Todd Bowles is getting a rare second chance to show what he can do as a head coach in the NFL.

The 58-year-old native of Elizabeth, N.J., has been named head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the unexpected retirement of Bruce Arians.

Coach Bowles joins Coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Coach Lovie Smith of the Houston Texans and Coach Michael McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins as the only Black head coaches in the 32-team league.

Coach Bowles can only hope he is more successful in Tampa Bay than he was in New York, where he posted a 24-40 record with the Jets between 2015 and 2018.

The former Washington defensive back has signed a five-year deal to direct the Buccaneers’ fortunes.

The forecast is much brighter in Tampa than it was in New York, where he inherited a rebuilding franchise. The Jets were 4-12 the season prior to his arrival.

Under Coach Arians, the Bucs won the 2020 Super Bowl and advanced to the second round of this past season’s playoffs before falling to the Los Angeles Rams, the eventual Super Bowl champs.

Coach Bowles has been the squad’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons under Coach Arians. Following his retirement on March 30, Coach Arians strongly recommended Coach Bowles to be his successor.

It helps that iconic quarterback Tom Brady is back in the saddle at Tampa Bay following a short-lived retirement. 

There have only been a total of 24 Black head coaches in NFL history; four of them have patrolled the sidelines in Tampa.

Preceding Coach Bowles as the Bucs’ head coach were Tony Dungy (1996-2001), Raheem Morris (2009-2011) and Lovie Smith (2014-2016).