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Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

Buccaneers Interviewed Ronald Curry For OC Job

February 1st, 2023 at 8:17pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers are looking within their own division to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy. The team announced that they interviewed Saints passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry for their OC job on Tuesday night.

[RELATED: Bucs To Interview Georgia OC Todd Monken]

Curry wasn’t the only candidate in the building yesterday. We previously learned that Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Giants QBs coach Shea Tierney also met with Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The team previously interviewed Jaguars passing-game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, Broncos QBs coach Klint Kubiak, Vikings wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell, and Bengals QBs coach Dan Pitcher (who ultimately decided to stick in Cincy) for the job. Former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has also been mentioned as a potential candidate, while Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton (who is likely on his way out in Houston) declined his interview request.

Curry has been with the Saints organization since the 2016 season, working his way from offensive assistant to wide receivers coach to quarterbacks coach. While New Orleans has dealt with an inconsistent quarterback depth chart during Curry’s two seasons in the role, the Saints have still managed to put up impressive passing numbers. Jameis Winston and Trevor Siemian combined for 25 touchdowns vs. only six interceptions in 2021, and the coach squeezed an 18-touchdown, nine-interception season out of Andy Dalton in 2022.

During Curry’s stint as New Orleans’ WRs coach, Michael Thomas established himself as one of the most product wideouts in the NFL. Thomas earned a pair of first-team All-Pro nods playing under Curry, and the receiver also set the single-season record with 149 catches in 2019.

The Buccaneers are looking at some major changes on offense next season with Byron Leftwich out as offensive coordinator. Of course, we also learned earlier today that quarterback Tom Brady was hanging up his cleats, leading to major question marks at the quarterback position heading into the offseason.

Dolphins Not Eyeing Tom Brady Addition?

January 29th, 2023 at 4:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of several names set to dominate the QB storylines of the 2023 offseason is Tom Brady. The all-time great is a pending free agent who faces a number of possible options should he choose to continue his playing career.

One of those could be a move to Miami, something which has come close to taking place in the past. The Dolphins were involved in a tampering scandal in an unsuccessful attempt to land both he and head coach Sean Payton. That led to a number of punishments being handed down by the league, including the team forfeiting its first-round pick in the upcoming draft. Despite that, the Dolphins were said to be a potential suitor for him in 2023.

Momentum for a Brady-to-Miami contract does not appear to exist at this point, however. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Dolphins “are not expected to pursue” the 45-year-old in the event he hits the open market for the second time in his career. Brady helped the Buccaneers make the playoffs for the third straight year in his tenure there, but signs have pointed since their Wild-Card loss to him not returning to Tampa Bay.

While that certainly leaves the door open to a second retirement decision (one which the seven-time Super Bowl winner has said would be final, unlike his last one), it could also lead him elsewhere in free agency. The Raiders have quickly emerged as a logical landing spot for him, given the presence of Josh McDaniels and the team’s apparent desire to move on from Derek Carr. Earlier this month, it was reported that Vegas is doing their homework on Brady, amongst other QB options.

Miami has given Tua Tagovailoa a vote of confidence heading into the 2023 season, so it would come as little surprise if the team avoided making a big splash on the QB market. A veteran insurance policy is expected as a backup, given his concussion issues that arose this year, but the former top-five pick showed considerable improvement when healthy this season. Even if Miami is out of the running, Brady is likely to sill have multiple suitors in the coming weeks.

Bengals Extend QBs Coach Dan Pitcher

January 29th, 2023 at 11:10am CST by Rory Parks

Dan Pitcher will be sticking with the Bengals. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Cincinnati has signed its quarterbacks coach to a lucrative contract extension that will take him through at least the 2023 season.

Pitcher, 36, interviewed for the Buccaneers’ open offensive coordinator position on Friday, which was the first time in his career he had been connected to a coordinator post. Rapoport says that the Ravens also inquired on Pitcher, but rather than risk losing him to another club, the Bengals made a proactive move to reward one of their most important staffers.

Pitcher broke into the professional coaching ranks in 2016 as an offensive assistant on the staff of former Cincinnati HC Marvin Lewis. When Zac Taylor took over as the Bengals’ head coach in 2019, he retained Pitcher and promoted him to assistant quarterbacks coach. Pitcher became the club’s top quarterbacks coach the following year, and his work with 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow over the past three seasons is starting to pique the interest of other organizations.

Burrow, of course, has become one of the league’s best signal-callers and could be in line for a market-topping extension this offseason. He has the Bengals on the cusp of their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance, and assuming the team continues to thrive in 2023, Pitcher will likely garner more OC looks.

