INTRO: The Bucs’ bye week is here and former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians has the “itch to coach again.” Will that be a reunion with the Buccaneers? Here is my take on a possible Arians return to Tampa Bay, plus my thoughts on the future of Todd Bowles, Zac Robinson and Baker Mayfield with the Bucs. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Would The Bucs Bring Back Bruce Arians?

I texted Bruce Arians on Thursday after news broke that he had the itch to return to coaching. The Bucs Ring of Honor member and Super Bowl-winning head coach told me he would be open to coming back to help Tampa Bay’s struggling passing game, which ranks dead last in the NFL.

But if Arians, who is now 74, were to come back it wouldn’t likely be as Todd Bowles’ offensive coordinator. It would be as a head coach because that’s what the two-time NFL Coach of the Year excels in – leading a team.

Arians confirmed that in a text to my colleague Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, who asked him if he would be interested in returning to the Bucs if the head coaching position was open.

And the only way it would be open is if current head coach and Arians protégé Todd Bowles were to be fired or if he retired. I’m not sure if there’s a world where Arians were to take over and Bowles would step down as head coach and stay on as his defensive coordinator, which was the role he had in Tampa Bay from 2019-21, helping the Bucs win Super Bowl LV and a franchise-record 13 wins the next season.

But that would be a decision that Arians, Bowles, general manager Jason Licht and the Glazers would all have to agree on.

If it were to happen. And that’s a big if.

Licht has a big decision to make as to who the Bucs’ head coach is going to be in 2027, and I don’t think it’s going to be Bowles with this team’s 3-6 start. More on that in FAB 2.

Licht has worked with four head coaches in Tampa Bay since becoming general manager in 2014, but he’s only hired two of them. Lovie Smith hired Licht to be the G.M. in 2014 and Licht wisely moved to fire Smith after the 2015 season after the Bucs went 8-24 in Smith’s short-lived tenure. Licht’s first hire was promoting offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to replace Smith in 2016. After a 9-7 season that year followed by a pair of 5-11 seasons, Koetter was fired.

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

Licht cast a wide net during his coaching search in 2019 and was able to lure Arians out of retirement. The fact that all of Arians’ former assistants were available on the coaching market helped seal the deal. The rest is Bucs history during Arians’ three-year stint as head coach before he retired in 2022 due to some health issues and the fact that he wanted Bowles to have another shot at a head coaching job.

Could the Bucs recapture the magic with Arians one more time? It wouldn’t be a slam dunk six years later.

The Bucs could use his accountability and his offensive wizardry, especially with the struggling passing game. But re-hiring a 74-year old Arians would undoubtedly involve bringing back Byron Leftwich in some capacity, as Arians would likely want to give his other protégé another shot at coaching – maybe at offensive coordinator again.

That could be a non-starter for the Bucs given how bad the offense played during the 2022 season, averaging just over 19 points – with Tom Brady and with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. still in their prime.

Would Arians want to keep Bowles or hire James Bettcher as his defensive coordinator? I’m sure Licht will discuss all this with Arians at some point if Tampa Bay is ready to move on from Bowles. But that’s a conversation for January – not necessarily November or December.

Former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians and ex-OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The problem with Arians is his age – and he battled age discrimination decades ago when he finally got his first head coaching gig at the NFL in Arizona at the age of 60.

At age 74 Arians has a very short shelf life.

In Pete Carroll’s last year as head coach in Seattle he was 74. Romeo Crennel was 73 during his final season with Houston. Marv Levy was 72 in his last year in Buffalo and Bill Belichick was 71 before moving on from New England.

It might be time for Tampa Bay to go with a more proven trend around the league, which is to hire a young, innovative offensive play-caller to pair with Baker Mayfield and help get him out of his year-long funk. The Bucs must get off the offensive coordinator carousel they’ve been on since 2022 after Bowles fired Leftwich.

Arians would be a very short-term fix – if he could rekindle the success he had in his first stint with the Bucs. And that’s a big if.

FAB 2. No Easy Way Out For Todd Bowles Due To His OC Hires

The Glazers have fired every head coach who has had back-to-back losing seasons. They did that three years in a row with Greg Schiano (2012-13), Lovie Smith (2014-15) and Dirk Koetter (2016-18). Koetter went 9-7 in his first season and that gave him a two-year window to maintain that success or level the team up, which didn’t happen.

This is Todd Bowles’ fifth season as head coach. He’s had a pair of 8-9 seasons that bookend a 9-8 campaign in 2023 and a 10-7 season in 2024. The Bucs have had a three-game losing streak in each of Bowles’ years as head coach. Last year and this year, Tampa Bay has actually had a four-game losing streak.

