‘That says a lot as far as I’m concerned’ — Bucs’ Todd Bowles argues why he should keep his job amid fan unrest
The Bucs’ head coach has come under fire after an extended collapse to miss the playoffs.
Todd Bowles’ seat has gotten a lot warmer after a catastrophic collapse by the Tampa Bay. After starting the season 6-2, the team lost seven of their last nine games after the bye week to finish with a losing record. After having a stranglehold on the division for months, the Bucs dropped the division to Carolina by way of a tiebreaker.
The Bucs didn’t just lose games. They seemed lost on both sides of the ball during their skid. Between a sideline blow up between players to boneheaded mistakes on the field, the Bucs looked every bit like a poorly coached team.
However, it doesn’t appear as though the Glazers are going to take action to replace Bowles, who has a 35-33 regular season record with the Bucs through four seasons (1-3 in the playoffs). Bowles spoke with the media on Monday, and he responded to a question about what he’d say to fans who don’t think he should be allowed back in 2026.
Todd Bowles says he’s ‘earned the chance’ to come back for 2026
“All I can do is coach and be myself,” Bowles said. “I’ve earned the chance. I won three straight division titles. So that says a lot, as far as I’m concerned. But I don’t really have a message for the fans. True fans are true fans. We’re going to try to do our best to go out there and win for them. They’re going to feel how they feel, but that’s not a coach’s problem. A coach’s problem is make the team better, and that’s all I’m looking forward to.
“I understand their frustration. I understand our own frustration as well. It’s well warranted and well warranted within the building as well.”
Bucs fans likely aren’t going to take that well. The Bucs did win the division three straight times under Bowles, but they won just one playoff game and had major in-season slides in some of those seasons that cost them seeding and a better opportunity to advance.
At this point, the Bucs are who they are under Bowles. A fringe playoff team at their best. A losing team when they’re not. It’s fair for the fans to demand more of their franchise and its head coach, even if the latter thinks that the status quo has warranted another shot in 2026.
