extension. If they did it would have already happened. I don’t want to hear about the injuries because every team was injured this year. Good coaches make adjustments and still put the team in position to make the playoffs just look at the 49ers for example.
January 16th, 2026 at 9:48 am
‘Todd Bowles is still the Bucs’ coach.’
Saddest and most depressing news of 2026 so far!
Buddy system protecting such a lousy employee….
PATHETIC!!!
January 16th, 2026 at 10:06 am
Joe Says:
January 16th, 2026 at 9:38 am
The fallout would have been too much for the Glazers and their PC
values.
LOL Glazers don’t give two s(p)it’s about public perception. LOL They quite likely are the most anti-PR ownership group in the league.
______
So they removed Gruden from the ring of honor on a whim?
January 16th, 2026 at 10:07 am
This franchise is the laughingstock of the NFL…. Again!
The Bumbling Brothers have somehow managed
2 Lombardi Trophy Rentals
3 former Head Coaches and one inhouse offensive coordinator have left the G’Boys looking over their shoulder standing at the altar when they thought they had a marriage.
Something fundamental creepy about them
The passionate fans are left holding the bag… gag
January 16th, 2026 at 10:12 am
Just back from our annual Phoenix Golf outing. Brother in Denver and our childhood buddies from Chicago and me the Okie. Man it hurt hearing about Broncos and Bears. Our Bucs should be there. I’m hoping the Bills can beat the snot out of the Broncos and the Rams dismember the Bears. Listening to those guys drone on about their teams almost ruined my trip. I say almost. I took out my angst on that little white ball. It was liberating. If our team can reach that Zen level next season we’ll have us another Super Bowl. I agree with Bayless. That final win against Carolina was ugly. But it told me something I needed to know going into this offseason. Defense played well enough for us to win after the bye. We had drops, penalties, turnovers, and a revolving door on our OLine. Receivers finally got healthy but needed a little more time to jell. OC Grizzard had to be a fall guy, I guess. But our defense will get some DLine and linebacker help this offseason. And I bet our special teams will look different. And with our 2024 Oline healthy and gotta resign Mike then that oughta do it. Alot to look forward to this year. I believe we may just be the best team in the league. Seriously.
January 16th, 2026 at 10:17 am
Not everyone is playing for respect (RASHAAD WHITE) they are professionals, why would these starters who’ve been to the playoffs and have won a Super Bowl not want to go back to the playoffs. They played for that, why do they all have to be playing and thinking I gotta save my coaches job geez
January 16th, 2026 at 10:26 am
The Glazers have hired three black coaches and fired two, and barring a miracle will eventually fire a third.
Completely ridiculous to play the “woke” card.. again. That ish is old hat. Even more so when you consider that BA, the old white guy, is how Bowles got the gig and how he’s keeping right now.
RWNJ’s can’t think for themselves.
January 16th, 2026 at 10:29 am
The RINSE AND REPEAT is on already!!!
We just need to put ourselves in neutral and wait. Todd’s car wash is in his last year.
January 16th, 2026 at 10:33 am
JASON LICHT IS TRASH AND SO IS HIS BOY TODD TOILET BOWELS GARBAGE GARBAGE GARBAGE
Just remember whoever the OC turns out to be he will be the new head coach 2027💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
January 16th, 2026 at 10:42 am
Like @Dooshlaroo said. If the BUCS really didn’t care about PC then they wouldn’t have had the knee-jeek response of taking Gruden out of the ring of honor. But I understand the Joes don’t want to lose their press credentials.
January 16th, 2026 at 10:46 am
OLDSCHOOL1976 Says:
January 16th, 2026 at 9:32 am
Will Todd be OK being paid half of what his new OCs salary is?
Probably not. And that will give the Glazers the opportunity to say “so what are you going to do about it?”
January 16th, 2026 at 10:47 am
Just had a thought. The Glazers themselves have to be super careful what they say and do least they find themselves arrested when they visit England to see Manchester United. PC is mandatory there.