With a 38-39 overall record, including a 3-6 mark this season, Bowles’ time in Tampa Bay is the definition of mediocre. That’s not a knock on Bowles or a personal shot at the man. That’s just the truth.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

Bill Parcells, one of Bowles’ mentors, had a famous saying, which was, “You are what your record says you are.”

Throw in the fact that the Bucs are 1-3 in the postseason under Bowles and he has not made a strong case for keeping his job past this season.

If the Bucs somehow win out after the bye week they could finish 11-6 with eight straight wins. Despite the fact that they have a fairly easy schedule do you see that happening?

Me neither. This year’s Bucs team has blown two double-digit fourth quarter leads and would be 5-4 instead of 3-6 if that didn’t happen.

So how many wins do you see the Bucs getting after the bye? Six would get Tampa Bay to 9-8, which would likely win the downtrodden NFC South division. Going 5-3 would put the Bucs at 8-9 and that might make them the kings of “crap hill” again.

Winning the division – regardless of a team’s record – comes with a home playoff game along with hats and t-shirts and a banner to hang up in the team’s indoor practice facility. But shouldn’t the Bucs aspire for more than just that?

Isn’t there a desire for this franchise to be anything other than mediocre?

The Glazers were adamant about keeping Bowles despite missing the playoffs at 8-9, blaming the team’s 2-7 finish due to a ton of injuries. I have no idea what general manager Jason Licht’s input was regarding Bowles during the offseason, but he might have just read the room and saw that Glazers’ strong affection for Bowles wasn’t going to lead to a coaching change heading into the 2026 season.

Bucs OC Josh Grizzard and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The fact that Bowles fired some assistant coaches and decided to make first-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard a sacrificial scapegoat helped his cause. The problem is that Bowles replaced Grizzard, who averaged 22.4 points per game, with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, who is averaging 22.4 points per game.

That’s not a typo.

Robinson has Tampa Bay’s running game atop the league, but the Bucs can’t pass the ball worth a lick, ranking dead last, averaging a woeful 141.9 yards per game. By comparison, Grizzard’s passing game ranked 23rd, averaging 205.9 yards per game.

And outside of Baker Mayfield missing three games with a thumb injury and Emeka Egbuka missing two with a foot injury, Robinson’s offense has been way healthier than Grizzard’s unit was last year. It’s hard to imagine keeping Robinson past this season, especially with how poorly Mayfield is playing in his scheme.

After hiring Dave Canales in 2023 and Liam Coen in 2024, both of whom were first-time play-callers, Bowles’ magic when it came to offensive coordinator hires wore off with Grizzard and Robinson in back-to-back years. Robinson will surely get fired unless this passing game takes a huge step forward after the bye week and Tampa Bay’s scoring average improves to 24-26 points per game.

Bucs OC Zac Robinson and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I would be shocked if the Glazers give Bowles a chance to hire a fifth offensive coordinator in five straight years. Tony Dungy was the winningest head coach in franchise history when he got fired following the 2001 season after making the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Dungy got a couple of years to fix the Bucs offense, but after Mike Shula was fired after 1999 his offensive coordinator hires of Les Steckel in 2000 and Clyde Christensen in 2001 were failures and led to his dismissal.

The only way I could see Bowles having a chance to stay on in 2027 would be if Tampa Bay won nine games or more and then advanced deep into the playoffs. But even then, his recent track record when it comes to offensive play-callers could be his downfall.

Sometimes a coach can only take a team so far. That’s how the Glazers felt about Dungy after back-to-back first-round playoff exits in 2000 and 2021.

And it feels that way with Bowles, doesn’t it?

FAB 3. Fixing Baker Mayfield Must Be Bucs’ Top Priority In 2027

This segment is going to be real short and I’m going to get right to the point. Baker Mayfield hasn’t played good football for an entire calendar year now. After (prematurely) giving Mayfield a $165 million contract extension, general manager Jason Licht needs to find an offensive-minded head coach next season that can fix Mayfield.

In his last 14 starts dating back to last year – he’s missed three games this year with a dislocated thumb – Mayfield has thrown just 13 touchdowns while throwing 13 interceptions and has produced a pitiful 4-10 record. In no way shape or form has Mayfield played like a $55 million quarterback.

Mayfield is not in the same class as quarterbacks like Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, both of whom make $55 million per year. Nor is he playing as well as Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, whose career was salvaged and taken to new heights by Liam Coen starting in the 2025 season.

Coen did the same thing for Mayfield in 2024, helping him have a career year with 41 touchdowns, 4,500 yards and set a franchise record for completion percentage at 71.4%. Coen is the league’s new quarterback whisperer and an elite, gifted play-caller.

