Bowles returns for 2026! Expect coaching staff shake-ups, including a potential new offensive coordinator, as the Buccaneers aim for redemption.
Todd Bowles isn't going anywhere. According to a report from Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Bowles confirmed Wednesday he is coming back for a fifth season as head coach of the Buccaneers after meeting with ownership Tuesday.
Bowles will be back but there will be likely be changes to the coaching staff, which could include a new offensive coordinator to replace Josh Grizzard and adding a defensive coordinator. Bowles had been serving as the de facto defensive coordinator and has been the primary playcaller on that side of the football.
Bowles was scheduled to have meetings with members of his coaching staff Wednesday and Thursday. Those meetings could now signal the beginning of the changes among the group.
This follows a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler early Wednesday morning stating Bowles was expected to stay on as head coach after having his press conference earlier this week and meeting with ownership Tuesday.
Speculation began swirling around Bowles' future in Tampa Bay after the team finished 8-9 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The Buccaneers lost seven of their final nine games following a 6-2 mark at the halfway point of the season. The Buccaneers lost the NFC South title by way of being on the wrong end of a three-way tiebreaker that saw the Carolina Panthers take the division crown thanks to a 3-1 record against the Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons, who also finished 8-9.
That speculation grew even higher Tuesday night when the Baltimore Ravens fired head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons, adding a decorated head coach to the pool. ESPN's Adam Schefter also noted that at least seven teams reached out to Harbaugh's people shortly after his firing, which implied at least one team currently without a vacant head-coaching position reached out. Some may have thought that team was the Buccaneers.
Injuries plagued the Buccaneers throughout the season. Wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan all missed time due to various injuries, as did offensive linemen Tristan Wirfs and Cody Mauch as well as running back Bucky Irving. As Stroud noted in his report, the Buccaneers never had all five starting offensive linemen in the same game.
Between the injuries and the tailspin of quarterback Baker Mayfield in the second half of the season, the wheels completely fell off for the Bucs, resulting in the 2-7 finish, which also saw the Bucs lose three straight divisional games in December as well as losing in Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins.
The Buccaneers will give it another go in 2026 with Bowles, who has gone 35-33 in four seasons in Tampa Bay with three playoff appearances (one with an 8-9 record) and one playoff win. Who Bowles brings in as offensive coordinator will be an important piece to the puzzle, assuming he does make a change there. It would mark the fourth offensive coordinator in four years for Bowles, after Dave Canales (Panthers) and Liam Coen (Jaguars) left for head-coaching positions in the last two years.
It likely goes without saying that Bowles will be at least near the top the of every "head coach hot seat rankings" list entering the 2026 season.