January 16th, 2026 at 10:51 am
The win over Carolina cost the Bucs by keeping Bowles and moving them down far enough they probably don’t have a chance at one of the top 4 DE/Edge rushers as they are now behind Dallas and Baltimore. Other likely to pick an Edge are Wash, NO and Cincy
January 16th, 2026 at 10:58 am
yawn…..they showed me something alright! Wanting a top 5 pick in the 27 draft…all good tho, i’ll play along
January 16th, 2026 at 10:58 am
I am so sick of certain people putting the Glazers down. Gruden called Mr. Glazer a bad word for kitten in those emails and it was a personal knee-jerk reaction to take him out of the ROH. Glazer even later accepted his apology and did not hold a grudge.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, they lost a significant amount of money—no ticket, food, or parking revenue. Yet when the hurricane danger came, they spared no expense moving players and their wives to safety, and even their girlfriends and pets, for gosh sakes. (We beat the Saints that week).
They set up a National Coaching Foundation with no thought of profit. They set up She is Football. They have a Vision non-profit, and I know I am missing some of their philanthropy. Most importantly, they pay the players and are so unlike Culverhouse, I don’t understand why some denigrate these terrific owners.
January 16th, 2026 at 10:59 am
“If you think Joe is protecting the Bucs, you don’t visit this site very often or never read the comments.”
Nor watched Bucs’ games. Like analysts/predictors/commentators like Bayless who “thinks” water over a bridge would have been better than a field in May. But don’t blame them for confusing hockey and football games. To them those are basically indistinguishable.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:00 am
“What Bayless couldn’t figure out was why, down the stretch, the Bucs didn’t sit quarterback Baker Mayfield to allow him to heal up and be more effective down the stretch.“
Because he was hurt, and not injured. Longest running excuse to explain his bad play down the stretch going in this fan base is the phantom injury that nobody can pinpoint, nor have I heard nothing of Mayfield going in for any medical procedures whether it be elective or necessary.
What I have seen is a brand new ad featuring Baker done for a men’s deodorant brand. Cause, when it’s crunch-time and the heat is on, you want to “pick” the right protection 😂
January 16th, 2026 at 11:02 am
I enjoy the site Joe, but I do think you have been somewhat soft in your analysis of Coach Bowles. It is very obvious that he is one of if not the worst head coach in the NFL.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:04 am
Wow, that’s the most balanced I’ve ever heard Skip. And he’s almost right.
But the reason the Bucs collapsed is due to the very large and growing Loser who coaches his own head and teaches the defense how to give up 3rd and 28.
Only the Glazerlichts would keep Tood and have him fire everyone else, but hire his own new guys and expect different results. Yep. It was all the assistants’ faults.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiggghhhhtttt.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:05 am
Pure guess here, but Mayfields injury probably required surgery that would have ended his season or kept him out for a significant amount of time. They opted to have him keep playing through it since it still gave them the best chance to win.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:08 am
They showed me something too, a 5-12 season loading the moment Bowles was retained. You can sum up the upcoming season in one word…insanity. Doing the same thing expecting different results.
But then again I don’t think the ownership thinks much of this team or the HC options available that what to coach the Bucs. So we’re stuck with a tank year since Bowles only gets worse with time.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:10 am
Still bored with Bowles …bring on the Blank & the Bucs articles….nit too early for mock drafts or FA chatter…..
January 16th, 2026 at 11:14 am
SB, using your logic every Lombardi is a rental. And if it’s that easy to rent one, how, doesn’t or so teams have still never “rented” one? That’s right.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:14 am
* a dozen or so teams
January 16th, 2026 at 11:17 am
And FYI…. I think Bowles should have been fired…but since we are stuck with him, I wish him success and hope he takes us to a SB
January 16th, 2026 at 11:17 am
If the Glazers really cared about public perception:
They never would have fired Father Dungy.
They never would have fired Chucky.
They never would have hired Raheem Morris.
They would have shiite-canned Todd Bowles the second the season was over if not sooner.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:29 am
We appreciate you Joes! Keep up the good work. Some people can’t be pleased. The rest of us greatly appreciate your dedication work on this here corner of the web. Best Bucs site hands down.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:32 am
People who build theme park pirate ships in their billion dollar stadiums do not care about public perception.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:48 am
B’says
A new stadium will be needed if Tampa ever hopes to host a Super Bowl, I don’t know if the current stadium bowl can be used and the new stuff built over and around it.
DC’s new stadium is magnificent, the Falcons is magnificent,Dallas and many others.
Hard to believe that Joe Robbie built the Dolphins stadium on his own dime!
