NFL coach bizarrely jokes his player is his 'secret lover' in awkward press conference moment

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles made a bizarre comment at his postgame press conference on Sunday, saying he and one of his players were 'secret lovers'. 

The player that Bowles was affection toward was tight end Payne Durham, who has played for the Buccaneers since 2023, when he entered the NFL. 

Against the New York Jets, Durham did not record a catch, yet got a long hug from Bowles when leaving the field. 

Tampa Bay defeated New York to keep its undefeated season intact on a field goal as time expired, after giving up the lead late on a blocked field-goal attempt. 

Then came the question as to what was said between head coach and his tight end during the embrace.  

'Me and Payne have a relationship not many people know about, we're secret lovers,' Bowles said. 

The press at Bowles' availability burst out laughing and did not ask a follow-up question about the unhinged comment. 

Durham himself has not commented on the interaction, although he surely would not be upset with his head coach giving him a shout out. 

Durham has not registered a catch this season, as his contributions have been mostly on special teams.  

In 2024, Durham did have 11 catches, with two of them going for touchdowns, after he was shut out of the end zone during his rookie season. 

The Buccaneers will have a tough test to stay undefeated into October, as they face fellow unbeaten, the Philadelphia Eagles, on Sunday.