When the offseason began, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was what would happen moving forward at offensive coordinator. It's not a new question that fans have pondered as this is the third straight year where the team has made a change thanks to the last two guys getting head coaching jobs.
Liam Coen leaving for Jacksonville was tough thanks to the way it all went down, but it also vaccated one of the top coordinator jobs in the league. It's a position that is no longer open after the Buccaneers finally announced a replacement on Friday.
Rather than bring in an external candidate, which is how both Coen and Dave Canales were hired, the Bucs promoted from within. Pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard, who joined the team last year after spending time on Mike McDaniels' staff in Miami, will become Tampa Bay's fourth offensive coordinator in as many years.
Bucs will have continuity on offense in promoting Josh Grizzard, 34, who joined the team last year as pass game coordinator. Yale grad, moved up the ranks with Dolphins, handled Tampa Bay’s third-down offense in 2024. Last name is gri-ZARD.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 31, 2025
Buccaneers promote Josh Grizzard to replace Liam Coen as offensive coordinator
It's a huge move for the Bucs, as it not only replaces one of the best coordinators in the league last year but continues to show how strong the vibes in the building are. Tampa Bay might have gone to outside hires with their last two offensive coordinators, but the fact that a job widely viewed as one of the best in theleague was filled internally is something to celebrate.
Jason Licht has done a fantastic job putting a winning culture and structure in place, something evident in how seamlessly the Bucs turned back into contenders after Tom Brady retired. Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans deciding to forego free agency -- and likely bigger paydays -- to return says a lot and now the fact that Grizzard is the new offensive coordinator shows that there's amazing continuity.
It's more than just a job that was won through loyalty, although it shouldn't go unnoticed that the Bucs rewarded one of their own after getting burned by Coen's exit. Grizzard was instrumental in Tampa Bay's offense improving the way it did last year, and brings a familiarity to guys like Baker that should make the transition pretty easy.
Rather than learning from another new outside voice, Baker gets to work even closer with someone he already knows in a system he's already mastered. Grizzard needs to find ways to tweak and evolve what Canales and Coen put in place, but the history Bowles and Licht have of hitting home runs with offensive coordinator hires bodes well.
We'll continue to learn more about what Grizzard brings to the table as he settles into his new role, but one little teaser should get everyone excited. Last year Grizzard handled the Tampa Bay's third-down offense, a category the team led the NFL in while having the best success rate in team history on third down.
Coen gushed about Grizzard after the season, and really at most chances he could get, which means the Bucs might have yet agan nailed another important offensive coordinator hire. Time will tell, but there's a lot to celebrate about what feels like a home run.
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