The Bucs are now 4-6 and on a four-game losing streak, but Tampa Bay’s season isn’t over yet. A 6-1 or even 7-0 record is needed to make the playoffs and Todd Bowles has a better chance of keeping his job, but the former Patriots head coach could stay on. There is also speculation that this will increase. bill belichick I might be a candidate to replace him.
The speculation started when the Bucks lost 30-24 in overtime to Kansas City on Monday Night Football, and it came from Belichick himself. The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach made a guest appearance on Manning Cast, the Bucs general manager he worked with in New England in 2002 and again as the Patriots’ director of player personnel from 2009 to 2011. , was overly praising Jason Licht. .
Belichick marveled at the talented roster Richt assembled in Tampa Bay.
Patriots QB Tom Brady and Bill Belichick – Photo courtesy of Getty Images
“Jason has done a great job for me,” Belichick told Peyton and Eli Manning. “He’s a really good evaluator and a really smart guy. He’s done a great job of keeping the Bucks together. And they were down a little bit and looked like they were rebuilding, [Baker] We have Mayfield and a lot of young players. And here they are again playing really competitively. So he did a great job. Jason is really fun. He’s a great person to be around. You know, he’s done a really great job on this series. ”
Fox Sports TV commentator and podcaster Colin Cowherd heard Belichick’s comments about Richt and recently discussed the possibility of Belichick replacing Bowles in 2025 if Tampa Bay decides to go in a different direction. did. Bowles has led one of the worst defenses in the NFL this year, and Belichick is considered the true mastermind of the defense.
Jason Licht is ‘one of the best scouts of all time’
Bucks GM Jason Licht and Tom Brady – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
On the Nov. 8 episode of The Herd With Colin Cowherd, Cowherd’s praise for Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht was as lofty as Bill Belichick’s.
“Jason Richt is one of the best scouts of all time,” Cowherd said. “He was a great evaluator of talent as a scout. That’s what happens when you have someone like the best scout in the league in a GM job. I’ve said it many times before. There’s always something in Tampa. They don’t miss much.
“They needed someone at the back a few years ago, so they reached out to quarterback Kyle Trask.” [Tom] Brady. But he’s a great evaluator of talent. I’ve been told by two different GMs that he’s in the top 10 of all-time great scouts in the league. He was a top 10 talent evaluator. You’re really good at it. ”
Bill Belichick definitely feels the same way, considering he praised Richt for appearing on the Manning cast during the Bucks’ Monday Night Football game in Kansas City.
“Tampa has some good players.”
Bucks QB Baker Mayfield and GM Jason Richt – Photo by Scott Reynolds/PR
One of Colin Cowherd’s producers tried to nix the possibility of Bill Belichick going to Tampa Bay, but that meant the future Hall of Fame head coach left New England in 2020 after a 20-year tenure with the Patriots and won a championship. This is because he will be following in the footsteps of Tom Brady. Super Bowl LV against the Bucks that season. But Cowherd said Belichick’s talent would naturally tempt him to take the Bucks’ head coaching job if it becomes available in 2025.
It’s the same reason Brady chose the Bucs in free agency.
“If I were a coach, obviously this is what I would do.” [Jim] Harbaugh I would rather [Justin] Herbert,” Cowherd said. “You can do worse than a great general manager.” [like Licht]the owners (Glazers) never get in their way, and Baker Mayfield is in a weak division. It could be worse than that.
“Right now, if Philadelphia were to open up, my preferred job would probably be in Buffalo.”
That makes sense, as the Eagles have a star-studded defense and plenty of offensive weapons in Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. The Bills have 28-year-old Josh Allen, one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league. However, Philadelphia and Buffalo are both 8-2 and currently in first place in their respective divisions.
Cowherd was then asked if he thought he would be in a better position for a head coaching job with the Jets, Bears or Giants than with the Bucks. Cowherd said he would choose Tampa Bay over any team given the talent Richt has assembled.
“Tampa has good players,” Cowherd said. “Go back to that James Winston team. This guy had 30 turnovers and was hitting around .500 (7-9 before Brady arrived in 2020, the Bucs were 11-5). ).
“It’s a weak division. I think Baker has the ability to take you to the playoffs and win games. They have a great GM and Glazer doesn’t get in the way. I know Glazer, they get in the way. No. Baker Mayfield can win playoff games. [a playoff game] at both conferences. Great GM, solid ownership, great roster, and you can do worse than Baker Mayfield. You could do something even worse than that. ”
Bill Belichick wants to coach again in 2025
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick – Photo courtesy of USA Today
One thing is certain: Bill Belichick hopes to coach again in 2025 After missing out on the Atlanta Falcons job this year. In addition to attracting attention, owner Jerry Jones wants to win another Super Bowl, and Dallas is considered the favorite. The Cowboys are currently 3-6, and Mike McCarthy’s future in Dallas is in limbo.
In a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Belichick recently said NFL owners always pay attention to media coverage when it comes to high-profile head coaches and head coaching vacancies.
“100 percent, 100 percent,” Belichick said. “When I read the Monday paper, I often get the exact same question from the owners when I meet them later in the day, as if they have read the column and everything and then what is written in the paper. Whatever it is, it’s like, ‘Hey, why didn’t you do more blitzing?’ Hey, why didn’t you run this play more? Hey, why didn’t you do that? You know, I was going for it on fourth down? ”Whatever it is. Whatever the newspaper column is, it’s often the topic of conversation at owners’ meetings. that’s reality. “
It will be interesting to see if Bowles and the Bucs can get enough wins to make it to the postseason and save his job over the final seven weeks of the NFL season. Or the Bucs could go in a different direction as head coach, pursuing the legendary Belichick, who turns 73 in April, former Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel, or consider promoting offensive coordinator Liam Cohen. Is there a possibility?
