Is Todd Bowles' career on the line this wild-card weekend?

Former NFL executive and current SiriusXM NFL Radio host Pat Kirwan raised eyebrows when he recently said some in-the-know people believe Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles could be fired if 9-8 Tampa Bay loses this coming Monday's home wild-card playoff game to the 11-6 Philadelphia Eagles. 

Such whispers aren't quieting down heading into the weekend. 

Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Buccaneers insider Ira Kaufman of the JoeBucsFan website is among those who think Bowles may need "a good showing and perhaps a win" versus Philadelphia to hold onto his job, particularly now that several big names are available. 

Specifically, Florio wrote that the Buccaneers "likely" would be interested in Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel, Pete Carroll and possibly even Nick Saban. While the Tennessee Titans fired Vrabel earlier this week, Carroll is currently set to remain an "advisor" with the Seattle Seahawks. On Thursday morning, Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss of ESPN reported that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is permitting Belichick to leave the team without the Patriots receiving any compensation even though the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach began the day under contract through next season. 

Belichick is expected to continue coaching, as he needs 15 victories to break the all-time NFL record for career wins earned by a head coach (regular season and postseason combined) held by Don Shula.

Bowles guided the Buccaneers to back-to-back division titles and holds an overall regular-season record of 17-17 with the organization. Many thought ahead of the campaign Tampa Bay was in the early days of what could become a painful rebuild following the retirement of quarterback Tom Brady, but signal-caller Baker Mayfield brought stability to the club and helped the Bucs claim the NFC South crown at 9-8. 

In Tampa, a living legend such as Belichick would be able to enjoy year-long warm weather while working with what is already a playoff-caliber roster that includes a proven starting quarterback who already has one postseason victory on his career résumé. As for Monday's prime-time showdown at Tampa Bay's Raymond James Stadium, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Buccaneers late Thursday morning as three-point underdogs against the Eagles.