TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Running back Kenneth Gainwell and linebacker Alex Anzalone have agreed to contracts with the Buccaneers and tight end Cade Otton is staying in Tampa Bay, three people with knowledge of the deals told The Associated Press on Monday.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the contracts haven’t been finalized. The new league years begins Wednesday.

The Buccaneers are still hoping to retain six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans.

Otton is staying in Tampa Bay where he’s played his first four seasons. He had 59 catches for 572 yards and one touchdown last season.

Gainwell is getting a $14 million, two-year deal. He had 1,023 scrimmage yards along with a career-best 73 catches last year in his only season in Pittsburgh. He spent his first four seasons in Philadelphia and was part of a Super Bowl championship team in 2024.

The 31-year-old Anzalone has started 93 games with the Lions and Saints in nine seasons. He had 2 1/2 sacks, one interception and 95 tackles last year for Detroit.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Wide receiver Mike Evans has “earned the right” to weigh opportunities with other teams when the negotiating period begins on March 9, coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine. Linebacker Lavonte David is contemplating retirement, even though he believes he has more football left in him at age 36.

General manager Jason Licht said Tuesday he plans to meet with Evans’ agent, Deryk Gilmore, during this week’s combine. But unlike in 2024, when Evans reached a two-year, $41 million extension a week before the signing period, the Bucs are preparing to possibly lose one or both players.

“We’ll see how this process plays out,” Licht said. “We’d love to have Mike back … Mike has earned the decision to see what’s out there and see what’s best for him. We’ll just see how the process plays out.

“We do have great communication with his agent. I’ve dealt with him several times. It’s been awesome. It’s always been great meetings, great phone calls where we talk a lot. Yes, hopefully, we will be (meeting). We want Mike back. Mike has meant a lot to us, and ultimately we’d like him to retire as a Buc.”

Evans, who turns 33 in August, played in only eight games last season due to a hamstring injury and broken clavicle. He caught 30 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns.

But when he returned from the collarbone injury on Dec. 11, Evans responded with his best game of the season: six catches for 132 yards in a 29-28 loss to the Falcons.

He is expected to receive interest in free agency from the Patriots, Bills, 49ers and Texans, to name a few.

The problem is the Bucs have much bigger needs on defense than the receiver position, where they are well-stocked for the future.

Chris Godwin is in the second season of a three-year, $66 million contract. If they cut or trade Godwin, he carries a dead cap value of approximately $49.9 million. The Bucs also have Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist Emeka Egbuka, last year’s first-round pick from Ohio State; Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson.

Bowles said it is difficult to part with iconic players under any circumstance, much less two in the same season.

“They’ve been the faces of your organization for years now,” Bowles said. “You’ve got to have some sentimental value from that standpoint. But at the same time, it’s a business, although a harsh business. At some point, you don’t want to move on, and we’re not trying to move on, and I’m not saying we are, but the reality of it is, if they choose somebody else, you have to move on.

“(Evans) has earned the right to do this and do what’s best for him, and he knows we’d love to have him back.”

David played with a knee injury that required it to be drained every week and struggled in pass coverage. He still is considering retirement, but is sounding more and more like he wants to play in 2026. Two weeks ago, he told the “Caps Off” podcast, “I still have a lot of football left in me.”

Do the Bucs feel the same way?

“Lavonte is very close with me,” Bowles said. “Obviously, since I’ve gotten here, he’s been our green dot (play-caller), he’s been the guy to carry us, our leader and everything else. He’s definitely earned the right to see if he wants to continue playing. If he does, hopefully he’ll be here, but he’s definitely earned that right. We want him back. He knows how we feel about him.”

Both Bowles and Licht spoke about an array of topics during Tuesday’s media availability.

Why the season collapsed

Even though the Bucs got off to starts of 5-1 and 6-2, it took comebacks in the fourth quarter to produce four of those wins.

