INTRO: The Bucs made some major news on Thursday when the team announced multi-year contract extensions for both head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht. The news may not sit well with Bowles’ detractors, but this was the ultimate vote of confidence from the Glazers that they believe he is the right man to bring the next Lombardi Trophy to Tampa Bay. And of course Licht is the architect of the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV team and is in the process of building another Super Bowl contender. Let’s analyze the big Bucs news of the week, shall we?

FAB 1. Bucs Go All-In With Todd Bowles As Head Coach

Remember last week when I wrote about how Bill Belichick isn’t going to replace Todd Bowles in my SR’s FAB 5 column – no matter what misguided, ill-fated rumor Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio was stoking?

Remember when I wrote that the Bucs have total faith in Bowles?

Yeah, I wasn’t kidding.

The Glazers added even more credence to my assertions by announcing multi-year contract extensions for both Bowles and general manager Jason Licht on Thursday. This is the ultimate vote of confidence for Bowles and comes on the heels of the team winning its third straight NFC South title in his third year at the helm.

Bucs GM Jason Licht, co-owners Darcie Glazer Kassewitz and Joel Glazer, head coach Todd Bowles and senior football consultant Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It took Jon Gruden seven years to win three division championships. Bowles has a chance to capture the most NFC South titles in team history with another one this year as he enters his fourth season as head coach.

Bowles’ critics will point to his 1-3 record in the playoffs, and that’s fair game. No one was happy with Tampa Bay’s stunning 23-20 loss to Washington at home in last year’s Wild Card game.

Yet Bowles finally beat the Rams in 2022 after three straight losses under Bruce Arians. His teams have gone 5-1 versus the Saints, including sweeps in 2022 and 2024, and 5-1 against the Panthers, including sweeps in 2023 and 2024. Not to mention back-to-back blowout wins over the Super Bowl champion Eagles in the 2023 playoffs and in Week 4 of the 2024 season.

Tampa Bay’s 21-16 upset win at Detroit in Week 2 last year was also a signature win, as the Lions wound up tied with the Chiefs for the best record in football last year at 15-2.

Lions HC Dan Campbell and Bucs HC Todd Bowles- Photo by: USA Today

Now Bowles does have scores to settle with San Francisco (0-3 over three years) and Atlanta (2-4 over three years) this year, especially after getting swept by Kirk Cousins and the Falcons last year. But the fact that the Bucs went from an older team that Bowles inherited in 2022 to a very young yet talented team over the past two seasons – all while improving the win total each year — is remarkable and noteworthy.

The Glazers had the opportunity to make a switch at head coach last year and promote hotshot offensive coordinator Liam Coen and fire Bowles after a playoff loss in which his defense didn’t force a takeaway or force a punt. But they didn’t.

The Glazers opted to stick with Bowles, who is a true leader of men, and recognized that his defense suffered from injuries and a lack of quality depth – rather than any perceived shortcomings of Bowles as a defensive play-caller. Bowles and Licht have built an incredible culture in Tampa Bay that is rare. Team chemistry and camaraderie is at an all-time high – even better than the teams coached by Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden or Bruce Arians.

After an offseason full of positive – and needed – changes by Bowles, including shuffling his defensive coaching staff, hiring a game management coach and being able to keep the entire offensive coaching staff intact with the in-house promotion of Josh Grizzard to replace Coen, the Glazers doubled down on their support of Bowles with a multi-year contract extension.

This should end any foolish talk of Bowles starting the 2025 season on the hot seat. Bowles’ seat is ice cold entering what could be a super season in Tampa Bay.

Coming off three straight NFC South titles – and the home playoff appearances that come with them – as well as a 10-7 regular season record, Bowles has built up enough coaching capital with the Glazers that he should be safe even if this team doesn’t make it to the NFC Championship Game.

Football’s famous “Any Given Sunday” phenomenon even struck down the mighty 15-2 Lions at home last year in the NFC Divisional playoffs, as Washington denied Detroit a return trip to the NFC Championship Game in 2024.

FAB 2. Jason Licht: Best GM In Bucs History, One Of The League’s Best

What Rich McKay helped do in Tampa Bay was revolutionary, but he’s no longer the best general manager in Tampa Bay history.

And he hasn’t been for quite some time.

That’s been Jason Licht territory since 2020.

Sam Wyche and McKay helped draft a pair of Hall of Famers in Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks in 1995. A few years later, he and Tony Dungy drafted another Hall of Famer in Ronde Barber.

