Buccaneers' Byron Leftwich, Todd Bowles Requested for NFL HC Interviews
The Jacksonville Jaguars have, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, requested to interview Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles for their vacant head coaching position.
The Las Vegas Raiders also requested permission to interview Bowles, according to independent league reporter Aaron Wilson.
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians shared on Monday that he had yet to receive requests from Jacksonville or Las Vegas to interview Leftwich or Bowles, but added that he would welcome such requests, as he's gone to bat for both assistant's potential as an NFL head coach in the past.
Both Leftwich and Bowles are intriguing head coaching candidates for their own reasons, beyond the fact that Tampa Bay won a Super Bowl with the coordinator duo on staff last year and will be in contention to do so again next month. Leftwich is a young, well-respected offensive mind who has learned aplenty from Arians and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady over the last two years.
Leftwich was also Jacksonville's first-round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft and was the Jaguars' starting quarterback from 2003-06 before suffering an ankle injury that required surgery in his fourth season and landed in his job being handed over to David Garrard. Despite a shaky ending to his time in Jacksonville, Leftwich is an important figure in Jaguars history which makes his candidacy worth monitoring.
Bowles has been in contention for head coaching jobs over the last few years as he has previous experience in the position with the New York Jets (2015-18) and has assembled a disruptive defense that is elite against the run going on three seasons in a row with the Buccaneers. Bowles has been rumored as a potential in-house candidate for the Buccaneers' head coaching position upon Arians', 69, eventual retirement.
The Jaguars fired first-year head coach Urban Meyer, reportedly for cause, on December 16. Jon Gruden, meanwhile, resigned from the same post in Las Vegas on October 11 after emails containing homophobic and misogynistic language of his were leaked and investigated.
Jacksonville, Las Vegas, and any other team that fires its current head coach is allowed to interview candidates over the final two weeks of the season with permission from the candidate's current club, thanks to an NFL policy change in October.
Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and other NFL news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
