Should the Buccaneers move on from Todd Bowles? Assessing 3 head coaching candidates to keep Tom Brady in Tampa ft. DeMeco Ryans
Tom Brady is staring the end of his 2022 NFL season and potentially his career in the face.
The season hasn't gone his way following an offseason marked by his retirement, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently owning a 6-7 record. Following deafening rumors about his unhappiness and attempts to move on from Tampa Bay, many expect Brady to leave the team one way or the other.
However, could the Buccaneers find a way to keep him on board for another season?
One such way would be to potentially oust head coach Todd Bowles. Bowles, who has a history of head coaching struggles, is the only big change for the team from last season to 2022. Most of the personnel have been consistent, leaving many to believe the former head coach of the New York Jets is the weakpoint.
Since the team lost Bruce Arians as head coach, Tom Brady's offense has swan-dived. In 2021, under Arians, the Buccaneers had the second-ranked offense in the NFL, according to ESPN. This season, the team has dropped all the way to 18th overall.
Put simply, a new boss for could be enough to renew the legendary quarterback's belief in the team and entice him just enough to hold off retirement for another year. Who would be some of the best options to convince Tom Brady to stay on for another season?
#1 Eric Bienemey
If the Buccaneers want to pluck someone from the Andy Reid coaching tree, Eric Bienemey would be the best option. The offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs has received a lot of interest for head coaching gigs in past seasons, but has turned those options down.
Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy: #ChiefsKingdom https://t.co/JHjUgDGoWJ
If the Buccaneers could lure him to join Tom Brady, they'd get a prestine offensive mind with playoff experience. Additionally, he would also be someone "TB12" could work with on a level playing field, which is what some believe the oldest quarterback in the league wants.
Bieniemy has coached in two Super Bowls and has been with the Chiefs since Patrick Mahomes took over the team in 2018. Since then, his team has been ranked as the number one offense in the league three times. He's only had one year in which the offense (barely) slipped out of the top-five.
If Brady wants to throw touchdowns early and often, he could be as good of a shot as anyone.
#2 Sean Payton
Sean Payton is reported to not have much interest in joining the Buccaneers in 2023. However, a potential reason for that could be that Payton is wary of what Tom Brady could choose to do come the end of this season.
If Brady were to give the former New Orleans Saints head coach assurances that he'd be around for at least one more season, Payton may be enticed to coach in Florida.
I've been told in the past that Sean Payton really liked Kyler Murray as a prospect. It wouldn't surprise me if he had interest in a potential Cardinals coaching opening.
Of the teams the current NFL analyst is reportedly interested in, none are in the north, which means he's likely looking to stay warm. The Buccaneers' location meets that need.
Adding Payton's creative offensive mind behind Brady's arm could be exactly what is needed to bring back the similar numbers that Arians presided over.
Aside from Andy Reid, Payton is as sound of an offensive mind as any in the National Football League. For a football-obsessed person like Brady, it would be impossible to turn that down.
Payton was able to extend Drew Brees' career. He likely could do the same for Brady.
#3 DeMeco Ryans
DeMeco Ryans is coming off an impressive shut-down gameplan against Tom Brady. The defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers has put together one of the top defenses in football in 2022.
Ryans shut down the most accomplished quarterback in the history of the league in a way few have accomplished. Additionally, the defensive coordinator has also been the only one to shut down Geno Smith this season.
Against the 49ers, Smith earned a season-low fantasy score of 6.08 points. It was his only single-digit score of the season.
If the Buccaneers can boost their defense by bringing in DeMeco Ryans, Tom Brady won't have to be as good in 2023. Instead, Brady could have something akin to the 2015 Denver Broncos defense that carried Peyton Manning to his final Super Bowl victory in his hands.