As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers search for a new offensive coordinator continues, it will have one less candidate to choose from. Not only that, but the Bucs have officially missed out on one of their top targets this offseason as Todd Monken appears to no longer be on the board.
In a move that came as little surprise, the New York Giants are hiring John Harbaugh as the team's next head coach. The Giants emerged as the favorites to hire him almost as soon as he was fired in Baltimore, but not all eyes were on Harbaugh. The Bucs, along with other teams in need of an offensive coordinator, considered Monken a top candidate.
Monken interviewed in person with the Bucs this week, a meeting that reportedly went very well and moved him into the pole position among other candidates. That's no longer the case, though, as it appears Monken will be sticking with Harbaugh and joining his staff with the Giants.
It's not a surprise that he ended up with Harbaugh, but the Giants being the team that stole him away comes as a little bit of a shock considering they weren't in the running up until now.
Todd Monken is among the assistants expected to join John Harbaugh. https://t.co/QD8qdqpQOw
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 15, 2026
Buccaneers lose out on a top offensive coordinator candidate, but it's not the end of the world
It's a tough blow for the Bucs, but not exactly a fatal one in terms of finding the right candidate. Monken was a match for a number of reasons, not the least of which being it would mark his secdon tour of duty in Tampa Bay.
Monken was the offensive coordinator back in 2018 when the Buccaneers had the third-highest scoring offense in the NFL. There was a lot of excitement over the idea of him coming back but doing so with weapons like Emeka Egbuka, Bucky Irving, and Jalen McMillan to go along with veterans Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
While Monken is off the board, the fact that whoever takes the job will still have those targets remains. This shouldn't be seen as the Bucs getting passed over by a top candidate; Monken and Harbaugh were so close that one of the reasons the latter was reportedly fired was a refusal to let the former go.
Mike McDaniel now moves to the top of the power rankings, alongside Nate Scheelhaase, and there are still reasons to believe Zac Robinson is high on that list as well. McDaniel seems like a perfect fit for the Bucs, not only as an offensive guru but a head coach in waiting who could take over for Todd Bowles in 2027.
That seemed to be a plan the Bucs wanted to do with Liam Coen, but he wasn't willing to wait a year and left for the Jacksonville job. McDaniel and Robinson are also both experienced play callers, a trait the team has made clear it's looking for in whoever they hire for the job.
Missing out on Monken stinks, but Tampa Bay is still the top offensive coordinator job on the market, and there are still a ton of top candidates to choose from.