Licht needs to find the next Coen to help unlock Mayfield in 2027 and helping him live up to his $55 million price tag. Otherwise, this franchise will have made a huge mistake in extending Mayfield’s contract.

Bucs OC Zac Robinson and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

FAB 4. Bucs Coaches Are Stupid For Benching Ted Hurst III

If you’ve followed my work at PewterReport.com or watched me on the Pewter Report Podcast you know I’m a straight shooter. This coaching staff was stupid for benching rookie wide receiver Ted Hurst III after he played one snap at Chicago, dropping his lone target.

It looked like Baker Mayfield’s pass was low and outside, and Pro Football Focus didn’t credit Hurst for the drop for that reason. Yet the fact that Hurst was benched leads me to believe that he should have broken off his route outside rather than inside.

You know who else has dropped passes this year? Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Cade Otton and Tez Johnson, who had two drops at Chicago. Did the Bucs coaches bench any of those players? Nope.

So whether it was wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon or offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, it was a stupid decision. Just stupid. That’s bad coaching.

At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds with 4.47 speed, Hurst is the Bucs’ most physically gifted receiver on the roster. It’s the coach’s job to develop him, specifically McClendon’s.

So do your job, Coach. Develop him – don’t punish him. Not while this passing game is struggling. That’s just dumb.

Bucs WR Ted Hurst III – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Hurst is not some Day 3 wide receiver. He was a third-round pick, drafted 84th overall, for a reason. He has a boatload of talent. Hurst showed the ability to make some dynamic catches in training camp and needs more experience in NFL games. The only way Hurst is going to develop is on the field with more targets going in his direction.

Him watching from the sidelines getting “mental reps” is just a bunch of bullshit. Excuse my language.

There are some people in the organization that were livid over Hurst getting benched in Chicago. I hope they spoke up during the bye week.

Egbuka, who is still dealing with a foot injury, looks hurt and slow. Godwin, who is 30, looks old and slow. Johnson runs some of the sloppiest routes I’ve ever seen and is a feast-or-famine receiver. To think that Hurst can’t help this passing game is just foolish.

Bucs WR Ted Hurst III – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

After receiving 17 targets and catching eight passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in the first four weeks of the season, Hurst has only been targeted nine times in the last five games, including zero targets at Dallas and only one target at Carolina, against Atlanta and at Chicago. He drew a 21-yard pass interference penalty against the Panthers on his lone target in Week 7 and nearly had a touchdown catch against the Falcons on his only target before having the ball punched out at the last second.

The rookie from Georgia State hauled in three catches for 40 yards on his six targets against Pittsburgh. Hurst needs to get more targets in order to get more experience, but this coaching staff doesn’t seem to get it.

Hopefully they’ll get it after the bye week.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• I was disappointed to see David Walker not start ahead of Anthony Nelson at outside linebacker for the injured Yaya Diaby on Sunday Night Football at Chicago. In every possible metric – tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, pressures, pass rush win rate – Walker is clearly outperforming Nelson this season. Walker has 24 tackles to Nelson’s 11, and six tackles for loss to 1.5, four sacks to 1.5 sacks and 21 pressures to seven. Walker leads the Bucs in tackles for loss, sacks and pressures.

Bucs OLBs David Walker and Rueben Bain Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This was a prime opportunity for head coach Todd Bowles to reward an ascending, up-and-coming player for being a top producer, but this is an area where Bowles often fails: depth chart management.

Instead of giving Walker the start and playing him more reps, Nelson had 31 snaps to Walker’s 28. Very disappointing.

• I really like the idea of the Buccaneers drafting Indiana wide receiver Charlie Becker in the first round. Becker is a big 6-foot-4, 2o8-pound target with blazing speed, yards-after-catch ability and fantastic hands. He’s coming off a 34-catch, 679-yard, four-touchdown season where he helped the Hoosiers win a national championship. This year with more playing time, Becker is blossoming as a full-time starter, catching 50 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns, while averaging 17.5 yards per catch.

Pairing Becker with Ted Hurst III would give Baker Mayfield a pair of 6-foot-4 receivers to throw to in 2027. I think Mayfield, who is 6-foot-1, can locate big targets better from the pocket, and I think he misses throwing to the big 6-foot-5 Mike Evans.

• Enjoy your bye week, Bucs fans. This Bucs team can’t hurt this Sunday.

My wife Ashley and I are going up to Lake Oconee, Georgia this weekend for some rest and relaxation. And yes, I am scheduled to enjoy some Crown Royal with Bruce Arians at some point during the weekend. Stay tuned…

• I’ll have a new Pewter Pulse video on Saturday on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel. Make sure you check that out before noon. In the meantime, here is a link to my latest Pewter Pulse.