Special Teams Coach Thomas McGaughey Fired
January 8th, 2026
Gone.
The housecleaning continues at One Buc Palace.
Moving companies will be busy in the West Tampa area as the Bucs let loose another coach today, and it’s no surprise in any way.
Per Jenna Laine of ESPN, not-so-special teams coach Thomas McGaughey has been dismissed.
Joe and likely most Bucs fans wonder what took so long. McGaughey is fortunate he didn’t get run in October.
When is the last time you heard, since new kickoff rules were established, of a kickoff team so miserable the head coach actually ordered his kickoff team to kick the ball into the end zone to prevent a return.
Hell, the kickoff team was so bad, opponents were in field goal range before they took a snap from center.
And then there were the blocked kicks. It got to a point where the not-so-special teams were a complete and total shiiite show. A superior kicker can only cover for so much drek.
Joe remembers being very suspicious of McGaughey’s hire. He had awful special teams with the Giants.
Joe has to give McGaughey credit. He didn’t dodge his mistakes; he stood up at a podium and told the world he’s responsible. Today, that responsibility came with a price.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:11 pm
Doesn’t make sense to keep Bowles at this point.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:12 pm
Finally
January 8th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
There was no seat hotter than his at One Buc Place.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
Finally
January 8th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
Bye. He should have been the first out the door.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
Any chance the DC gets fired?
January 8th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
Just have an A.I. Bot be the ST coach.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
So when do Bowles cronies get the axe? Cause I can name 5 of them that have to go, Larry Foote in particular, Warren Sapp even called him out.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
This article is 3 months late.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:15 pm
Also just wanted to say if Bowles wanted to show ANY sort of accountability this season and used someone as an example to the players that failure will not be tolerated he should have fired THIS GUY in Week 4. But Bowles is not a coach that holds anyone accountable so this had to drag on cause Bowles sucks as a head coach.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:15 pm
Hate to see someone lose a paycheck, but Special Teams was as bad as I’ve seen it in years. Truly awful.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:16 pm
The head coach will have a meeting with the DC . After that Meeting we know what happens.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:17 pm
So the official view of the Bucs organization is it was everyone’s fault but Coach Blows! Let’s see which defensive coaches get fired? What did we finish 27th in defense? Obviously the defense failed worse than the offense, and we gave up on special teams in October.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:18 pm
and now the db coaches please.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:18 pm
Now so Bowles next make it a full house clean
January 8th, 2026 at 1:18 pm
I have to think enough influential players went to bat for Bowles to make the Glazers consider keeping him.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:19 pm
The big question is will the Bucs fire players as well…
January 8th, 2026 at 1:19 pm
At some point Joe you gotta ask youself if they’re firing everyone around him, why even bother keeping him. To me this just reeks of the Glaziers not wanting to pay the extension they owe Bowles and just putting lipstick on a pig.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
Well, I’m taking the glass half full approach: Bowles did change up some of his calls. That shows flexibility. Maybe he can start playing cornerbacks on the line on 3 and 1 instead of ten yards back in a few years. Who knows. People change.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
Give Foote the D coordinator position and a year to call the Defensive plays and take it from there!!!
January 8th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
Should have fired Thomas “wave the white flag” McGaughey mid season. Now when do they fire Bowles? …oh I forgot, that happens next year
January 8th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
They better fire the defensive coordinator as well, and bring in a outside DC with a brand new scheme and the head coach better be hands off.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
Special teams coordinator …………gone
Offensive coordinator gone…………gone
Defensive coordinator…………………Still Here , Why???
Tidy Bowls was as bad or worse than the others.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
No offense, but good riddance.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:21 pm
Player Perception: Recent NFLPA surveys indicated players felt the Glazers were not fully committed to building a competitive team or fostering a positive culture, ranking low compared to other owners.
Enough sais
January 8th, 2026 at 1:22 pm
I honestly miss Tampa’s defense being a 4-3 defense
January 8th, 2026 at 1:24 pm
We all know there’s no dc coming but I’d at least like to see some releases coming on the defensive staff.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:24 pm
Potential Replacement Candidate
– Special teams coordinator — John Fassel (Titans)
January 8th, 2026 at 1:24 pm
Now we just have to fire the DC but wait thats the HC
January 8th, 2026 at 1:25 pm
So are we actually going to.br able to get competent STC and OC? Prob will have to be young unproven guys. Not most desirable knowing your hc is on thin ice
January 8th, 2026 at 1:26 pm
Our defense was complete and utter trash during those last few years in the 4–3, and a lot of us were begging for a switch long before it finally happened.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:26 pm
Todd isn’t letting someone else call his defense.. he hasn’t done it in 4 years he’s not doing it now. His ego is too big.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:26 pm
Maybe they are letting Bowles drop the axe on these folks before they fire him!
