Shortly after it was reported that Liam Coen would reject an opportunity to become the Jacksonville Jaguars' next head coach to stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their offensive coordinator, some suggested that Buccaneers ownership viewed Coen as an eventual replacement for current Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles.
However, the situation took a dramatic turn when the Jaguars parted ways with general manager Trent Baalke seemingly to acquire Coen. The move worked out well for Jacksonville, and NFL insider Dianna Russini touched upon the Bowles rumors during the latest edition of The Athletic's "Scoop City" podcast.
"I really think if Tampa didn’t make the playoffs, there was going to be a move there. I think there was definitely, could have been something with Todd Bowles," Russini explained. "I don’t know if it would have meant parting of ways, a firing, a retirement. I think there was going to be something in play."
In December, now-North Carolina football team general manager Michael Lombardi curiously said that "everybody" thought at the time that Bowles was "not going to keep his job" and "may retire at the end of the year." Bowles later denied the retirement claim and then guided Tampa Bay to a third straight NFC South division title before the Buccaneers suffered an upset wild-card playoff loss to the Washington Commanders.
With that said, Bowles has accumulated an unimpressive overall regular-season record of 27-24 with Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, Coen helped starting quarterback Baker Mayfield enjoy the best season of his career in their first campaign together. Per Pro Football Reference, Mayfield ended the regular season tied for second in the NFL with 41 touchdown passes, third with 264.7 passing yards per game and fourth with a 106.8 passer rating.
"Baker loves him," Russini added about Coen. "[The Buccaneers] love him. It worked really, really well this year, and I know the organization thinks highly of him. Again, we don’t know if that would have happened, but you have to figure it was probably something that was discussed when they weren’t winning."
While Coen is no longer an option for Tampa Bay, Russini's comments indicate that Bowles could begin the 2025 season on the hot seat. One wonders if he will have to guide the Bucs to more than just a playoff appearance next January to hold onto his job through another winter.
