Amid retirement chatter, Todd Bowles says he's "definitely" not
Is Bill Belichick hoping to speak an NFL vacancy into existence?
admin
There aren't many viable NFL destinations for Bill Belichick in 2025. One of them could be Tampa.
The problem, of course, is that the Buccaneers have a head coach. And Todd Bowles, who succeeded Bruce Arians in 2022, is currently in position to win his third straight NFC South championship, in three years on the job.
Rumors of a potential Belichick-Bucs fit have been making the rounds throughout the season. Belichick and long-time Tampa Bay G.M. Jason Licht previously worked together in New England. Several weeks ago, Belichick praised Licht during one of Belichick's appearances on the ManningCast.
With Bowles doing well enough to avoid the hot seat in Tampa, the job will open up only if he walks. Coincidentally, or not, Belichick minion Mike Lombardi is now pushing the idea the Bowles might retire after the season.
“Give Todd Bowles credit,” Lombardi said recently, via JoeBucsFan.com. “Everybody thinks he’s not going to keep his job. A lot of people think he may retire at the end of the year.”
We've heard nothing to suggest Bowles might walk away. Often, such rumors come from efforts of the coach's team to prepare for the coach's replacement. In this case, it feels as if Bowles's potential replacement might be trying to speak the vacancy into existence, through a media intermediary.
For his part, Bowles isn't budging. Via JoeBucsFan.com, Bowles says he's "definitely not retiring."
Belichick could, in theory, wait to see how the rest of the season plays out. He could wait to see if Bowles changes his mind, or if the Bucs come up with a way to nudge him aside in a way that's couched as a retirement (which they did with Arians). In so doing, however, Bowles would be passing on the North Carolina bird in the hand.
There's a potential caveat to all of this. As UNC and Belichick negotiate a deal, Belichick could insist on the ability to leave for the NFL, at any time. And, in theory, he could stumble into the ability to walk away from Chapel Hill by the end of next month, if a suitable job opens up for Belichick in Tampa or elsewhere.
