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Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.

The most surprising thing to come out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ offseason wasn’t that arguably the draft’s top defensive player dropped to them at No. 15 overall in the 1st round in edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr.

That was surprising — and awesome — but it doesn’t come close to topping the list.

The most surprising thing that happened was that head coach Todd Bowles somehow managed to keep his job after a season in which his team started 5-1 but went 8-9 and missed the NFC playoffs for the 1st time since 2019.

It was the latest “meh” season from the Buccaneers in a string of them since Bowles took over before the 2022 season.

It’s also why Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Bradley Locker put Bowles at the top of his list of NFL head coaches on the hot seat in 2026.

“Bowles has secured a solid track record in Tampa Bay, compiling a 35-33 record with three NFC South titles in four years,” Locker wrote. “But the 2025 season was a very disappointing one, as the Buccaneers won just two of their final seven games and missed the postseason. Concerningly, issues pervaded both sides of the ball. Baker Mayfield regressed to a 64.8 PFF passing grade while struggling with accuracy amid injuries, and Tampa Bay also placed 23^rd in rushing EPA per play. On defense, the Buccaneers ranked 22^nd in PFF coverage grade and tied for 20^th in explosive pass rate surrendered … if the Buccaneers don’t at least finish with a winning record, then Bowles’ tenure probably won’t extend into 2027. That may be the case no matter what if Tampa Bay doesn’t climb back atop the division standings.”

Todd Bowles Used 1st Year OC as Scapegoat

You will find few Bowles supporters at this point, and the vote of confidence he got following the 2025 season was a shock to many who believed he should be on the chopping block the moment the season ended.

Bringing Bowles back for 2026 strange move in a lot of ways — including that it was Bowles who confirmed the news to The Tampa Bay Times, and not the Glazer family or general manager Jason Licht.

Bowles also did the thing NFL head coaches do when they’re on the hot seat by firing 1st-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, who proved to be a convenient scapegoat. The person who really should have been fired was the defensive coordinator, but Bowles can’t fire the defensive coordinator because that’s also his job.

“Todd Bowles does enter the 2026 season on the hot seat after last year’s 2-7 collapse down the stretch that led to Tampa Bay finishing 8-9 and missing the playoffs,” Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds wrote in May. “Another losing season this year and the Bucs have to make a change, especially after all of the defensive additions this offseason. The biggest problem with Bowles’ defense over the last couple of seasons has been the lack of a consistent and effective pass rush. Tampa Bay’s pass rush should be much better this year due to a lot of different factors.”