McKay helped craft the Bucs’ first Super Bowl season in 2002, but his reluctance to trade for head coach Jon Gruden that season is noteworthy. The Glazers sidelined McKay in the search for Dungy’s replacement after he recommended defensive-minded head coach Marvin Lewis after ownership specifically requested an offensive-minded head coach.

After the Glazers traded for Gruden, he revamped the Bucs offense in free agency, and the 2002 Super Bowl victory wound up being a shared accomplishment between Gruden and McKay.

Bucs NT Vita Vea, former head coach Bruce Arians and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: USA Today

Yet the team’s Super Bowl squad in 2020 was the team that Jason Licht built. Licht constructed such a talented roster that it attracted the legendary Tom Brady. Remember, Brady was only a free agent twice in his NFL career, and he picked the Bucs both times – in 2020 and again in 2022. In large part due to his relationship with Licht from their days together in New England.

Now Licht is the middle of constructing his second Super Bowl team. Just eight players remain on the roster from the Super Bowl LV team. This is almost an entirely new team that is close to being Super Bowl-ready.

Under Licht’s leadership, the Bucs have made the playoffs five straight years, which is a team record, in addition to winning four straight NFC South titles, which is also a franchise record. In fact, Tampa Bay is the only team in the NFC that has made the postseason in each of the last five years.

Licht’s drafts have been phenomenal and the key to the team’s quick rebuild after winning Super Bowl LV. He has spawned two NFL general managers since taking over the franchise in 2014. Jon Robinson was the Titans G.M. from 2016-22, and John Spytek just left the Bucs to take over the Raiders as their general manager.

Meanwhile, Licht has been able to keep salary cap wizard Mike Greenberg in Tampa Bay, which has been a huge, understated key to the team’s long-term success. Greenberg is a creative revolutionary when it comes to cap management, and he’s ascended to the role of assistant general manager as Licht’s right-hand man.

And Licht also gets credit for not just coaxing Bruce Arians out of retirement in 2019 to replace Dirk Koetter and ultimately win a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, but for also finding Brady’s successor in Baker Mayfield, who might wind up surpassing Brady as the best quarterback in franchise history in time.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and GM Jason Licht – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

Licht has drafted nine Pro Bowlers since 2014 – Mike Evans, Jameis Winston, Kwon Alexander, Chris Godwin, Vita Vea, Ali Marpet, Devin White, Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. – the most in franchise history by any general manager. He’s also signed four Pro Bowlers – Shaq Barrett, Brady, Ryan Jensen and Baker Mayfield – in free agency. Licht has also traded for a pair of Pro Bowlers in Logan Mankins and Jason Pierre-Paul.

That’s 15 Pro Bowlers on Licht’s watch, and Evans and Wirfs seem destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And there will be others in time.

It’s a shame that Licht doesn’t get the credit he deserves around the league as one of the NFL’s top general managers. But that’s changing with each playoff appearance that occurs and each division championship that is won.

One more Super Bowl title will make Licht not only a legend in Tampa Bay, but across the league.

That’s why the Glazers wisely locked Licht up for the long-term.

FAB 3. Jason Licht, Todd Bowles Work Extremely Well Together

The reason why the Glazers announced that both Jason Licht and Todd Bowles agreed to multi-year contract extensions – likely synced together – at the same time was because the two men have proven that they can work together – and win together – over the years.

The relationship between Bowles and Licht started in Arizona in 2012 when Licht was the director of player personnel and then the V.P. of player personnel the following year. Bowles was Bruce Arians’ defensive coordinator at the time and that’s when the mutual admiration began.

Licht helped sign free agent edge rusher John Abraham for Bowles’ defense and the 35-year old veteran led the Cardinals with 11.5 sacks that year. Licht also helped draft safety Tyrann Mathieu, who became an instant star in Arizona.

The two reunited in Tampa Bay in 2019 with Licht as the general manager and Bowles as Arians’ defensive coordinator once again. The two teamed up to draft inside linebacker Devin White in the first round of the 2019 and a host of defensive backs, including cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean and safety Mike Edwards. Star safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was drafted in the second round in 2020 to complete the “Gravediggers” secondary that helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Licht also signed Shaq Barrett in free agency in 2019 to give Bowles the speedy edge rusher the Bucs would pair with Jason Pierre-Paul. And the G.M. replaced Gerald McCoy with Ndamukong Suh to give Bowles the run-stuffing menace he needed up front.

It’s been a far different working relationship than Licht had with Koetter, whom he would occasionally grab beers with, or with Arians, whom he would share Crown Royal cocktails with to talk football. Bowles doesn’t drink. He literally prefers milk and Chips Ahoy cookies (true story).