Of course, the Bengals’ own offensive coordinator, Brian Callahan, has generated some HC buzz, and Pitcher could fill Callahan’s seat in Cincinnati if the latter should land a job as a bench boss elsewhere.

Bucs To Interview Georgia OC Todd Monken

January 27th, 2023 at 5:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Surfacing as a candidate shortly after Byron Leftwich‘s firing, the prospect of Todd Monken coming back to Tampa is moving closer to a reality. The Buccaneers plan to interview Monken for their offensive coordinator job next week, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com tweets.

Monken, who worked as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator under Dirk Koetter in the late 2010s, is currently Georgia’s OC. He has been in that position for the past three years. This will be an interesting interview, considering the same GM — Jason Licht — is on staff after he moved on from Koetter and Monken four years ago.

Serving as the Bucs’ OC for much of Jameis Winston‘s tenure, Monken generated some momentum late in that run. Despite the Bucs moving on in 2019, Monken interviewed for five NFL jobs — including head coaching positions — that offseason. Ending up in Cleveland as Freddie Kitchens‘ OC, Monken went one-and-done after that disappointing Browns season but landed on his feet at Georgia. The Bulldogs have won back-to-back national championships, the second of which via a historic 65-7 rout of TCU.

The Bucs ranked in the top 10 in total offense in both 2017 and ’18, the latter year producing a third-place finish for the team’s offense. This still led Koetter and Monken out, but the latter was the primary play-caller when Ryan Fitzpatrick averaged 9.6 yards per attempt — a mark that still ranks in the top 10 for a season (an abbreviated one, as Fitz started seven games) in NFL history — for a squad that rostered an intriguing mix of wideouts and tight ends. While Koetter called plays for a point in 2018, Monken spent most of that season doing so. Kitchens was at the controls for the 2019 Browns.

Georgia has ranked as a top-10 offense nationally in each of the past two seasons, though the Bulldogs’ defense has generated more attention from NFL scouts. He enjoys a pretty nice gig for the SEC powerhouse, however, coaching sought-after recruits and, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud (on Twitter), earning the highest salary among college assistants ($2.01MM). Monken, 56, has spent most of his career in the college ranks. Though, he also coached the Jaguars’ wide receivers from 2007-10. Only the Bucs have reached out to Monken so far. Excepting Keenan McCardell, Tampa Bay has identified a host of young position coaches for its role. Here is where that search stands thus far:

Dan Pitcher Interviews For Bucs’ OC Job

January 27th, 2023 at 3:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers’ future with Tom Brady is uncertain, but if the team is to retain the 45-year-old icon, a significant age gap may exist between he and the offensive coordinator.

Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher interviewed for the Bucs’ OC position Friday, the team announced. Although Pitcher has served as Joe Burrow‘s position coach throughout the superstar quarterback’s Cincinnati tenure, he is a Marvin Lewis staff holdover who has been with the franchise since 2016.

Pitcher, 36, joins other 30-somethings Jim Bob Cooter (38) and Klint Kubiak (35) to interview for the Tampa Bay play-calling gig. The Bucs also plan to interview Giants QBs coach Shea Tierney (36) for the job. Although it is not certain the Bucs will go forward with the unusual Gen-X quarterback-Millennial OC setup, the team is targeting a host of young play-caller types. Keenan McCardell, who played for the team in the early 2000s, is the only staffer the Bucs have interviewed over 40.

Following the Browns’ Alex Van Pelt OC hire in 2020, Pitcher moved from the Bengals’ assistant quarterbacks coach to QBs coach — during an offseason in which Burrow-to-Cincinnati became a foregone conclusion. The Bengals striking gold with the LSU-developed talent has meant attention for Pitcher, who began his NFL coaching career as a Bengals staff assistant back in 2016. Pitcher worked in that low-level capacity during Lewis’ final three seasons, and Zac Taylor kept him on board upon arriving in 2019.

Burrow has yet to land any Bengals assistants jobs elsewhere just yet, and few teams have inquired about Pitcher or OC Brian Callahan. The latter had one HC interview this offseason — with the Colts — and this is believed to be Pitcher’s first OC meeting. Taylor calling plays undoubtedly has an effect on the interest in his lieutenants, but the Bengals’ rise over the past two years will run the risk of Taylor’s staff splintering. However, due to the sparse interest so far, the prospect of a Taylor-Callahan-Pitcher trio returning for a fifth season together in 2023 appears live. Though, a batch of new OC openings is set to emerge — as the HC-needy teams have yet to begin their searches in earnest — and the Bengals’ playoff success could certainly lead to additional Callahan or Pitcher interest.