“We didn’t execute,” Bowles said. “You know, even the beginning of the season, we went 6-2, but there were some hard-fought ballgames. It’s not like we were blowing people out. We were kind of winning because we were doing the right things at the end of the ball game.

“I don’t think we did the right things in the second half (of the season) at the end of all games, whether it was special teams, defense or offense from a coaching standpoint and from a playing standpoint. We’ve got to get better at that.”

Licht said everyone was to blame for the collapse, which saw the Bucs lose seven of their final nine games to finish 8-9 and miss the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

“It was tough for all of us,” he said. “It was tough for any of us to look at all the players and not feel the way we felt. Coaches as well, the entire organization. It was a painful experience to have our season slip away like that. But trust me, we all own it, and we’re doing everything we can with our plans here moving forward to try and get back on track, and I’m confident we will.”

Licht said he continues to believe in Bowles.

“There’s a lot of people frustrated with the way the season went. Todd is probably No. 1, and it means a lot to him,” Licht said. “… I haven’t lost any faith in Todd. Nobody in the building has, either. I love working with Todd, and I think he’s the perfect person for this right now in this situation.”

Why Bucs parted ways with assistants

Bowles said at the end of the season he had “earned” the right to return after winning three straight NFC South titles as head coach. But he didn’t afford that same courtesy to all of his assistants. Five were fired, and two retired.

“Knowing we had the season that we had, you need to make changes, starting with things we’ve got to do from the coaching staff to the players, and we had a lot of success with those guys over the years,” Bowles said. “Love them to death. It was one of the hardest things we had to do, but we had to move forward, and as a head coach, it’s up to you to make the right decisions.

The Bucs promoted cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson and safeties coach Tim Atkins, who were already on the staff. Bowles said he believes they will bring some energy and new ideas.

“I’ve been grooming those guys for quite some time,” Bowles said. “They’ve been ready probably a year or two ago. But having the guys in front of them and the older guys with experience, you kind of go with experience. It’s their time now. They get time to show what they can do, and I think it’s really going to help us.”

Mayfield needs to curb injuries, INTs

Mayfield is entering the final season of a three-year, $100 million contract, and Bowles said they are happy with his play. But he said the QB needs to make better decisions and protect himself from injuries, which have worn him down.

“I think he is who he is,” Bowles said. ”He’s got to be smarter than that, especially in the second half of the season when you get guys down. So, he’s got to be a little smarter taking care of his body so we can have the availability there. But being with us three years now, we know who he is. We trust him completely, and we have full confidence in him.

“Baker can play. We’ve had him for three years now. We’ve gotten to know him. He’s the same guy we’ve known for three years. He’s won some great games for us. We haven’t finished, especially this past year, the way we wanted to. And there’s some interceptions he’d like to have back, but he knows that. But we’re very confident in Baker and looking forward to him being better this year.”

©2026 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

TAMPA — There will be a 13th NFL season for the Bucs’ No. 13.

Mike Evans plans to play in 2026 and will explore all options in free agency, according to his agent, Deryk Gilmore.

“Yes, that’s correct, he’s opening it up,” Gilmore said recently of Evans’ pending free agency. “That he will play next season with someone. It could be Tampa, but he will definitely play a 13th season.“

Evans, who will turn 33 in August, can begin negotiating with the Bucs and other teams during the legal tampering period March 9. The new league year begins March 11, when free agents can begin signing contracts.

The last time Evans was on the verge of becoming an unrestricted free agent, he signed a two-year, $41 million contract extension with $29 million guaranteed a week before the start of free agency.

Evans was entertaining interest from the Chiefs and Texans at the time. His hometown of Galveston is less than an hour from Houston.

The Bucs, of course, have said they want Evans to continue playing in Tampa Bay. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, head coach Todd Bowles and new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson all have publicly lobbied for him to return.

But a few things are different this time around.

The Bucs missed the playoffs this past season after finishing 8-9 for the second time in four years under head coach Todd Bowles.

