Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said a couple of days ago that there was no decision about offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich’s future with the team, but the Bucs have now made that decision and it will result in a change in Tampa.
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Bucs have fired Leftwich. That move was widely expected after the Bucs finished 25th in points scored during the regular season and flamed out offensively again in their playoff loss to the Cowboys.
Stroud reports that the team is parting ways with a number of other assistants as well.
It’s a steep fall for Leftwich, who was up for head coaching jobs at this point last year and was reportedly in talks for the job with the Jaguars before they pivoted to Doug Pederson. The 2023 season was Leftwich’s fourth running the offense in Tampa and they won a Super Bowl in 2020, but it was also his first without Bruce Arians as the head coach and the team wasn’t nearly as successful as they’d been in Leftwich’s previous seasons at the rudder.
The search for a new coordinator in Tampa will be impacted by uncertainty at the quarterback position. Tom Brady is set for free agency and has given no indication that he’s planning to return, so anyone taking the job will do so without a clear idea of who will be filling the most important spot on the unit.