Buccaneers To Interview Giants’ Shea Tierney For OC

January 27th, 2023 at 11:39am CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants’ surprising season has led to Mike Kafka and Don Martindale head coaching interviews and Brian Daboll becoming a Coach of the Year finalist. The interest is now advancing to the team’s position coach level.

The Buccaneers sent Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney an interview request to discuss their offensive coordinator position, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes Tierney will meet with Bucs brass about the job (Twitter link).

This season marked Tierney’s first in a quarterbacks coach role. The former Bills assistant worked under Ken Dorsey with Buffalo last season, being the team’s assistant QBs coach. Daboll brought Tierney with him to the Giants, and folks around the league certainly observed Daniel Jones making considerable strides in his contract year.

Tierney, 36, began in Buffalo as an offensive assistant and worked with Daboll at Alabama as well. Overachieving based on expectations and roster talent this season, the Giants made one of the more stunning voyages to the divisional round in recent memory. Jones is now a franchise tag candidate who is expected to command a contract north of $30MM per year. That is quite the leap from where the once-scuffling ex-top-10 pick — whose fifth-year option the Giants passed on — resided coming into the season.

Tampa Bay has interviewed Vikings wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell, Broncos quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak and Jaguars passing-game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter so far. Considering the team’s OC hire may well play a role in whether Tom Brady returns for a fourth season with the team, it looms as a rather important task this offseason.

Latest On Buccaneers’ Staff Changes, Free Agency Plans

January 25th, 2023 at 12:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers are on the lookout for a new offensive coordinator, with Byron Leftwich being the highest-profile coach the team moved on from amid a spree of dismissals and retirements last week. Both Todd Bowles and Tom Brady voiced concerns about Leftwich last season.

Bowles and Brady complained about the offense’s predictability, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, who adds the team’s lack of commitment to the run game was one of the issues. Bowles believed teams had caught onto Leftwich’s offense, which tumbled off its elite perch of previous years, and Brady problems with the offense emerged back in December.

Tampa Bay finished 25th in scoring, and although it ranked 15th in total offense, a last-place ground attack dragged down the latter number. The Bucs ranked 32nd across the board on the ground, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry and totaling just five rushing touchdowns. The Bucs went from 61 TDs in 2021 to 31 this season. Leonard Fournette‘s three-year, $21MM deal produced just 668 rushing yards (3.5 per tote) in 16 games. Much of these woes can be attributed to the changes to Tampa Bay’s interior offensive line, which lost all three of its previous starters — Ryan Jensen (injury), Ali Marpet (retirement), Alex Cappa (free agency) — to lead to lesser replacements creating problems for Brady and the run game. Brady showing signs of decline did not help matters for Leftwich, either.

But Leftwich and other Bruce Arians-hired staffers took the fall. Arians is not pleased with what happened last week, Stroud said during a WDAE Radio interview (via JoeBucsFan.com). The three-year Bucs HC, who gave the keys to Bowles in a surprising move last March, is “disappointed” and “hurt” his successor canned several of his staffers. Those assistants, some of whom having additional years on their contracts, had been told they would be there as long as Bowles was, per Stroud. Of course, NFL teams’ plans change rapidly. And an 8-9 season was not exactly where the Bucs thought they would be given their performances in 2020 and ’21. Bowles figures to enter the 2023 season on the hot seat. Arians spent the season as a senior advisor to Jason Licht, though he admitted late in the season he missed coaching.

As Bowles gathered his staff for a postmortem Thursday morning — prior to informing Leftwich and Co. they were being fired — he mentioned the team would have a difficult time signing free agents, per Stroud. The Bucs are nearly in Saints territory in terms of cap space, ranking ahead of only their restructure-happy rivals around the league. As of Wednesday, Tampa Bay sits $54MM-plus over the projected 2023 cap. The Bucs have been active in free agency over the past two years, mostly via re-signings. But the team had brought back a number of its top free agents — from Jensen to Carlton Davis in 2022 to Shaq Barrett, Lavonte David and Rob Gronkowski in 2021 — during Brady’s stay.

Following that meeting, Bowles called select assistants into his office to inform them of the dismissals. Despite the persistent run-game struggles, Bowles kept Arians hires Harold Goodwin (run-game coordinator) and Joe Gilbert (O-line coach). The team had discussions with Bill O’Brien as a Leftwich contingency plan last year, in the event the latter landed the Jacksonville HC job. O’Brien was Brady’s OC (or de facto OC, as the Patriots sometimes do not do coordinator titles) for three seasons, but he is now back with the Pats.

