3 reasons why Buccaneers are bringing back Todd Bowles

Despite fans calling for the Buccaneers to move on from Todd Bowles following such a disappointing 2025 season, the Glazers and GM Jason Licht ultimately made the decision to retain Todd Bowles as head coach.

Although many have openly declared their displeasure with this decision, the reality is that it isn’t their decision to make. So with no control over the situation, the least we can do is assess the reasons why ownership made the decision to retain Todd Bowles as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for at least one more year despite his inability to achieve success in what was supposed to be a very promising year for the Bucs.

Consistency and continuity

Despite Todd Bowles’ uninspiring performance as the head coach of the Buccaneers in 2025, his boss, Jason Licht, is clearly evaluating Bowles’ entire body of work as the Bucs’ HC compared to just this season.

Jason Licht values continuity as much as any GM in the league — not just in terms of the players on his roster, but his coaches as well. Although he wasn’t the head coach back in 2020, Bowles’ role as defensive coordinator was integral to the Bucs’ Super Bowl run. Despite Tom Brady’s exceptional performance in his first year in Tampa, it was Bowles’ defense that shut the door on a murderer’s row of quarterbacks during that playoff run, with the final exclamation point being an incredible performance in Super Bowl 55 where his defense held Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs without a touchdown in order to secure a 31-9 victory and the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy.

Despite his struggles this season, Bowles has led his team to an NFC South Division Title in three out of the four years he’s been the team’s head coach. Many people will argue that the quality of competition within the division dims the light on those results, but this is the NFL, and consistently winning your division and making the playoffs is a notable accomplishment.

2. Recent commitment

Another important factor at play when discussing why the Glazer family and Jason Licht chose to bring Bowles back for another season is a simple one — they just signed him to a new multiyear contract extension back in June.

When announcing the decision to extend Bowles, as well as Licht, Joel Glazer stated the following:

"Jason and Todd’s excellent leadership and vision have been critical to our organizational success, and the winning culture they have established has us well positioned into the future... Todd has led us to three consecutive division titles and is one of the league’s leading defensive minds.”

The fact that ownership was praising Todd Bowles’ accomplishments after signing him to a new contract extension just six months ago is extremely relevant to their current coaching dilemma. Not only might they feel silly to publicly acknowledge that they made a bad decision, but with Bowles under contract until 2028, they would also be on the hook for a substantial amount of money.

Most owners value money and reputation as much as they do anything else. The Glazer family is no exception in this regard, and going back on their recent commitment to Todd Bowles would put both of those things in jeopardy.

He's a players' coach

Todd Bowles and Vita Ve — Sep 21, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) talk prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Bowles has served as a head coach in the NFL for a total of 8 seasons. As such, Bowles has often been criticized for his sideline demeanour, generic coachspeak with the media, lack of emotion and overly conservative approach to game management.

Despite these common perceptions coming from those outside of his locker rooms, one thing that can not be denied is the fact that Bowles has always been respected and adored by his players.

There are countless examples of players standing behind Bowles as their head coach, often showering him with praise for his knowledge, loyalty and strength of character. Look no further than Buccaneers franchise icon, Lavonte David, who was recently asked — following what many believe was his last game in the NFL — to offer his thoughts on Bowles as a head coach following a disappointing 2025 campaign.

“Yeah that’s my guy, man. Coach Bowles is one of the realest coaches I ever played for, including [Bruce Arians]... A great dude to be around. Have his door open for you all the time. You can call him whenever.” David said. “I just love picking his brain about football, too. That’s one thing I really admire about coach Bowles, man, he’s willing to give knowledge because he’s been through it.”

David continued to shower Bowles with praise. “Definitely one of the coolest, realest guys I ever got a chance to play for," David said. “A defensive mastermind for sure. I learned a lot of football [from] Coach Bowles and he’s the reason I’m still up here playing today.”

For the fans who were disappointed with the decision to retain Bowles, they can at least take some solace in the fact that the players who have played for him over the years have consistently developed a high level of respect — not just for Todd Bowles as a person, but as a football coach.

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