Lovie Smith told John McClain of the Houston Chronicle that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be his last stop in the NFL, and that he's incredibly happy to be here.
Just spoke with new Bucs coach Lovie Smith before his interview session. Says the Bucs are his last stop. Says he's "incredibly happy."
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) February 20, 2014
It's easy to say that now, of course, but it seems like a fair prediction. Lovie Smith is 55, presumably has made enough money throughout his career to live very comfortably, and tasted the life outside the NFL last year. He knows what he'll be missing and how he can handle it. But then, no one can really predict the future -- and who knows how he'll look at it in case he's fired.
There's a lot of urgency for Smith with the Buccaneers now, though. This will be his last chance to win a Super Bowl, and the Glazers have not been overly patient in the past ten years. Jason Licht may talk about building through the draft, but Smith has hinted at spending to the cap and winning right now. Expect the Bucs to once again try to do that.
Hopefully, they'll be able to win before Smith's last stop ends.