Rumor.
Well, this is a juicy blind item dropped by a former NFL suit who is very tight with Bill Belichick.
One thing is certain when listening to the podcast [_GM Shuffle_](https://open.spotify.com/episode/4R5l8LTuJne8dUMZLFzjAs) hosted by former NFL general manager and coffee fetcher for Bill Walsh, Al Davis and Bill Belichick, Michael Lombardi. The former Browns shot-caller rarely if ever speaks ill of someone from the branch of the Bill Parcells/Bill Belichick coaching tree.
And that would include former Parcells disciple, Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
For example, don’t you dare even hint to Lombardi that Belichick never won a ring as a head coach without Tom Brady (but Brady won a Super Bowl ring without Belichick). Remind Lombardi this at your own peril and brace for a fire and brimstone sermon the likes of which would make a holy roller preacher blush.
Currently, there is no known bigger cheerleader for Mike Vrabel getting a new head coaching job than Lombardi. (Vrabel is a former Belichick player who also was a defensive coordinator at Houston for Bill O’Brien, another Belichick disciple.) You’d think Vrabel is Andy Reid or Sean McVay the way Lombardi talks up Vrabel.
Being such a defender of the Parcells/Belichick tree wins favors for Lombardi. As a result of his devotion, Lombardi is an intimate of Belichick’s. That’s why the following is so intriguing to Joe.
When breaking down the Bucs’ win over the Raiders on Sunday, unprovoked, Lombardi dropped this line about Bowles when he was praising Bowles for finding a way to win on a day when his quarterback struggled and a third of his starting defense was hurt.
> “Give Todd Bowles credit,” Lombardi began. “Everybody thinks he’s not going to keep his job. A lot of people think he may retire at the end of the year.”
Well now, that’s the first Joe heard of something like that. Now Lombardi didn’t say who exactly is claiming Bowles won’t be around in February or that he’s going to retire. The quote Joe typed above are the exact words that came out of his mouth on the subject.
Now Joe is going to be two-bit detective here. Last year Bowles, almost as in a flippant manner, said the Bucs will be the last team he coaches.
Joe followed up by asking Bowles if he played to retire. No, said Bowles, who turned 61 last month, he wasn’t planning to retire after the 2023 season (nor did he, obviously).
But Bowles told Joe that the Bucs will be the last team he coaches. Whenever he leaves, for whatever reason, that’s it. He’s done. Tampa Bay will be his last rodeo.
So perhaps this is the genesis of Lombardi’s statement. Someone read Joe’s article or heard Bowles say this last year, and told someone, who told someone, who tipped off Lombardi over a bottle of Pinot noir at Oscar’s Steakhouse in Vegas with some other NFL folks.
Of course, if we want to play TMZ here, did Lombardi get this intel from Belichick, who Lombardi does a podcast with weekly? If so, how would Belichick know Bowles plans to retire?
Fun stuff to chew on as we get this warm Wednesday morning rolling.
Oh, and as far as the Bucs winning, here’s what Lombardi said of Bowles and the job he is doing with the Bucs:
> “His team is resilient,” Lombardi said. “They fight through it. You know, I’m not saying they are the best team. But they sure as hell are tougher than Atlanta.
>
> “This is what Tampa does. They finish the season strong and their toughness shows up.”
Lombardi added the Bucs losing to the Dixie Chicks in Atlanta earlier this season was a lucky accident for Atlanta.