Todd Robert Bowles (born November 18, 1963) is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach of the New York Jets from 2015 to 2018. Bowles has also served as the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals and Buccaneers and as the secondary coach for the Jets, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Philadelphia Eagles. He played eight seasons in the NFL as a safety, primarily with the Washington Redskins, and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XXII.
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Head coach | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | November 18, 1963 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 203 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Elizabeth | ||||||||
| College: | Temple | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1986 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| As a player: | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| As a coach: | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| As an executive: | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Head coaching record | |||||||||
| Regular season: | 43–58 (.426) | ||||||||
| Postseason: | 1–2 (.333) | ||||||||
| Career: | 44–60 (.423) | ||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
| Coaching stats at PFR | |||||||||
Early years
Bowles attended Elizabeth High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey.[1] He played college football at Temple University (class of 1985), where Bowles was a four-year starting cornerback, his freshman year in 1982 was under Hall of Fame coach Wayne Hardin and his last three years were under coach Bruce Arians, for whom Bowles would be an assistant coach decades later when Arians was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL.[2] Bowles recorded seven interceptions in his four college seasons.[3] Bowles left Temple without graduating; in May 2023, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in youth and community development from Mount St. Mary's University.[4]
Playing career
Bowles was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent on May 7, 1986.[5] He chose the Redskins over six other NFL teams, and signed a contract that included a signing bonus between $8,000 and $10,000. Bowles competed in training camp with free safety Raphel Cherry, and beat Bowles out to earn a spot on the regular season roster.[6] In his second training camp in 1987, Bowles beat out Curtis Jordan for the starting free safety job when Jordan was released during final roster cuts on September 8, 1987.[7] Bowles intercepted a career high four passes and recovered a fumble during the season, and was the starting free safety in Super Bowl XXII, which the Redskins won in a blowout.
On February 1, 1989, after his contract expired, Bowles was left unprotected by the Redskins during "Plan B" free agency, despite being a regular starter at free safety the previous two seasons.[8] This was reportedly due to his poor catching abilities in 1988, as well as his lack of playmaking ability. Bowles negotiated contracts with the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and New York Giants,[9] but ultimately re-signed with the Redskins.[10] In 1990, Bowles received a salary of $300,000,[11] and started 18 games (including playoffs).[12]
The San Francisco 49ers signed Bowles to start for the team in 1991 after he was left unprotected by the Redskins again.[13] Bowles played in all 16 games and started in 14 of them. He was waived during final roster cuts on September 1, 1992.[14] The next day, Bowles was claimed off waivers by the Redskins.[15] He was waived by the Redskins during final roster cuts on August 31, 1993.[16]
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Bowles was a member of the Green Bay Packers' player personnel staff under Ron Wolf in 1995 and 1996.[17] Bowles was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Morehouse College in 1997, and the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Grambling State from 1998 until 1999. He was the defensive backs coach for the New York Jets in 2000, Cleveland Browns in 2004, and Dallas Cowboys from 2005 to 2007. Bowles was the Browns' defensive nickel package coach from 2001 to 2003.
Miami Dolphins
Bowles was hired by the Miami Dolphins as the team's secondary coach and assistant head coach on January 23, 2008. After nearly four seasons as the secondary coach and assistant head coach, he was named the interim head coach on December 12, 2011, following the firing of head coach Tony Sparano. Bowles' first game as interim head coach of the Dolphins came in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills, which the Dolphins won on the road 30–23.[18] The Dolphins finished 2–1 under Bowles in 2011.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles hired Bowles as the team's secondary coach on January 30, 2012. The Eagles announced on October 16, 2012, that they dismissed defensive coordinator Juan Castillo from his duties and named Bowles as their new defensive coordinator. Under Bowles, the Eagles finished the season ninth in pass defense and 23rd in rushing defense.[19]
Arizona Cardinals
On January 18, 2013, Bowles was hired as defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals.[20]
On January 31, 2015, Bowles was voted Associated Press (AP)'s Assistant Coach of the Year for his efforts in the 2014 season.[21] Bowles received 22 of the 50 media members' votes, winning the inaugural award.[22]
New York Jets
On January 14, 2015, the New York Jets named Bowles their new head coach and signed him to a four-year deal.[23]
On July 28, 2015, it was revealed that Bowles underwent a partial knee replacement surgery.[24] In the 2015 season, the Jets went 10–6 in Bowles' first year leading the team, barely missing the playoffs. The 2016 season saw the Jets finish near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories, but 11th in rushing yards.[25]
On December 29, 2017, the Jets announced that Bowles had been retained for the 2018 season, and signed an extension through 2020.[26] However, on December 30, 2018, Bowles was fired after the Jets finished the 2018 season with a 4–12 record.[27]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On January 8, 2019, Bowles was hired as the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rejoining Bruce Arians as a member of his staff after Arians was hired as the team's head coach.[28][29]
Bowles' defense received praise for its performance in the 2020–21 playoffs as it was key in the Buccaneers defeating the New Orleans Saints 30–20 on the road in the Divisional Round and the Green Bay Packers 31–26 on the road in the NFC Championship Game.[30] Bowles won his third Super Bowl (his first as a coach) when the Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31–9 during Super Bowl LV. Bowles was credited with a game plan that pressured Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes without resorting to blitzing by utilizing the two-deep safety look and pass-rushing, which prevented the Chiefs' prolific offense from scoring a touchdown while also intercepting Mahomes twice.[31]
On August 4, 2021, Bowles agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Buccaneers.[32]
On March 30, 2022, Bowles was named the head coach of the Buccaneers on a five-year deal after Bruce Arians shifted to a senior football consultant role.[33] In Bowles' first year as head coach, the Buccaneers finished atop the NFC South with an 8–9 record and lost to the Dallas Cowboys 31–14 in the Wild Card Round.[34][35]
Following the 2022 season, starting quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement and the Buccaneers signed Baker Mayfield as a result.[36][37] The Buccaneers finished the 2023 season atop the NFC South for the third consecutive year with a 9–8 record.[38] They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 32–9 in the Wild Card Round but lost to the Detroit Lions 31–23 on the road in the Divisional Round.[39][40]
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| MIA* | 2011 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 3rd in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
| MIA total | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| NYJ | 2015 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
| NYJ | 2016 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
| NYJ | 2017 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
| NYJ | 2018 | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 4th in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
| NYJ total | 24 | 40 | 0 | .375 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| TB | 2022 | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 1st in NFC South | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Wild Card Game |
| TB | 2023 | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 1st in NFC South | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Detroit Lions in NFC Divisional Game |
| TB total | 17 | 17 | 0 | .500 | 1 | 2 | .333 | |||
| Total[41] | 43 | 58 | 0 | .426 | 1 | 2 | .333 | |||
* – Interim head coach
Coaching tree
Bowles has served under nine head coaches:
- Doug Williams, Morehouse (1997); Grambling State (1998–1999)
- Al Groh, New York Jets (2000)
- Butch Davis, Cleveland Browns (2001–2004)
- Terry Robiskie, Cleveland Browns (2004, interim)
- Bill Parcels, Dallas Cowboys (2005–2006)
- Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys (2007)
- Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins (2008–2011)
- Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles (2012)
- Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals (2013–2014); Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019–2021)
Four of Bowles' assistants have been hired as head coaches in the NFL or NCAA:
- Karl Dorrell, Colorado (2020–2022)
- Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions (2021–present)
- Brian Daboll, New York Giants (2022–present)
- Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers (2024–present)
Personal life
Bowles and his wife, Taneka, have three sons: Todd Jr., Troy, and Tyson.[42]