Buccaneers Legend Laughs Off Todd Bowles Hot Seat Talk

Despite a much more modest career than many of his former teammates with the Buccaneers, 2002 Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson will forever be remembered as a franchise legend simply because of his historic performance vs. the Oakland Raiders, helping deliver the team its first-ever Lombardi Trophy.

Even though the rest of Jackson's NFL career wasn't as triumphant as his single game performance in Super Bowl 32 for the Buccaneers, one thing that comes with the territory of winning a franchise's first ever Super Bowl MVP award is the right to an opinion on that specific franchise moving forward.

And by the sounds of it, Jackson has been keeping close tabs on his former team.

In a recent interview, Jackson was asked for his thoughts on current Buccaneers' head coach Todd Bowles, who many believe will be on the hot seat if his team does not succeed in 2026.

Dexter Jackson Stands Behind Todd Bowles

"I laugh whenever people say things like this about coach Todd Bowles. He's been head coach for four seasons and won the NFC South in three of those seasons. There are teams in the NFL who haven't won in years and are desperate for just one division championship," Jackson said. "Because of the 'microwave' world we live in, people want championships right now. They don't understand the process. They don't understand what it takes to be a successful team. You have to keep chipping away until you finally get it right... there's also been a lot of turnover in players. You chip away through free agency, then guys leave and you have to start molding a team together again."

Jackson also believes that a big reason why many people perceive Bowles to be on the hot seat is simply because of the social media-driven world we now live in.

"Fans have a lot of influence now because of social media," he said. "With the way some fans are criticizing Bowles, if you don't have a strong owner who understands the game, he will be gone. But I believe the Buccaneers do have strong ownership in the Glazer family. They understand the game. They understand that they can't let fans' chirping lead to them losing a good football coach."

Bucs Have Done Better With Bowles Than Most Teams Have Without Him

Jackson also spoke about Bowles' track record of success when defending the status of his former team's head coach.

"It's all a balancing act. You have to weigh the pros and cons and see who is available. But, like I said, I know a lot of teams would love to be in the Buccaneers' situation of winning three of the last four division titles," Jackson said. "I guess because they won a championship recently, the expectation is 'win a Super Bowl or you have to go go'."

Even though Jackson never played for Todd Bowles, it's clear that the 2002 Super Bowl MVP holds the current Buccaneers' head coach in high regard. That being said, the fans will need to see results on the field before they stop calling for his job.

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