TAMPA, Fla. – The “nightmare scenario” has officially arrived for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it appears the head coach will survive the fallout. While the NFL’s “Black Monday” claimed coaching casualties across the league, the scene at One Buc Place was notably calmer.
Despite the team’s stunning elimination from postseason contention, head coach Todd Bowles isn’t sweating his job security.
According to Tampa Free Press reporter Rock Riley, Bowles fully intends to return next season and is not worried about his status. This confidence comes even as the franchise processes an abrupt, agonizing end to the 2025 season—missing the playoffs for the first time since the Jameis Winston era in 2019.
The Bucs (8-9) did their part on Saturday, scraping out a 16-14 win over the Carolina Panthers on a rain-soaked field. But that result proved to be a “hollow victory.” The team’s fate was sealed Sunday when the Atlanta Falcons secured a gritty 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints.
That result triggered a complex three-way tiebreaker that broke the wrong way for Tampa Bay. Because Carolina (8-9) swept the Falcons this season, they held the advantage, crowning them the unlikeliest of NFC South champions and sending the Bucs home early.
It was a collapse of the Bucs’ own making. The team held control of the division just two weeks ago but managed only their second win in nine games on Saturday.
Addressing the late-season slide, Bowles was blunt. He accepted full responsibility, stating the “collapse starts with him” and pointing to coaching as the primary culprit, though he noted players share some accountability.
READ: Doomsday In Tampa: Falcons Help Panthers Take NFC South Crown, Buccaneers Out
History appears to be on his side regarding his job status; aside from the firing of Dirk Koetter, the Glazer family has traditionally avoided axing coaches immediately following the season finale. Bowles confirmed he is set to meet with ownership at the end of the week—a standard annual evaluation process.
When pressed on whether the Glazers might mandate staff changes to right the ship, Bowles indicated he wouldn’t know until they sit down together. But for now, despite the math turning against them and the season ending in silence, Todd Bowles is planning for next year.
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