Sportsnaut
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sat atop the NFC South in early November with a 6-2 record entering the bye. At that point, the club seemed destined for its second consecutive season as division champions with double-digit wins. Now, the franchise is in free fall with head coach Todd Bowles blaming the players for the latest loss.
Coming off the Thursday Night Football loss at home to the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay has dropped from 6-2 to 7-7 and put the Carolina Panthers in the driver’s seat to win the NFC South. Meanwhile, the head coach blamed the “inexcusable” loss on the players all at a time when the sentiment about him in the locker room seems to be souring.
With that in mind, let’s examine some Buccaneers coaching candidates who could replace Bowles.
If Todd Bowles is fired, Tampa Bay would probably have the second-best coaching vacancy available behind the New York Giants. In a year where the pool of head-coaching candidates doesn’t seem as strong as recent offseasons, the Buccaneers could focus on the top guy. That is Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who has done phenomenal work in Los Angeles over the last two years.
Prior to his arrival, the Chargers defense placed 24th in Defensive EPA per Play (0.019) and 23rd in Success Rate (44.3 percent) while allowing the seventh-highest yards-per-play average (5.5) and the ninth-most points per drive (2.01) in 2023. In the two seasons since Minter took over as defensive coordinator, Los Angeles ranks fifth in EPA per Play (-0.061) and sixth in Success Rate (41.9 percent). This season, the Chargers rank eighth in yards per play allowed (5.0) and 10th in points per drive (1.93).
Related: NFL Defense Rankings 2025, Evaluating all 32 Defenses Weekly
Minter, who turns 43 in May, has been under the tutelage of Jim and John Harbaugh from 2017-2025, outside of a one-year stint as the Vanderbilt Commodores defensive coordinator (2021). He brings one of the best defensive minds in football with an ability to maximize the talent he has, and he’s well-regarded around the league personally.
The NFL coaching carousel in 2026 might be a painful reminder for the Buccaneers organization of why it should have either promoted Dave Canales or Liam Coen to head coach and moved on from Bowles. To that point, the pool of head-coaching candidates this offseason doesn’t offer much on the offensive side of the ball.
Related: NFL Coaching Candidates 2026
Among the likeliest options, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is arguably the best option. Entering Week 15, the Seahawks offense ranks 12th in red-zone touchdown rate (60 percent), eighth in points per drive (2.43), fifth in yards per play (6.0), and third in scoring rate (47.5 percent). He’s gotten nearly as much out of Sam Darnold as Minnesota did, too.
Kubiak, who turns 39 in February, has revitalized Seattle’s offense and is one of the...
