The NFL is an ever-evolving landscape when it comes to head coaches. This offseason 10 coaches were let go from their posts, and two jobs (the Raiders and the Cardinals) remain available. Since 2021, 37 coaches have been hired, which is a testament to the short tenures many have leading an organization.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles is one of the few exceptions, as he is one of just two remaining coaches from the 2022 hiring cycle. That year, 10 coaches were hired, but only Bowles and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell are with the same team.

With that in mind, it makes for an interesting conversation to be had. Based on Bowles’ regular-season and postseason record, where does his hiring by Tampa Bay rank among those 37 moves? ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently went over each move, and you will be surprised at where Bowles places.

Todd Bowles Ranks In Top Third Of All Recent NFL Head Coach Hires

Many Bucs supporters have called for Todd Bowles’ job, ever since the 2025 season ended on an extremely sour note. A lot of fan frustration is justified, with Tampa Bay’s collapse from 6-2 to finishing 8-9 being completely unacceptable. Yet Bowles is employed and has been tasked with overhauling his coaching staff this offseason. He has already hired offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, special teams coordinator Danny Smith, and various assistant coaches, with more moves to come.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In a lot of ways, 2026 lines up to be his last stand. Bowles has a lot to prove overcoming last season’s disappointment, needing to win more games to have any chance at winning over the fan base. Still, things could be a lot worse. That is what Bill Barnwell contextualized in his latest article. In it, he ranks Bowles 12th of 37th among coaches hired over the last five seasons. Here is what Barnwell had to say:

Taking over for the retired Bruce Arians after winning a Super Bowl as Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator, Bowles has kept the Bucs atop the NFC South for most of his tenure. He was able to transition the Buccaneers from the end of the Tom Brady era to the start of Baker Mayfield’s tenure at QB smoothly, and Tampa has been solid in the postseason, blowing out the Eagles and playing the Lions and Commanders tough in competitive losses.

After the Bucs blew a 6-2 start to this season and missed the playoffs, though, Bowles has understandably faced some criticism. Tampa Bay fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard after one season, meaning Mayfield will have his fourth coordinator in four years with the Bucs. Bowles’ defenses have also struggled to live up to what they were doing while he was focusing exclusively on that side of the ball, as Tampa Bay has ranked 11th, 16th, 18th and most recently 16th in EPA per snap.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I still think Bowles is a good coach, and he has improved his late-game decision-making after being too conservative earlier in his tenure, but 2026 seems like a make-or-break year for his future in Tampa.

While Bowles has not led Tampa Bay to the promised land since filling Bruce Arians’ shoes, Barnwell argues that it has not been a complete dumpster fire, either. It is hard to build a foundation of success in the league, and the Bucs have established themselves as a competitive football team in recent seasons. Expectations have grown higher because of it, and time has run out to be satisfied with just being an 8-to-10-win squad. That is the goal for a lot of teams, but the Bucs no longer occupy this space.

Now entering his fifth season as head coach, we will soon find out whether Bowles is capable of lifting the team to the elevated heights of rising expectations. While many may scoff at the notion that he is anything more than a head coach benefitting from a weak NFC South, he has led the Bucs to an above .500 record and meaningful postseason football. Many in Bucville lived through the 1983-1996 seasons when the team did not sniff the playoffs, or the decade-plus of darkness from 2008-2019 after Jon Gruden’s firing.

Todd Bowles now has to take the Bucs further than ever before, but he still has his share of supporters. Zooming out to more of an NFL lens, he has led Tampa Bay to the kind of success plenty of teams would love to have.