The franchise is in disarray now.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:54 am
Bilgewater is a first magnitude Bowzo Blunder. Another reason to launch Bowzo.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:56 am
WM Says: “Just remember whoever the OC turns out to be he will be the new head coach 2027.”
Have they named their OC yet!? I must have missed that. Even if they did, then that is quite the prediction.
January 16th, 2026 at 11:57 am
Sitting Mayfield would have changed NOTHING as long as the makeshift O line was still in place…
January 16th, 2026 at 11:59 am
One thing that at this point is interesting is there is no information on Todd scheduling or interviewing any replacements for Defense. Only ST coordinator.
He needs at least 3 replacements so??
January 16th, 2026 at 12:01 pm
Bowzo is a CDH hire by the VNJD Glazerhouse team. Just add a letter.
January 16th, 2026 at 12:03 pm
We watched the last couple of years of Baker Mayfield playing hurt. End result was Mayfield bearly beatsCarolina in 2022. He could bearly throw the ball and the Bucs only won because of the heroics of Winfield’s last second breakup. Mayfield play was admirable but piss poor.
After the bye week, this season Mayfield was playing hurt again. His play doomed the Bucs. That’s on Bowles. Piss poor leadership! In two separate seasons with Mayfield definitely hurt Bowles played him. Both those decisions sent the Bucs home early.
I personally don’t see Bowles changing unless the Glazers intervine. Someone needs to act like an adult and it’s not going to be Todd Bowles. This is the Glazers team and any decision by them are final. And if the Bucs get to the playoffs in 2026 they need one of the favorites to win. This is a make or break year for the Bucs and Todd Bowles.
January 16th, 2026 at 12:17 pm
Draft John Mateer out of Oklahoma
January 16th, 2026 at 12:26 pm
74 Buc Fan
Just because I find Beating the dead horse Bowles articles & posts boring doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate JBF…I have been a poster & reader since the beginning & wouldn’t be here if I didn’t appreciate…
January 16th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
Joe Says:
January 16th, 2026 at 11:17 am
So they removed Gruden from the ring of honor on a whim?
If the Glazers really cared about public perception:
They never would have fired Father Dungy.
They never would have fired Chucky.
They never would have hired Raheem Morris.
They would have shiite-canned Todd Bowles the second the season was over if not sooner.
__________
All those events you listed happened in a very different world then the one we are living in now.
The floodgates didn’t really open until about 5-7 years ago, so your argument falls pretty flat to me.
January 16th, 2026 at 12:29 pm
^^^^^
And I think I know which Joe I’m talking to.
January 16th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
Agree with Lanshark O line was crux of Offensive woes
January 16th, 2026 at 12:38 pm
the glazers are huge football fans they are having fun back seat gm with jason… they have their finger on the pulse of the team
i just don’t know any way they are going to win next year, the schedule is horrifying and they need a lot of pieces on defense, 5-12 and a lot of suffering, wish i could bail but it’s a train wreck i can’t look away from since 76’
January 16th, 2026 at 12:41 pm
The same guy that drafted Jameis Winston is the same guy that signed Bilgewater to backup Baker. Same guy that drafted Trask in the second round.
That guy cannot draft the QB position to save his life.
Same guy that decided to give Bowles a contract extension.
That guy is Jason Licht. Fire Licht now!
January 16th, 2026 at 12:51 pm
TB is at best a bottom-tier HC. When I hear talking heads and TV announcers say he’s a defensive wizard, I cringe. Don’t they look at our games? Can’t they read the key stats, which show a steady decline over the last three years? Did they see our ST performance and our kicker (MVP of the team) boot the ball into the end zone because our ST players can’t stop the opposition from getting beyond the 35-yard line? Can’t fathom why the Glazer boys kept him. Been a fan from the start and have the scars to prove it, aching from this latest scar.
January 16th, 2026 at 1:01 pm
He was hurt going into the BYE week. Instead of a week off, should have prepped Teddy B to play some of those AFC opponents after the break and give Baker a month to heal. We knew the important games were the NFC and division games. Maybe it would have helped win 1 or 2 more. Doesn’t matter now.
January 16th, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I really MISS real journalists and broadcasters
Steve Duemig and Chris Thomas who didn’t fear speaking their mind or possible shunning by the Glazers!
Bring on the HEAT!
Grow a set !
Moes !