The two men don’t have much of a relationship outside of One Buccaneer Place. But inside the halls of the team’s headquarters, Bowles and Licht might form the best Bucs’ brass in team history. Tampa Bay’s drafts between 2022 – when Bowles took over as head coach – and 2024 have already produced 12 starters. And the recent 2025 draft will certainly field a few more.

Bowles and Licht have grown to have a remarkable amount of trust in each other, evidenced by Bowles signing off on wide receiver Emeka Egbuka as the team’s first-round pick despite his defense really needing to be addressed. Licht and Bowles then proceeded to select four defensive players – cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, outside linebacker David Walker and defensive lineman Elijah Roberts – with the next four picks.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles, WR Emeka Egbuka, and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Adam Slivon/PR

Bowles also had some positive discussions with Licht about improving the head coach’s game management decision-making, and that ultimately led to the hiring of Zach Beistline to help Bowles out. And the fact that Bowles has been a kingmaker of sorts when it comes to hiring offensive coordinators – with an assist from Licht, who sits in on those interviews – is also an amazing product of their teamwork.

The two hired Dave Canales to replace Byron Leftwich in 2022 and then hired Liam Coen to replace Canales in 2023 after he left to become the Panthers head coach. When lightning struck again and Coen left Tampa Bay after just one season to become the head coach in Jacksonville, both men agreed that pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard was ready and the right man for the job. Bowles and Licht agreed that continuity was key for the Bucs’ explosive offense.

Continuity is also key for the entire Bucs franchise.

Keeping Bowles as head coach and Licht as the general manager for years to come is the kind of continuity the Glazers crave after having fired seven head coaches in their 30 years of owning the Buccaneers.

FAB 4. The Glazers Have Shown Tremendous Growth Over 30 Years

I began covering the Bucs in 1995 – the same year that Malcolm Glazer and the Glazer family took over the franchise. It turns out the Glazers have learned a lot over the past 30 years.

During that three-decade span, Tampa Bay has won eight division championships and two Super Bowls. Only Philadelphia and the New York Giants have won as many Super Bowls in the NFC since 2001. The Bucs and Saints are tied with seven NFC South titles and New Orleans is the only other team in the division with a Super Bowl victory (2009). Both Carolina and Atlanta are 0-2 in Super Bowl appearances.

Yet there once was a time when the Glazers were unpopular and impatient. They made a bold and unpopular move to fire head coach Tony Dungy in 2001 after the Bucs offense failed to develop on his watch. Only a miracle trade for Jon Gruden, who won a Super Bowl in a magical season the next year, saved the Glazers from being despised by the fan base.

Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden and owner Malcom Glazer – Photo by: USA Today

Yet after being hailed as saviors of the franchise for not only keeping the team in Tampa Bay but also grabbing Gruden from the Raiders, the Bucs’ winning ways eventually ended in 2009. The Glazers brought the Bucs out of the dark ages in 1996 by hiring Dungy, who made the playoffs the following season for the first time in 13 years, only for the Glazers to preside over – and experience – another decade of darkness starting in 2009, the year after firing Gruden.

None of the Glazers’ next four coaching hires – Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano, Lovie Smith or Dirk Koetter – lasted more than three years. Schiano and Smith were fired after just two seasons, and the Glazers were labeled as impatient owners who didn’t know what they were doing.

Yet I saw what they doing and actually applauded it. Why stick with something that isn’t working? I actually admired the Glazers’ quick trigger finger when it came to firing failed head coaches.

Thankfully, the Glazers showed some patience and didn’t fire general manager Jason Licht, who is now working with his fourth head coach in Todd Bowles. Most NFL GMs get one or two head coaching hires before they are fired, too.

Smith hired Licht in 2014, and Licht ultimately fired Smith after the 2015 season. After promoting Koetter from offensive coordinator to head coach in 2016, Licht had to fire him after the 2018 campaign. In a Hail Mary attempt that likely saved his own job, Licht talked Bruce Arians out of retirement to come coach Tampa Bay in 2019. The Bucs won Super Bowl 55 in Arians’ second season in 2020.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and owner Bryan Glazer – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Glazers have learned a lot of lessons along the way – some painful – and have shown tremendous growth as team owners. It’s not easy running a franchise by committee. There is not one Glazer that Licht reports to. There is Joel Glazer, Bryan Glazer, Ed Glazer and Darcie Glazer Kassewitz primarily, along with co-owners Avram Glazer and Kevin Glazer.

