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Buccaneers GM compares Todd Bowles replacing Bruce Arians to Tom Brady, Baker Mayfield situation
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Buccaneers GM compares Todd Bowles replacing Bruce Arians to Tom Brady, Baker Mayfield situation

Tampa Bay Buccaneers ownership gave head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht votes of confidence when the club signed the two men to multiyear contract extensions ahead of the final weekend of June. 

During a recent appearance on the "Sports Day Tampa Bay" podcast, Licht noted that he feels Bowles is similar to current starting quarterback Baker Mayfield as it pertains to following in the footsteps of a beloved figure among Buccaneers fans. 

"I don’t think the general public and the fans truly know Todd’s personality," Licht said, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "Todd’s very stoic the way he carries himself. And he’s steady, and it’s a very positive thing, a quality to have. But [at One Buc Palace], he jokes around, gives everybody (expletive). I mean, he’s fun. I think if people saw that, they would think a little differently. I’m not asking Todd to do anything different in front of the microphone at all, but secondly, it’s really hard to follow the coach that just won the Super Bowl and is iconic like [Bruce Arians]. You know, it’s hard. It’s like Baker following Brady."

Arians became Tampa Bay's head coach in 2019, and Brady signed with the organization as a free agent the following offseason. The combination of Brady and Arians then guided the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl championship in TB12's first campaign with the franchise. Arians stepped down as Buccaneers head coach in March 2022, and Bowles was eventually promoted from his role as defensive coordinator to his current gig. Brady retired from playing in February 2023.

Meanwhile, Mayfield was looking to resurrect his career when he signed with the Buccaneers in March 2023. Together, he and Bowles led the team to back-to-back NFC South titles. However, Mayfield is a 1-2 postseason starter with Tampa Bay, while Bowles holds an overall regular-season record of 27-24 with the club. 

Bowles' public demeanor may leave much to be desired among fans who would like to see and hear him get more fired up during certain portions of a season. That said, critics probably won't have much to say about his personality if he takes the Buccaneers back to at least the NFC Championship Game as soon as this coming January. 

As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Buccaneers ranked seventh among the betting favorites at +1300 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX. Bowles' seat probably isn't all that warm after he received his extension, but one wonders if rumors about his future could resurface next year if the 2025 Bucs fail to notch at least a couple of playoff victories. 

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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