Evans saw his NFL-record streak of 11 consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving come to an end as he missed eight games with a hamstring injury and a broken clavicle. He caught only 30 passes.

But when he returned, he did show he could still impact the game. In his first game back, he caught six passes for a season-high 132 yards, including a 45-yard reception against Atlanta.

But his frustration with the team was also on display after the Bucs blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose to the Falcons 29-28. Evans was despondent coming off the field, screaming, “Third-and-28! Third-and-28!” It was a reference to the Bucs defense’s failure to stop the Falcons on the last drive of the game.

Evans has said he believes he can play another three years. But the Bucs have restocked at receiver.

Chris Godwin has two years remaining on his contract. The Bucs also have Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson, just to name a few.

Egbuka was an NFL Rookie of the Year finalist last season with 63 catches for 938 yards and six touchdowns.

Evans may want to play for a more certain Super Bowl contender such as the Bills with quarterback Josh Allen or the Patriots with quarterback Drake Maye.

The Bucs also have big needs on defense, which calls into question how much they can spend on Evans.

But quarterback Baker Mayfield said this week he believes Mike Evans not only will play again in 2026, but that it will be for the Bucs.

During an appearance on “The Ronde Barber Show,” Mayfield predicted Evans won’t end his career after an injury-plagued season in which he saw his NFL record-tying streak of 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons end due to a hamstring injury and broken clavicle, which forced him to miss nine games.

Evans, 32, can become an unrestricted free agent in March.

“Here’s the thing. I don’t have to really plead with it, because Mike’s too much of a competitor and cares too much about Tampa to end his career without 1,000 yards, without a division championship, without a playoff run,” Mayfield said. “And that, first of all, speaks to who Mike is.

“But that’s the truth. And you know, he doesn’t want to do that. And, you know, you could just kind of feel it. And listen, I don’t have any info. I told Mike, ‘This is your decision. Take your time doing it.’ But understanding who Mike is, that is my guess, that he didn’t want it to end this way.”

Mayfield also noted the hiring of former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will give the Bucs offense a lift and help convince Evans to return to the team for 2026. Mayfield spent five games with Robinson in Los Angeles after being claimed off waivers in 2022. It was Robinson and Liam Coen who gave Mayfield a crash course in the Rams’ offense.

Mayfield said Evans is aware of how explosive the Bucs offense could be, especially if it is able to remain healthy. When Evans returned from his broken collarbone, he had six catches for a season-high 132 yards in a 29-28 loss to Atlanta on Dec. 11.

“Zac will do great things for us, and we’ll go from there,” Mayfield said. “But Mike’s got more in the tank. You could tell with the energy, the fire he had at the end of the year.”

As for Mayfield, he said he’s taking a mental and physical break from football to heal up and recharge.

“Honestly, I have to step away from it for a little bit,” he said. “Mentally, just after the season — no matter what the season, good, bad — I have to step away. Just because I’m mentally drained. It’s more like, obviously, my body goes through it and whatnot, but it’s more of a mental break for me than it is physical.

“I’ll start itching to get back and start working out way more, so more than I will. What schemes do I have to go look at today?’ That’s the part where I’ll start working out first, and then I’ll start looking at tape. I’d rather have a conversation about schemes than actually sitting down and watching tape. Until about March, for me, that’s when I start thinking, OK, ball.”

©2026 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

TAMPA, Fla. — He hasn’t had any conversations with the Bucs’ No. 1 receiver since the season ended. The last thing he told him was not to rush into a decision.

But quarterback Baker Mayfield said this week he believes Mike Evans not only will play again in 2026, but that it will be for the Bucs.

During an appearance on “The Ronde Barber Show,” Mayfield predicted Evans won’t end his career after an injury-plagued season in which he saw his NFL record-tying streak of 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons end due to a hamstring injury and broken clavicle, which forced him to miss nine games.

Evans, 32, can become an unrestricted free agent in March.

