Jon Gruden Calls Out Buccaneers Fans for Criticism of Todd Bowles

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2025 season did not go according to anyone's plan. In fact, it was the complete opposite.

It was one of the worst collapses by the franchise in recent memory, and the man at the helm, head coach Todd Bowles, received much of the backlash from fans for his team's level of play in the second half of the season.

Much of the scrutiny was warranted, but after all was said and done, the Buccaneers' ownership decided to stick with their guy, Bowles, heading into 2026. Bowles will enter this offseason with tons of pressure on his shoulders, but he has a chance to turn things around to shut up those who have called for his job.

While much of the fanbase has been adamant in their displeasure surrounding the job Bowles has done, former Bucs' head coach Jon Gruden believes everyone needs to be on the same page for this thing to work when speaking on The Ronde Barber Show on Radio Row leading up to the Super Bowl.

Gruden Gets Brutally Honest

“I think people in Tampa, I know everybody wants to fire their coach now. You know, they all want to fire the offensive coordinator — Philadelphia, the Chargers. ‘They need to fire that guy;’ 10 head coaches [fired this year],” Gruden said. “And people, I hear the radio. I hear. You know, they’re on Todd Bowles. I think we gotta somehow get everybody on the same page. He’s our coach. We gotta get behind this guy, man. And we gotta have a good draft. We gotta get some edge rushers. And we gotta get some of these guys out of the training room.”

There's that fire that we have come to love from Chucky.

Gruden didn't shy away at all when speaking about Bowles and what must happen to start to turn things around. Gruden is clearly over all the hoopla that has gone on following the completion of the 2025 season when it came to the coaching carousel, but he seems excited for what is to come as long as everyone gets behind one another, and things fall into place through the NFL Draft and free agency.

Tampa Bay has to do everything right this offseason if it hopes to reclaim the throne atop the NFC South and make the playoffs after missing them. Hitting on free agents and draft picks will be key, but ultimately staying healthy and finding the right fits will be what propels this team.

Changes have been made to start this new era of Bucs' football, but there is still plenty coming down the shoot. And if Bowles wants to retain his position as head coach of the Bucs, then he must handle the challenges and hurdles thrown his way well, or he could find himself on the hot seat.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 season.

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