Last week, the Buccaneers nearly advanced to the divisional round. Instead, Washington capitalized on an open door and left Tampa Bay to rue a botched handoff and several missed opportunities. Now, earlier than anyone had hoped, the loss has forced the team to consider the future of head coach Todd Bowles, who’s entering the final year of his contract. Plus, popular offensive coordinator Liam Coen is a candidate for the head-coach vacancy in Jacksonville.
Bowles, 61, has compiled a 28-27 record (.509) in three years since replacing Bruce Arians after the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV win. Tampa Bay isn’t likely to let Bowles coach this season without a contract extension so the team faces a significant decision, whether to extend him or replace him. NFL insider Albert Breer said Thursday he’d be surprised if both Bowles and Coen aren’t back next season.
“A lot of times, this juncture of the contract can force some of these hard discussions and that’s where they’re at right now,” Breer said, responding to a question in his mailbag segment. “Todd Bowles has done a really nice job over the last three years, three division titles in a row, but I know these are discussions they’ve had when their seasons have looked bleak.”
Despite those three NFC South crowns under Bowles, the Bucs are just 1-3 in the postseason, never advancing past the divisional round. Still, Breer said he expects Tampa Bay to offer a “kick the can down the road and do some sort of band-aid extension” with Bowles while continuing to ask how the team can break through that ceiling and legitimately compete for Super Bowls.
“Those are the big-picture questions that are being asked,” Breer said. “So many things that the Bucs have done have been right. They’ve gone from one of the younger teams to one of the older teams. They’ve transitioned with Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield. They’ve done so many things right over the last five years, and I think they’re set up to win over the next three, four or five years. So, it’s fair to ask if they’ve got the right leadership in place.”
General manager Jason Licht deserves plenty of credit for setting up the Bucs to win. Tampa Bay got impressive value from respective third- and fourth-round selections Jalen McMillan and Bucky Irving this season. Licht also drafted Calijah Kancey and Yaya Diaby in 2023 and Luke Goedeke, Rachaad White and Cade Otton the year before.
Coen’s offense was phenomenal in his first year with Tampa Bay, finishing third in total yards (399.6 per game), fourth in rushing (149.2) and third in passing (250.4). Despite losing Mike Evans for several games and Chris Godwin for much of the season, Coen still helped Mayfield rank second with 41 touchdown passes and third with 4,500 passing yards.
For more information on the Buccaneers and the NFL hiring cycle, visit the Tampa Bay teampage and Coach/GM Carousel page at ProFootballPost.com.
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