Bucs fire O-coordinator Leftwich
Byron Leftwich’s time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is over.
The Buccaneers fired the offensive coordinator after four seasons, the team announced, let go of six total assistants, and three others decided to retire.
Leftwich is just a couple of years removed from serving as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator when the franchise won Super Bowl 56. However, the Bucs have regressed since winning the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, 2021. The Bucs finished 13-4 in the 2021 season but were bounced out of the playoffs by the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round. Then this season, things got progressively worse.
Veteran quarterback Tom Brady briefly retired, before changing course, and center Ryan Jensen injured his knee days into training camp. When the regular season started, the offense was lethargic and it continued throughout the 18-week schedule. The Bucs finished 15th in total offense, 25th in points and last in rushing.
Despite their struggles on offensive side of the football, Tampa Bay won the NFC South with an 8-9 record. They were the only team to enter the playoffs below .500.
Tampa Bay’s playoff journey was short lived. The Bucs lost to the Dallas Cowboys in a 31-14 rout in the wild-card round. Tampa Bay’s offense failed to score in the first half.
The wild-card loss to Dallas was ultimately Leftwich’s final game as offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay.
Leftwich will likely get interest from other clubs searching for an offensive coordinator. He’s also been a head coaching candidate in the past.
The Bucs will now search for a new coordinator and at the same time await Brady’s decision on if he’s going to retire, come back to Tampa Bay or opt for employment elsewhere.