“Here’s the thing. I don’t have to really plea with it, because Mike’s too much of a competitor and cares too much about Tampa to end his career without 1,000 yards, without a division championship, without a playoff run,” Mayfield said. “And that, first of all, speaks to who Mike is.

“But that’s the truth. And you know, he doesn’t want to do that. And, you know, you could just kind of feel it. And listen, I don’t have any info. I told Mike, ‘This is your decision. Take your time doing it.’ But understanding who Mike is, that is my guess, that he didn’t want it to end this way.”

Mayfield also noted the hiring of former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will give the Bucs offense a lift and help convince Evans to return to the team for 2026. Mayfield spent five games with Robinson in Los Angeles after being claimed off waivers in 2022. It was Robinson and Liam Coen who gave Mayfield a crash course in the Rams’ offense.

Mayfield said Evans is aware of how explosive the Bucs offense could be, especially if it is able to remain healthy. When Evans returned from his broken collarbone, he had six catches for a season-high 132 yards in a 29-28 loss to Atlanta on Dec. 11.

“Zac will do great things for us, and we’ll go from there,” Mayfield said. “But Mike’s got more in the tank. You could tell with the energy, the fire he had at the end of the year.”

As for Mayfield, he said he’s taking a mental and physical break from football to heal up and recharge.

“Honestly, I have to step away from it for a little bit,” he said. “Mentally, just after the season — no matter what the season, good, bad — I have to step away. Just because I’m mentally drained. It’s more like, obviously, my body goes through it and whatnot, but it’s more of a mental break for me than it is physical.

“I’ll start itching to get back and start working out way more so more than I will ‘What schemes do I have to go look at today?’ That’s the part where I’ll start working out first, and then I’ll start looking at tape. I’d rather have a conversation about schemes than actually sitting down and watching tape. Until about March for me, that’s when I start thinking, OK, ball.”

©2026 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

TAMPA — The decline of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024 arrived as something of a shock.

They were coming off five consecutive postseason appearances, and were among the handful of preseason favorites to win the American League pennant.

The further descent in 2025 felt a little less dramatic.

By then, Shane McClanahan was hurt, Wander Franco was a memory, and the Rays had traded Zach Eflin and Isaac Paredes.

Now, in 2026, those low expectations have become familiar.

Perhaps, uncomfortably so.

DraftKings Sportsbook has Tampa Bay just outside the middle tier and leading the bottom 10 in World Series odds for 2026. That may not sound enticing, but it does feel pretty accurate. It’s premature to write off 2026 even before spring training, but it probably helps to have a realistic perspective of what we might see.

Like they did 10 years ago, in the aftermath of Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon’s departure, the Rays are re-examining their outlook. Back in 2015, that involved a near-total teardown that took several seasons to complete. This one feels like more of a renovation.

Based on their moves this offseason, the Rays seem to be gearing back up for another window of opportunity in 2028. They’re not writing off 2026 — or a 2027 season widely expected to be interrupted by labor issues — but their odds will look a lot better when their newly restocked farm system begins sending more players Tampa Bay’s way.

That’s what the Shane Baz trade was about. The Rays gave up a promising, but struggling starting pitcher for five prospects. They traded Brandon Lowe for Jacob Melton, who was Houston’s No. 2 prospect ahead of the 2025 season, according to Baseball America. Since last summer, they’ve said goodbye to five of their six highest-paid players while seven of their top 12 prospects have all been acquired in trades since 2023.

In other words, the Rays recognized when Franco became unavailable and McClanahan’s future grew cloudy that their chances of winning had declined dramatically. Losing your best position player and top pitcher will do that to a franchise. So, instead of putting too much stock in a 2026 season that was already looking like a challenge, the Rays began reallocating their resources for a year or two down the line.

As Marc Topkin astutely pointed out recently, the Rays already have cut ties with more than half of the 49 players who were on the 40-man roster or 60-day injured list when the season ended a little more than two months ago.

