As it stands, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are first in the NFC South. But could the Tampa Bay Buccaneers move on from head coach Todd Bowles even if they end the season that way?
ESPN certainly seemed to entertain the possibility. Writer Bill Barnwell ranked 10 teams by appeal as a destination for a new head coach in 2024, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were named — Barnwell ranked them sixth, ahead of the Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders and below the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers and the Chicago Bears.
Barnwell mentioned that winning the NFC South once again could be enough to save Bowles’ job, but noted that a lack of state income tax, a strong roster on both sides of the ball (with a few free agents to manage) and an easy division in the NFC South would be appealing — he also noted, however, that the Bucs don’t have a franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield and that their cap situation is somewhat complex.
Here is a little bit of what Barnwell said about Tampa Bay as a coaching destination:
If the Buccaneers do move on from Bowles, they’ll be one of several teams with two disparate paths forward. Tampa has $47 million in cap space next year, but it has one of the most significant free agent classes of any team, with a group that includes Mike Evans, Devin White, Lavonte David, Baker Mayfield and Antoine Winfield Jr. Will general manager Jason Licht want to use that money to bring back his veterans and try to rerun this team in 2024? Or is it time for the Buccaneers to rebuild and try to compete again in 2025 and beyond?
As it stands, head coach Todd Bowles is 14-16 as head coach of the Bucs and is 40-57 as a coach overall. Another NFC South championship and a playoff game at Raymond James Stadium could go a long way in helping Bowles secure a job for another year, but he has been met with criticism from pundits and fans alike for his last two seasons in Tampa Bay.
As it stands, though, the Bucs lead the NFC South at 6-7 and have a chance to get to .500 with a win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 15.
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