Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

The Buccaneers won their rain-soaked Week 18 game on Saturday. That kept alive the chances of Tampa Bay winning the NFC South despite a record of 8-9. However, the Bucs did not get the help they needed on Sunday. Atlanta beat New Orleans, creating a three-way tie atop the division’s standings. That resulted in the Panthers taking the top spot and securing the NFC’s No. 4 seed.

As such, 2025 represents a major disappointment from Tampa Bay’s perspective. The team was 6-2 when its bye week arrived, but the closing stages of the campaign proved to be disastrous. Head coach Todd Bowles has seen his job security questioned as a result, although numerous reports have pointed to him being safe. The 62-year-old has been in his current role since 2022.

Bowles – like general manager Jason Licht – signed an extension last offseason. That would make a firing this soon after a surprise, and the team is indeed hesitant to pay the buyout present in his latest pact. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms (video link), ownership’s preference would be to keep Bowles in place for 2026. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes that a firing would be unexpected at this point, though he adds a full evaluation will take place with the season now in the books.

While Bowles seems to be safe, Jones mentions that changes throughout the rest of the coaching staff are likely to take place. We mentioned just Thursday that offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard may be on the hot seat. The first-year coordinator had a meteoric rise to the job. His first NFL coaching job came in Miami as an offensive quality control coach. He remained in quality control for three seasons before getting promoted to wide receivers coach for the Dolphins. He only held that role for two years before being moved back to offensive quality control for two more seasons. Tampa Bay brought him on last year as pass game coordinator before promoting him to his current role to replace Liam Coen.

Throughout the season, Grizzard has been criticized for his play calling as last year’s offense — which finished fourth in scoring, third in total yards, third in passing yards, and fourth in rushing yards — devolved into this year’s performance — 15th in scoring, 14th in total yards, 17th in passing yards, and 15th in rushing yards. Some of these setbacks can be attributed to injuries — seven missed games for Bucky Irving, nine for Mike Evans, eight for Chris Godwin, 13 for Jalen McMillan, and missed games for several offensive linemen — but Grizzard’s play calling is still a key reason for why this team ended up where they did this year.

In the next few days, as Black Monday claims the jobs of several big names, we’ll see what Tampa Bay decides to do, and if Bowles is still around, how many changes he’s willing to make to his coaching staff. After a season of disappointment despite plenty of talent, the coaches could be the ones to bear the brunt of the punishment.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

It would have been difficult to imagine at the midpoint of the season, but the Buccaneers will enter Week 18 fighting for their playoff lives. Once 6-2, the 7-9 Buccaneers will face the 8-8 Panthers on Saturday with the NFC South and a postseason berth at stake.

Despite the Buccaneers’ second-half disintegration, a report last Sunday indicated head coach Todd Bowles is not in jeopardy of losing his job. The Buccaneers then dropped their fourth straight game, a 20-17 decision against the Dolphins, potentially turning up the heat on Bowles.

It’s unknown whether ownership will reverse course on Bowles if the Buccaneers complete their collapse and miss the postseason. While the Buccaneers have managed a so-so 34-33 record in almost four full seasons under Bowles, the 62-year-old has earned some leeway from ownership after guiding the team to three straight division titles.

Last July, several months after Bowles completed his first 10-win season in Tampa Bay, the Bucs extended him through 2028. The deal includes a “hefty” buyout, which the team “doesn’t seem overly eager to pay,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.

Bowles’ extension could save him, but changes to his coaching staff are on the table, according to Fowler. Specifically, there are questions centering on first-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, who worked as the Bucs’ pass game coordinator in 2024.

The Buccaneers finished last year third in total offense and fourth in scoring under OC Liam Coen, but he left to take the Jaguars’ head coaching job. Now leading a 12-4 Jacksonville team that looks like a Super Bowl contender, Coen figures to garner Coach of the Year votes. With Coen gone, Tampa Bay’s offense has plummeted to 22nd in yardage and 18th in points. While that doesn’t reflect well on the 35-year-old Grizzard, it would be unfair to place all the blame on him.

Although quarterback Baker Mayfield is on track for a third straight 17-game season, the Buccaneers’ offense has endured several injuries to major contributors. Wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan have combined to miss 30 games. Running back Bucky Irving has sat out seven, and his production when healthy has paled in comparison to his rookie output from 2024. That may have something to do with an offensive line that hasn’t been at full strength.

Center Graham Barton has played every offensive snap, but the rest of the unit hasn’t been as fortunate. Right guard Cody Mauch suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2, fellow guard Ben Bredeson has been on IR with a knee injury since Dec. 9, and cornerstone tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke have missed sizable chunks of time. Wirfs has played 11 games to Goedeke’s 10.

Both Wirfs (toe) and Goedeke (ankle) have been limited in practice this week, but they’re not on the Buccaneers’ final injury report. That’s good news for Bowles and Grizzard as they prepare for a must-win game.