The Buccaneers dipped into the realm of college football to hire University of Kentucky offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Liam Coen. The team didn’t stop there, reaching out twice more to help fill out the rest of their offensive coaching staff recently.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report that Coen and company were dipping back to Lexington in order to poach offensive quality control coach Brian Picucci. The hunt was apparently successful as Josh Alper of NBC Sports followed up to confirm that Picucci would be heading to Tampa Bay as the team’s new assistant offensive line coach.
The Buccaneers also went to the college ranks in order to fill their position for wide receivers coach. According to Schefter, University of Georgia wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator Bryan McClendon has been hired as Tampa Bay’s new wide receivers coach. McClendon has been a long-time college staffer and is well-regarded in coaching circles.
As running backs coach for the Bulldogs from 2009-14, McClendon coached Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb. As wide receivers coach at South Carolina from 2016-19, McClendon mentored Deebo Samuel, Bryan Edwards, and Shi Smith. He also had two years of offensive coordinator experience with the Gamecocks, as well. McClendon will inherit a wide receiving corps featuring Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, and Trey Palmer, and he will likely hope the team can come to terms with long-time star, and pending free agent, Mike Evans.
Here are a few other staff updates from around the NFC:
- In the Packers‘ front office, it has been made known that team president and chief executive officer Mark Murphy is going to retire in July 2025. The organization has reportedly formed a search committee in order to find Murphy’s replacement. Packers executive committee vice president and lead director Susan Finco will chair the committee and executive committee secretary and chair of the personnel and compensation committee Dan Ariens will serve as vice chairperson. The search committee is comprised of several individuals throughout the organization’s structure and will utilize the national search firm Korn Ferry to conduct the search. The expectation is that the process will take around six to nine months.
- Lastly, the Bears will also be losing a member of their front office, though this one is in effect immediately. According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Chicago’s chief of staff Sean Magee will be departing for a job in the collegiate ranks. Magee is expected to be hired as senior associate athletic director and general manager for football at the University of Michigan.
I went to a game in Green Bay, the one where Crosby forced a fumble on Cordarrelle Patterson, and our flight came in at 11pm. The first person we saw in the airport … was Mark Murphy whose daughter was on our flight. Crazy how small that town is, the entire city can fit in the stadium.
I’m not a fan of bloated, bureaucratic consultant firms like Korn Ferry. They apparently have a relationship with the PGA so perhaps they can assist the Packers in getting out of sand traps.
I wonder if Murphy would be retiring if he actually had a say in the matter.