Pro Football Rumors
The Buccaneers have enjoyed a run of success under head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht, and the team will have continuity on the sidelines and in the front office moving forward. Both have received extensions, as first reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
The move is now official, per a team announcement. Licht has been in place since 2014, and for the past three seasons he and Bowles have worked in their current capacities. The latter took over from Bruce Arians as Tampa Bay’s head coach after a three-year stint as the team’s defensive coordinator.
“Jason and Todd’s excellent leadership and vision have been critical to our organizational success, and the winning culture they have established has us well positioned into the future,” a statement from owner Jay Glazer reads. “Jason has evolved into one of the top talent evaluators and general managers in the NFL, while Todd has led us to three consecutive division titles and is one of the league’s leading defensive minds. Under their guidance, we will continue building towards another championship.”
The past five seasons have marked the longest sustained run of success in franchise history, and the Buccaneers are the only NFC team to have reached the playoffs each year since 2020. That campaign produced a Super Bowl title and validated Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady acquisition. Questions were raised when the seven-time champion retired (for the second time) about how the team would proceed under center. The decision to take a flier on Baker Mayfield has certainly proven to be a fruitful one, though.
The former No. 1 pick’s future as a starter was in doubt coming off his 2022 campaign split between the Panthers and Rams. Mayfield was added on a one-year, $4MM deal and handled QB1 duties through his debut Tampa season. The Bucs won their division and advanced to the second round of the postseason. Mayfield was rewarded with a three-year, $100MM pact just before the start of free agency last March, keeping him in the fold.
The 30-year-old posted career bests in yards (4,500) and touchdowns (41) in 2024, production which helped Liam Coen continue the trend of offensive coordinators turning success with the Bucs into a head coaching gig. As Mayfield prepares to work with yet another OC, Bowles and his staff will aim to win the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season.
In four years with the Jets, Bowles managed a winning record only once and finished with an overall mark of 24-40. The 61-year-old joined Arians in Tampa Bay in 2019 to oversee the team’s defense. Since Bowles’ arrival, that unit has finished in the top 10 in points allowed on three occasions. Arians initially planned to stay on as head coach for the 2022 season, but Brady’s decision to unretire led to the reins being handed over to Bowles. A number of notable moves – including the dismissal of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich – did not sit well with Arians, but Tampa has...