Wouldn’t that be interesting???
That could attract a good HC if they knew all the drecks were subtracted.
Mike McCarthy is still out there!
January 8th, 2026 at 1:27 pm
That seat is burnt to a crisp.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:28 pm
I thought as the vast majority of the fan base, that Bowles era was over…
Now that we know he stays, I will support him again….
Doesn’t make any sense to keep on crying like baby’s…..
January 8th, 2026 at 1:29 pm
Honestly who wants to come near knowing our HC and GM are on the hot seat next year ?
January 8th, 2026 at 1:29 pm
Better late than never. Only way is up on Special Teams
January 8th, 2026 at 1:29 pm
Didn’t see this one coming.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:30 pm
Coach Rapone retiring. Coach Ross is out, along with Coach Charlie Strong. Moving fast now.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
Rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic
January 8th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
Surely somebody bright can watch tape of a team that does it right and just mimic that with capable players and get this done.
Kicks need to be line drives into the zone that are hard to handle.
Don’t let them catch it while running duh.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
I haven’t read the previous post regarding the keeping of Bowles so I’ll be be brief. It doesn’t say much for an organization seeking to become the champions of a very competitive league to continue with a head coach who has proved over and over again that he’s not capable of being a competitive head coach. From hi hiring ineptness to his game management both time and personnel. He has demonstrated game in and game out that he is incapable of coaching the team to a championship level! Why on earth are the Bucs retaining hime? It’s an absolute disgrace. They are the owners of a team that is the laughing stock of the entire country we deserve answers and we deserve an ownership that is committed to putting a competitive team on the field every week. Nice guy? Probably. Football coach? Not a chance .This is probably the biggest blunder in the history of Tampa Bay football and I think it’s time for the fans to make themselves heard. What an awful message the Glazers just sent to their loyal fans
January 8th, 2026 at 1:32 pm
Wonder if Bowles can fire himself?
January 8th, 2026 at 1:32 pm
@Warren Brooks
Is that your opinion or is it news?
January 8th, 2026 at 1:32 pm
Everybody’s gone but Todd and Jason – buwahahahahahahahahahaha
Losers gonna loser
January 8th, 2026 at 1:32 pm
Defensive coordinator next? Or are we playing for a top 5 pick next year. That is the weakest link, goodbye!
January 8th, 2026 at 1:33 pm
Special Teams in the title @joe, have a spelling mistake
January 8th, 2026 at 1:33 pm
@KGh
It’s news
January 8th, 2026 at 1:33 pm
Will Bowles fire himself perhaps? How can he look at these coaches being fired over performance issues (rightfully so), but not look at himself. Moreover, in these exit interviews when Bowles says we have to let you go because you and your group didn’t get it done, how do they not call him out for his defense? Again, this all looks like accountability being deflected from Bowles. All these reported firings are justified, but one of the main groups that underperformed (defense) cannot be fired because that coordinator is the head coach. Just doesn’t make sense.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
Thanks for doing this in a timely fashion, Too Late Todd
January 8th, 2026 at 1:36 pm
About 15 weeks too late but a postiive step.
Now we need to see some defensive guys go. Time for Bowles to Clear out all his Cronies and Larry Foote and install some guys including a true playcalling modern DC.
Only way to save face and perhaps not lose the entire fan base.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:36 pm
Are we waiting for Tomlin for good news out of One Bucs Palace?
January 8th, 2026 at 1:36 pm
Can we fire the defensive coordinator?
January 8th, 2026 at 1:36 pm
Darn Joe I thought this would be the first firing of the day. Just waiting on the defensive firings
January 8th, 2026 at 1:37 pm
Honestly Bowles hand picked his staff he wanted.. these were HIS guys. He should be fired along side with them.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:37 pm
Really? 4-3 defenses are even WORSE up the middle. It’s the biggest weakness of the Tampa 2. 3-4 defenses are the best against the pass. That’s why almost all the best teams use them.
What you really miss is the awesome hall-of-farmers we had.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:37 pm
Finally. Now the edge, linebackers and secondary coaches gotta go
January 8th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
ZzBucs will I support him no, but I will not actively wish for his failure either, though I do expect him to fail. Almost every coach on the defensive side of the ball should be jettisoned into the sun without a second thought and Bowles need to be forced to bring in a DC and to give up playcalling. He juste isn’t good enough to do both and in his defense, very few coaches are
January 8th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
Ross and Strong fired too!