It doesn’t mean the Rays are destined to do even worse than the 77-85 record they had in 2025. In fact, they could see a slight improvement after aggressively moving pieces around to produce a more cohesive roster in ’26.

Tampa Bay began acquiring more athletic players a couple of years ago, and they seem to be leaning into that philosophy even more. Losing Brandon Lowe and Josh Lowe means a loss of power in the middle of the order, but it also cuts down on the number of strikeouts. Both B-Lowe and J-Lowe had strikeout rates above 25% last season, which was noticeably higher than the major-league average.

The two biggest names acquired in the offseason — free agent outfielder Cedric Mullins and second baseman Gavin Lux — have strikeout rates slightly below the MLB average for their careers. That makes sense because putting the ball in play is a lot more important when your offense includes base stealers such as Chandler Simpson, Taylor Walls, Melton and free-agent signee Jake Fraley.

In fact, the Rays got rid of quite a few players (Christopher Morel, Kameron Misner, Jose Caballero, Everson Pereira, Bob Seymour) with a lot of swing-and-miss in their game. Tampa Bay seems willing to sacrifice some home runs while building a roster in 2026 with a higher on-base percentage.

Can the Rays contend in the American League East with this lineup?

Not likely.

The Blue Jays, Yankees and Red Sox were all playoff teams last season, and there’s no reason they won’t be contenders in 2026. The Orioles are coming off a disappointing season and have been aggressive in adding to their roster this winter.

Right now, the Rays look like a team that should win 80 games or so. If everything goes their way, maybe they could get in the 85-90 win range and challenge for a wild card.

The point is, they have not made the kind of moves that inspire optimism for the coming season.

But, if you have a little patience, the work the Rays did the past two months could pay off down the road.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Zac Robinson to be their offensive coordinator.

Robinson was Atlanta’s offensive coordinator the past two seasons after serving as pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach for two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, where Baker Mayfield started four games in 2022.

“Zac is one of the bright offensive minds in our game, and during the interview process, I was very impressed with his plan for getting the most out of the talent we have on that side of the ball,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “He has a very good understanding of the strengths of our top offensive players from his time in the division the past two years and I am very confident in his ability to teach and develop our young players.”

Robinson is Tampa Bay’s fifth offensive coordinator in five years. Byron Leftwich was fired after the 2022 season. Dave Canales helped Mayfield revive his career in 2023 and became Carolina’s head coach. Mayfield had his best season in 2024 under Liam Coen, who left to become Jacksonville’s head coach.

Josh Grizzard’s offense struggled in 2025 when the Bucs finished 8-9 and he was fired after one season.

Tampa Bay’s offense dropped from No. 3 overall in yards in 2024 to 21st. They were top five in rushing, passing and scoring in 2024 but finished 21st in rushing, 20th in passing and 18th in scoring in 2025.

Robinson’s offenses with the Falcons were sixth in yards in 2024 and 14th last season. They were 13th in points in 2024 and dropped to 24th in a season.

Robinson had Michael Penix Jr. and veteran Kirk Cousins at quarterback.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach did a lousy job in Tampa Bay in 2025.

But not the guy in charge.

The defensive line coach, the cornerbacks coach and the special-teams coach were also complicit in the disappointing season.

But not the guy in charge.

Apparently, around here, the Buc stops somewhere shy of the head coach’s office. Just days after saying he deserved to stay on the job because of three consecutive division titles, Todd Bowles decided that some of the assistant coaches who also shared in those NFC South championships did not deserve the same courtesy.

I’m sorry, but this feels wrong. Instead of a careful examination of job performance, it has the whiff of scapegoats and fall guys. Along with two other coaches who retired, that’s a total of seven assistants who will not be returning in 2026. At best, it’s a collective case of sudden onset incompetence. At worst, it’s a reflection of the head coach who hired the staff in the first place.

