Four years ago the Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in a former New England Patriots hall of famer to help turn the franchise around, and history might be about to repeat itself.
Tom Brady coming to the Bucs was a move that brought a Super Bowl back to Tampa Bay and there are already murmurs that Bill Belichick could follow in his footsteps. With the season teetering on the brink of disaster, these next seven games will be crucial for what happens in the offseason in terms of potential coaching changes.
If Todd Bowles is ultimately fired, NFL executives and coaches around the league reportedly think Belichick could be the guy who replaces him.
Buccaneers among three teams linked to Bill Belichick
The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini talked with about 10 coaches and execs from across the league about where Belichick might fit as a head coach next season. The Buccaneers were frequently mentioned alongside the Cowboys and Jaguars as potential landing spots they could see making sense.
Right now this is all hearsay as there’s plenty of time for Bowles to right the ship and remain as head coach beyond this year. Threading that needle is looking increasingly difficult, though, as the Bucs will need to show serious improvement both over what they accomlished last year and how poorly things have gone so far.
Tampa Bay comes out of its bye week 4-6 and clinging to slim playoff hopes. The good news is the softest part of the schedule lies ahead, with a matchup against a bad Giants team followed by matchups against the Panthers and Raiders.
It’s a true fork-in-the-road moment for the Bucs, as wins over those three teams, coupled with the very real possibility that the Falcons lose back-to-back games against the Vikings and Chargers, would get Tampa Bay right back into the mix for an NFC South title.
We could also be living in a world where they Bucs embarrass themselves and lose to bad teams, which would push us closer to a reality where Bowles is fired. If that’s the case, Belichick makes sense as a potential replacement thanks in large part to his long history with Jason Licht. The two go way back to their days together with the Patriots, a connection that helped grease the wheels on getting Brady to Tampa Bay.
Fans have been clamoring for Bowels to be fired all season, but if Belichick is the replacement then that raises questions about what happens with Liam Coen. It’s likely that Belichick would want to bring in his own guys, a move that could box the beloved Coen out of a gig.
Again, we’re getting way too far ahead of ourselves, as the biggest variable is Belichick’s having other teams to choose from. He’s as much a fit in Dallas as he is in Tampa Bay, but the fact that we’re already hearing these rumors gain steam is certainly something to keep an eye on.
