The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t have the best of starts when Todd Bowles took over as head coach, but it’s only gone up from there. And now, he’s made his mark on Tampa Bay Buccaneers history.

Bowles’ Bucs team defeated the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday to move to 5-1, making his squad the best team in the NFC and tied for the best record in the NFL. He also surpassed a franchise mark, however, moving to 32 wins as a head coach of the Bucs — with that, he’s officially surpassed his predecessor, Bruce Arians, for the fourth-most wins in Buccaneers history as a head coach.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles warms up for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Bowles has improved by a win a year every year since he took over for the Buccaneers. He won eight games in 2022, nine in 2023 and 10 in 2024 — it’s too early to say he’ll do so again in 2025, but he’s on track to shatter that 10-win total from last year. With this win over the 49ers, he overtakes Arians for win total and sits below John McKay (44), Tony Dungy (54) and Jon Gruden (57).

There are still a few metrics where Bowles is beat, though. He’s third in win percentage with 56.1%, behind Dungy (56.3%) and Arians (63.3%), and he’s just 1-3 in the playoffs. That’s a record he’ll look to improve on, as he’s tied with John McKay for the worst playoff winning percentage among Bucs head coaches. That being said, he’s still one of five Bucs coaches to ever even make the playoffs, an accomplishment in its own right.

Things are looking up for Bowles, as it stands. He recently hired a clock and game management expert, Zach Beistline, who has helped address clock management and fourth-down aggressiveness concerns that detractors have had for him. He’s also managed to win games despite numerous injuries across both sides of the ball, which has put the Bucs in a great position early on in the year.

There’s a long way to go this season, but if Tampa Bay’s trajectory even comes close to what it looks like now, Bowles could continue to cement himself in franchise history — especially with how he’s continued Arians’ success from 2020-21.