The Bucs have begun their OC search, with a few candidates surfacing Tuesday. While Leftwich’s ouster may influence Brady in free agency, the early word coming out of Tampa is the 45-year-old superstar will explore other options if he is to play a 24th season.

Keenan McCardell On Buccaneers’ OC Radar

January 24th, 2023 at 5:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Keenan McCardell continues to generate interest on the offensive coordinator market, marking the first time the former Pro Bowl wide receiver has done so.

Following his Patriots OC interview, McCardell is set for a Buccaneers interview, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The Pats went with their long-rumored favorite — Bill O’Brien — for their play-calling role, but the New England meeting was believed to be McCardell’s first for an OC post. The experienced wideouts coach will now make a trip for a second such interview.

Although McCardell has been coaching since 2010, he is best known for his playing career. That 17-season run included a memorable stay with the Bucs, who signed him in 2002. Teaming with Keyshawn Johnson on Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl-winning squad, McCardell proved a valuable addition. He caught two touchdowns in Super Bowl XXXVII and led the Bucs, who abruptly moved on from Johnson during the 2003 season, with 1,174 receiving yards the following year.

McCardell, 52, has been the Vikings’ wide receivers coach for the past two seasons, being kept on staff despite the franchise’s 2022 regime change. Given the play of Justin Jefferson and the development of K.J. Osborn, it is unsurprising the young playmakers’ position coach is being looked at for a possible title bump.

The Bucs now have McCardell, Jaguars passing-game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and Broncos quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak — who worked with McCardell on the 2021 Vikings’ staff — as candidates to replace Byron Leftwich.

Bucs Begin Round Of OC Interview Requests

January 24th, 2023 at 4:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:36pm: The Bucs are also set to meet with Broncos quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The team attempted to secure a meeting with Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, but Hamilton declined the meeting.

The former Vikings OC, Kubiak became a key figure during Nathaniel Hackett‘s disastrous season. Hackett gave the second-generation coach the play-calling reins late in the season; this marked the second straight year Kubiak held that responsibility. Kubiak, 35, has less experience running an offense compared to Cooter and Hamilton, and more candidates will emerge soon. Hamilton returned to an OC role this season — after being the Chargers’ QBs coach in 2020 and Texans’ QBs instructor in 2021 — but Houston axing Lovie Smith will likely lead him elsewhere.

4:06pm: Jim Bob Cooter is back on the offensive coordinator radar. Being out of the play-calling mix for the past four seasons, the former Lions OC received an interview request Tuesday.

The Buccaneers want to meet with the Jaguars’ passing-game coordinator about their OC role, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The Jags made tremendous strides this season, with Trevor Lawrence showing signs of becoming the star talent he was pegged to be when he went No. 1 overall last year.

The Lions had promoted Cooter to OC when he was just 31, bumping him to their play-calling post during the 2015 season. Matt Patricia kept Cooter on following Jim Caldwell‘s firing but moved on after his first Detroit season. Cooter, 38, has bounced from Jets to the Eagles to the Jags in the years since. Todd Bowles was out of New York by the time Cooter arrived in 2019, but the ex-Jets coach has made him the first known candidate for the Bucs’ OC position.

Bowles fired Byron Leftwich last week, moving on after inheriting the Bruce Arians hire in 2022. The Bucs’ offense, which was a top-seven unit under Leftwich from 2019-21, nosedived this season. Tampa Bay fell from second to 25th in points and second to 15th in yardage. Leftwich’s successor may well not have Tom Brady to coach in 2023, either. Although the 45-year-old legend regressed in 2022, he still provided considerable value to the Bucs over the past three seasons. If Brady plays in 2023, various reports have pointed to that 24th season coming elsewhere.

Cooter coaxed some quality Matthew Stafford seasons in Detroit; the longtime Lions QB finished eighth in QBR in each of Cooter’s first two years as OC. This past season marked Cooter’s first chance to work with a quarterback since his Detroit days, and Lawrence — after a rocky start — rebounded to lead the Jaguars to the playoffs. Jacksonville’s Lawrence-led wild-card comeback — the third-largest deficit overcome in the postseason — points their long-term arrow up after a disastrous Urban Meyer experiment in 2021. Doug Pederson calls the Jags’ plays, and Press Taylor is the team’s OC. That opens the door for Cooter, with other OC openings likely coming soon as teams make their HC choices.

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