The Glazers found out that they lucked out by firing a legend in Dungy and landing Gruden. They weren’t nearly as successful after firing Gruden. I think they’ve learned from that, and it’s shown with the patience they’ve shown Todd Bowles, who received a multi-year contract extension despite a 1-3 record in the playoffs so far.

I do remember that Gruden was also fired the year he signed a multi-year contract extension after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs. In fact, both Dungy and Gruden were also fired after 9-7 seasons because the Glazers felt the team was stagnating in 2001 and 2008.

That worked in 2002 – but not so much in 2009.

It turns out 9-7 records are better than losing records. The Glazers learned that the hard way.

In fact, the Bucs had nine losing seasons between Morris’ first year as head coach in 2009 and Arians’ first year as the Bucs’ captain in 2019. The Glazers will be much more patient with Bowles as a result.

They really seem to value Bowles’ “leader of men” coaching style as much as his prowess as a defensive play-caller. There are no arrests of his players in Tampa Bay because of the high character roster he’s helped assemble, and the Bucs are a very respectable franchise with Bowles at the helm.

Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden and co-chariman Joel Glazer – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Glazers also did the right thing prior to the franchise’s 50th season by welcoming Gruden back into the fold. They demonstrated the power of forgiveness in also restoring Gruden’s name to the Bucs Ring of Honor. Time heals wounds and the Glazers deserve a lot of credit for making amends with the first head coach to lead the franchise to a Super Bowl victory.

The Glazers also didn’t get seduced by the shiny new toy that was first-year offensive coordinator Liam Coen when he was being courted by Jacksonville to be the Jaguars head coach. Perhaps in the past they might have panicked and fired Bowles and hired the trendy play-caller. They did that to a degree with both the offensive-minded Gruden (it worked) and Koetter, the former Bucs offensive coordinator (it didn’t).

The mercurial Coen might not have meshed well with Licht nearly as well as Bowles does, and the Glazers have learned not to try to fix something that isn’t broken.

FAB 5. What Happens To Bowles If The Bucs Regress In 2025?

The Bucs will be entering the 2025 season with an incredibly talented roster and seem poised to be a playoff team once again. Tampa Bay will be the favorite to win the NFC South for a record fifth straight time with Todd Bowles having won the division each year that he’s been the team’s head coach since 2022.

But what happens if the Bucs fail to meet their lofty expectations and can’t advance past a home Wild Card game again? What happens if Tampa Bay doesn’t make the postseason or regresses with a losing season that nobody sees coming?

Perhaps more importantly, what does that mean for Bowles going forward?

If injuries strike hard again, that could stymie the Bucs’ progress, as it did last year when Bowles’ secondary was ravaged with injured players. Tampa Bay’s pass defense suffered as a result. The wide receiver position was also rocked with injuries, especially with Chris Godwin’s season-ending ankle injury in Week 7.

The Glazers and general manager Jason Licht would likely be more forgiving if injuries played a big role in the team underachieving in 2025.

Bucs co-owner Darcie Glazer-Kassowitz and head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But if the Bucs are healthy and just don’t play well enough to win the division or enough games to qualify for the postseason, that could put Bowles on the hot seat in 2026, especially if his defense doesn’t show the kind of improvement that everyone is expecting this season. If Bowles doesn’t show enough progress in the area of game management and clock management, especially with the hiring of game management assistant Zach Beistline, that could raise some eyebrows in the Glazers’ luxury suite on gamedays.

Perhaps the only way Bowles doesn’t make it to the 2026 season as the team’s head coach is if the bottom absolutely falls out during the Bucs’ 2025 season. Think about what happened to Raheem Morris, whose team went 4-12 in 2011 with 11 straight losses after going 10-6 in 2010. That kind of free fall would have to occur for the Glazers to move on from Bowles.

While Jon Gruden was fired after the Bucs failed to make the playoffs with a 9-7 record, that included a 0-4 finish after a promising 9-3 start, I think the Glazers have learned a lot since then and would be more patient this time around with Bowles in a similar scenario.

Winning NFC South titles is nice, but the Glazers want to win Super Bowls. And they firmly believe that Bowles can do it with the roster that he and Licht have helped craft.

The 2025 season will not be a Super Bowl-or-bust year for Bowles in Tampa Bay. He’s going to get multiple years to get the job done as long as the Bucs can avoid a disastrous season like the one Morris presided over in 2011.

Tony Dungy couldn’t even make the Super Bowl once in six seasons with the Bucs, and Gruden only won one Lombardi Trophy in seven seasons in Tampa Bay. It’s incredibly hard to do.

We’ll see if a Super Bowl championship is in Bowles’ future in the coming years.