Bucs move on from Koetter
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are moving on from Dirk Koetter after three seasons.
The Buccaneers fired Koetter as coach on Sunday after a loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced. He finishes with a 19-29 record.
“We sincerely appreciate the hard work and commitment shown by Dirk over the past several years," Buccaneers owner Joel Glazer said in a statement. "Working with Dirk has been a pleasure and we wish him and his family all the best in the future. Our search for a new head coach will begin immediately and will be conducted by General Manager Jason Licht.”
Tampa Bay opened the season with wins over the New Orleans Saints and defending champion Philadelphia Eagles despite the absence of quarterback Jameis Winston, who was suspended for three games for allegedly groping an Uber driver. Backup Ryan Fitzpatrick became the first NFL player to pass for 400 yards in three consecutive games, but he was benched in a Week 4 loss to the Bears.
Winston was then benched in a Week 8 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals before returning for good as the starter in Week 12.
Despite the changes at quarterback, the Buccaneers offense ranked in the top five in total yardage.
But the unit ranked only in the middle of the pack in the NFL in scoring. The defense struggled throughout the season, and coordinator Mike Smith was fired in mid-October.
Winston, 24, is entering the fifth-year option of his rookie contract and is set to make $20.9 million next season. A report from ESPN on Sunday stated that the Buccaneers intend to bring the 2015 No. 1 overall pick back for his deal's final year, which is guaranteed only for injury.