Buccaneers rumors: 1 serious and 1 not so serious offensive coordinator candidate
By Josh Hill
After firing Byron Leftwich this past week, the Buccaneers coaching staff rumors portal has been opened, and this is the fun grace period where we can get a little weird before things get serious.
There are a handful of key decisions that must be made this offseason. Some of the decisions are out of the team’s control. We’re of course talking about Tom Brady, who is an unrestricted free agent this March and free to sign anywhere he’d like. There’s a chance he comes back for one more rodeo in Tampa, or he could retire and cash that $375 million check Fox Sports is reportedly holding for him to join their top NFL announcing crew.
One decision tangentially tied to Brady is what happens with the vacant offensive coordinator job. Something that may have worked in the Bucs favor in terms of Brady coming back was the allure of not needing to learn a new system head of the 2023 season. But firing Byron Leftwich — whom Brady had a good relationship with, despite the perceived drama — might put an end to that.
Tampa Bay needs to find someone who can inject life back into the offense, regardless of whether it plays into Brady returning, and there are a few intriguing options to kick that conversation off with.
Keep in mind, this isn’t to say the Bucs need to pursue these coaches or that they’d be better fits than some other names out there. But as fans in Tampa Bay know perhaps better than most, you have to start somewhere.