Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady or Todd Bowles: Who is under more pressure?

Published Apr. 2, 2022 5:45 p.m. ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear ready to make another run at a Super Bowl this season, with quarterback Tom Brady ultimately deciding to return for his 23rd NFL season.

Shortly after Brady announced his return, Bruce Arians revealed that his own time on the sidelines had come to an end. The Bucs' coach departed for a front office role, and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles took over as the new head coach.

But with Brady pushing 45 and Tampa Bay's window for success narrowing, Bowles is expected to lead the Bucs to a deep playoff run in his first season as the team's coach.

Marcellus Wiley claimed that Bowles is under far more pressure than Brady on "Speak for Yourself."

"So they're going to rob you [Bowles] of your success [if you win] because of Tom Brady just being on the roster," Wiley said. And then if Todd Bowles fails this year, everybody and their mama is going say, ‘You hired the old Jets losing head coach because of his skin color, because of the Rooney Rule, and he couldn't even win with Tom Brady.'"

New Bucs coach Todd Bowles faces immense pressure

Bruce Arians shocked the NFL world with his sudden retirement this week, leaving Todd Bowles to take over as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Marcellus Wiley and Emmanuel Acho debate who’s under the most pressure, Bowles or Tom Brady?

The Elizabeth, New Jersey native started his NFL coaching career just 15 miles north of home with the New York Jets as a secondary coach in 2000. Bowles bounced around the NFL for the next 15 years, working with five teams in various defensive roles before finally earning a head coaching opportunity with the Jets.

Bowles initially looked like a prime candidate to end a five-year stretch of futility for the Jets, going 10-6 in his first season and leading New York within a tiebreaker of the final wild-card spot. However, three straight last-place finishes in the AFC East from 2016-18 led to the Jets parting ways with Bowles after the 2018 season.

The timeless magic of Brady has served as a cure for losing coaches, however, with Arians posting a 7-9 record in 2019 and then winning the Super Bowl the next year. But Wiley worries that the presence of Brady places Bowles in a no-win situation, as the legendary quarterback will likely scoop up most of the plaudits for a successful season in Tampa.

"Let's run the [best case] scenarios for these two individuals," Wiley said. "Tom Brady goes out there and wins another Super Bowl. That's what Tom Brady does. Here's No. 8. You ran out of fingers on one hand, now you own another one. You're almost running out of fingers over there. Go, Tom Brady."

And if the Bucs flounder in 2022, Bucs fans won't be pointing a finger at the legendary 44-year-old with a flawless track record and who took a chance coming out of retirement. Instead, the blame seems more likely to fall on Bowles. At least, that's the worst-case scenario Wiley envisions.

"Say Tom Brady goes and falls flat on his face," Wiley said. "'Oh, that's OK, Tom. You can't win them all. You've won seven in 22 years.

"If Todd Bowles fails this year, now he made Tom Brady look bad. Ah, 'Why did we get rid of Bruce Arians? And y'all knew he [Bowles] wasn't a good coach before? How dare you. This is supposed to be about how competent you are, how qualified you are.'"