Report: Todd Bowles spurns Bears to join Buccaneers as defensive coordinator

After a late intervention attempt, Todd Bowles will join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as defensive coordinator after all.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Bowles will join the Buccaneers on Bruce Arians’ staff after the Chicago Bears made a late attempt to convince him to join them.

Buccaneers just worked out off-set language on Todd Bowles' contract with the Jets, and so Tampa Bay does have the new defensive coordinator it expected to land, per @mortreport.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2019

Arians and the Buccaneers had been banking on Bowles being their new defensive coordinator all along, but the former New York Jets coach was courted late on by the Chicago Bears to replace the departing Vic Fangio. Ultimately, though, he stuck with his commitment to Arians and Tampa Bay and will be in charge of the Buccaneer defense next season.