Todd Bowles jokes he and Bucs’ Payne Durham are ‘secret lovers’ in cheeky presser
Todd Bowles brought the spice to his postgame press conference Sunday.
Moments after his Buccaneers sealed a 29-27 victory over the Jets with a game-winning field goal, the fourth-year coach shared a heartfelt moment in the Raymond James Stadium tunnels with tight end Payne Durham — a scene ESPN’s Jenna Laine inquired about and received an unexpected response from Bowles.
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“What did Payne Durham say to you when he wrapped his arm around you in the tunnels?” Laine asked, to which Bowles cheekily replied, “Me and Payne have a relationship not many people know about, and we’re secret lovers.”
Laughter broke out in the press room as Bowles, 61, smiled and took another question.
The 3-0 Buccaneers have much to smile about after a perfect start to the 2025 season.
Trailing the Jets 27-26 late in the fourth quarter after a blocked kick was recovered for a Will McDonald touchdown, kicker Chase McLaughlin hit a 36-yard field goal as time expired to help the Buccaneers squeak out the home victory.
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“Three-and-0 is important,” said Bowles, who coached the Jets from 2015-18. “It’s important to win in this league. A lot of teams be crying because they lost close games. We lost some last year. We’re winning them this year, so we’re extremely happy about that.”
Durham, the second tight end on the depth chart behind starter Cade Otton, took to X after the win and reposted the playful comments made by Bowles.
A fifth-round selection out of Purdue, the Buccaneers took Payne with the 171st overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
It wasn’t just Payne, 25, and Bowles who were fired up after Sunday’s win.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield reveled in the victory over his former Carolina coach, Steve Wilks.
“I loved it. It was also their defensive coordinator (who) cut me in Carolina,” Mayfield said postgame. “So, a lot of stuff was personal today.”
Before Mayfield enjoyed a resurgence in Tampa, he spent half a season with the Panthers, who acquired him in July 2022 after a bitter split from the Browns.
He was released midway through the 2022 season — when Wilks was the interim head coach — and linked up with the Rams, paving the way for his eventual union with the Buccaneers that began in 2023.
The Buccaneers host the undefeated Super Bowl champion Eagles in Week 4.
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