Now, it’s possible this bloodletting wasn’t entirely Bowles’ call. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that the Glazer family demanded a head coach fire his offensive coordinator. And considering the Bucs took a huge step backward in scoring in 2025 under first-year coordinator Josh Grizzard, there is some rationalization for a change.

The issue is that it seems like a haphazard arrival at justice.

If ever an offense had an excuse for underperforming, it was Tampa Bay in 2025. Both starting guards missed most of the season. Three receivers missed significant time and so did running back Bucky Irving as well as left tackle Tristan Wirfs. Quarterback Baker Mayfield did not miss any starts, but he was clearly playing in pain for most of the season’s second half.

Now is it possible that despite all of that, a forensic examination of the offense revealed that Grizzard did not do a good job of adjusting? Sure, there’s a scenario where that could be the case.

But if the guy in charge of the offense was ultimately responsible for the results, what about the defense? The offense, with all the injuries, was a tad below league average in scoring. The defense, with far fewer games missed due to injury, was even further below league average.

So why didn’t Bowles announce he was also stepping down as defensive coordinator?

Because this looks like the Bucs are assigning all of the blame to Grizzard. Is that the official party line?

Or are we suggesting the Bucs lost seven of their last nine games because the defensive line coach and the cornerbacks coach had bad seasons? Seems like kind of a stretch, no?

Appearances matter, and this has the look of Bowles ordering a bunch of assistants off the pirate-ship plank rather than accepting responsibility. It’s also a sign that job security could be an ongoing question for Bowles in 2026, and that’s not going to be helpful.

Look at it this way:

If you’re an in-demand offensive coordinator, how excited would you be to come work for a head coach who is on the hot seat and just orchestrated a Thursday morning massacre of his own staff? Even more compelling, how excited should season ticket-holders be after this abdication of responsibility?

An organization with a strong backbone could have done one of two things this week:

No. 1, the Glazers could say they were bitterly disappointed in the way the season went, but that it was a temporary step backward due to injuries. They could point out that Bowles and general manager Jason Licht had performed exceptionally well in 2022-24 while the team was transitioning away from the Brady/Gronkowski/Fournette/Jensen/Pierre-Paul/Suh/Barrett era and continued finishing first despite enormous salary-cap issues. They could say Bowles was the right choice in 2022 and they still believe that today despite obvious missteps in 2025.

No. 2, they could thank Bowles for guiding them through a necessary rebuild but that it was time for a different voice to lead them.

Instead, they chose Door No. 3. Hide behind a curtain while blaming it on the 35-year offensive coordinator and a handful of faceless defensive assistants, all while absolving Bowles and Licht.

Good luck getting anybody to buy that.

TAMPA  — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, special teams coach Thomas McGaughey, quarterbacks coach Thaddeus Lewis, cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross and defensive line coach Charlie Strong.

Grizzard replaced Liam Coen, who left after one season to become Jacksonville’s head coach. Coen took over for Dave Canales, who left after one season to become Carolina’s head coach. Both Coen and Canales led their teams to the playoffs.

“These decisions are always difficult, but the disappointing end to the season required some changes to our coaching staff in order to ensure we live up to the high standards we have set here,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles. “These coaches have all put in tremendous amount of work and effort, but unfortunately, the results were not there this past season. Our goal is to compete for championships every year, and it is my responsibility to make these tough decisions in order to reach those expectations. I want to thank these coaches for all that they have contributed to our success over the years, and I wish them well.”

Bowles’ widespread staff changes come after finishing 8-9 following a 6-2 start.

Baker Mayfield had his best season under Coen after a breakout year with Canales. He played at an MVP level in the first half under Grizzard but injuries contributed to his inconsistency down the stretch.

Tampa Bay’s offense dropped from No. 3 in yards in 2024 to 21st. They were top five in rushing, passing and scoring last season but finished 21st in rushing, 20th in passing and 18th in scoring in 2025.

TAMPA — Todd Bowles isn’t worried about his job security after an epic collapse by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Everything unraveled after a 6-2 start and the Buccaneers (8-9) failed to win their fifth straight NFC South title when Atlanta beat New Orleans on Sunday to give Carolina a three-way tiebreaker advantage.

Bowles had led Tampa Bay to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons after replacing Bruce Arians in 2022. He has three years remaining on his contract and he’s operating as if he’ll return for a fifth season.

“I’ve earned the chance,” Bowles said about coming back. “I’ve won three straight division titles, so that says a lot as far as I’m concerned. I don’t really have a message for fans other than true fans are true fans and we’re going to try to do our best to go out there and win for them. They’re going to feel how they feel, but that’s not a coach’s problem. The coach’s problem is to make the team better and that’s all I’m looking forward to.”

Bowles will meet with the Glazer family on Wednesday for a typical end-of-season conversation with the ownership group.

The Glazers once fired Super Bowl champion coach Jon Gruden with a few years left on his contract and also fired Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy after three straight playoff appearances, including an NFC championship game.

But there’s no indication Bowles’ job is in jeopardy and that could be due to the realization he simply didn’t have enough talent on the roster.

Bowles wouldn’t put the blame on roster construction.

“I feel like we had enough talent to win,” he said. “The mistakes we made weren’t talent-driven, they were more mistake-driven.”

So are the players or coaches responsible for the mistakes?

“It starts with me,” he said. “I’ll take it all. I’m the head coach. It starts with me. I have to take all of that and I have to get that fixed. That’s what my job description is and that’s what I should do. It starts with me, it goes down to the coaches, then it goes down to the players.”

Bowles, who was the defensive coordinator under Arians when Tom Brady led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title five years ago, is 36-36, including 1-3 in the playoffs.

An offense that was plagued by injuries for most of the first three-fourths of the season dropped from No. 3 overall in yards in 2024 under Liam Coen to 21st in Josh Grizzard’s first season as the offensive coordinator. They were top five in rushing, passing and scoring last season when Baker Mayfield had his best season.

This season, the Bucs finished 21st in rushing, 20th in passing and 18th in scoring. Mayfield was bothered by injuries throughout the second half.

On defense, the Buccaneers were 19th in yards. It’s the third straight season they’ve finished 18th or worse.

The Buccaneers simply don’t have a dominant pass rusher or enough playmakers. They signed two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick to a one-year, $14 million prove-it deal and he got 2 1/2 sacks in 13 games.

“It’s disappointing we didn’t get in,” Bowles said. “First time in five years, so you kind of get used to it a little bit. But, we did it to ourselves. We’ve got to take a deep evaluation, starting with myself. Once I do that, I’ll evaluate the coaches and players and we’ll go accordingly.”

Free agency

Six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans and veteran linebacker Lavonte David are two of the franchise’s greatest players and both will be free agents if they choose to keep playing. Evans is still a top receiver and David is a valuable leader on the field.

Neither was ready to make a decision about their future.

“I’ll pray about it, talk to my family about it, just do what I gotta do,” David said about retirement. “I’m always praying about whatever God’s will is for me to let it be done. Whenever that opportunity comes or when that time comes, you know I’ll be able to be straightforward and shoot straight and let you know, but right now I have no idea.”

Evans said missing several weeks with injuries was a “blessing in disguise.”

“I missed the game more than I thought I would. I still got love for the game,” he said. “Who knows what it’ll do for me in the future.”

Cornerback Jamel Dean, tight end Cade Otton, running back Rachaad White, defensive lineman Logan Hall and Reddick also will be key free agents. Defensive lineman Greg Gaines, wideout Sterling Shepard, tight end Ko Kieft, offensive linemen Charlie Heck and Dan Feeney and cornerback Kindle Vildor are among other players who will be unrestricted free agents.

Next steps

Bowles has to figure out which changes he’s going to make on the coaching staff and whether he’s going to relinquish some of the defensive duties. The offense was inconsistent, the defense struggled and special teams were mostly poor.