January 8th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch : Where are you seeing this?
January 8th, 2026 at 1:39 pm
Rapone retiring!
January 8th, 2026 at 1:39 pm
Too late man should have adjusted when it still mattered
January 8th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
On 12 weeks too late
January 8th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
Good Lord, that took entirely too long.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:43 pm
Joe had this one in the can ready to go as soon as it was made public.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:44 pm
3 more to go:
Foote- Terrible Pass rush. Must go
Caldwell-ILB assistant coach and we had terrible ILB – must Go
DC Bowles- Say no more- must go
If HC Bowles is hones with himself, he fires his DC and we hire a new DC with a new scheme and Play caller. He becomes a Mike Tomlin type HC.
I like Bowles the man and human. He cares for his players adn they care for him so I am Ok with him being a leader and mentor just not a playcaller and scheme creator.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:46 pm
Attention!!!
There is a major change in the Buccaneer’s Rally Cry
From
“FIRE TTE CANNONS”
To
“FIRE THE COACHES”
January 8th, 2026 at 1:48 pm
Seems like +that+ could have happened a few games earlier!
January 8th, 2026 at 1:51 pm
Im mad that we fired Grizzard before we fired him both deserve to be fired, but I was for sure Thomas would have went first
January 8th, 2026 at 1:52 pm
Whoop de Doo. Who cares?
January 8th, 2026 at 1:59 pm
There’s nothing to gain from mid-season firings if you don’t have a coach to elevate from the same staff on-hand.
Talent pool isn’t nearly as full of available talent in October-November as after the end of the regular season. Playoffs are going to start and progres, which means more coaches may become available and the coaching market gets flooded.
January 8th, 2026 at 1:59 pm
Great news.
Also, Joe, error in title.
January 8th, 2026 at 2:00 pm
This is moving at a pace that looks like the Glazer’s gave him an ultimatum. Especially if they did reach out looking at another HC. Hopefully they told he they must get rid a DC and Bowles is strictly hands off or else.
January 8th, 2026 at 2:02 pm
” Specail Teams Coach Thomas McGaughey Fired” Yeah… he was SPECAIL all right! Good riddance.
January 8th, 2026 at 2:02 pm
remember when trying new punters out was bowles solution? this guy hired an incompetent staff and still is head coach?
January 8th, 2026 at 2:04 pm
Joe do you think the current DC will be stripped of his DC position and be forced to hire someone from the outside and bring in a new scheme and be hands off
January 8th, 2026 at 2:05 pm
Hopefully they told him he must get a DC.
I hate this auto fill words.
January 8th, 2026 at 2:06 pm
They not playin today
January 8th, 2026 at 2:06 pm
It was kinda hilarious how we just started kicking it into the end zone to avoid 45 yard + run backs by the end of the season. I don’t recall seeing any other team waive the white flag like this
January 8th, 2026 at 2:29 pm
MY VOTE FOR WORST BUCS COACH OF ALL TIME
Thomas McGaughey is EASILY the worst coach the Bucs have ever had.
>Lovie was a terrible head coach but a great coordinator. He’s out.
>Mike Smith is up there but DC is way more complex than ST.
>Leftwhich was totally inept but not so bad it caused the team to miss the playoffs.
EPIC FAILURE OF UNIMAGINABLE PROPORTION
THINK ABOUT THIS …
After 17 Games Thomas couldn’t figure out how to cover a kickoff return.
The NFL intentionally redesigned kickoffs to make them easy to contain. It’s only supposed to be a gesture to the old days. It’s redesigned to be inconsequential. 18 weeks plus preseason. People learn advanced calculus in half that time.
TM had challenges scheming for punts and FG attempts. He literally SUCKED at every aspect of the easiest job in football.
Literally any … NO … EVERY high school coach in America could have done better.
January 8th, 2026 at 2:37 pm
Concur with SlyPirate. It’s a high bar too. Turrrible…
January 8th, 2026 at 2:43 pm
finally. should have been gone long ago.
January 8th, 2026 at 2:43 pm
About time! Good riddance!
January 8th, 2026 at 2:44 pm
Bowles kept this guy the WHOLE season! He should have been fired 3 months ago. Even more an indictment on Bowles leadership.
January 8th, 2026 at 2:44 pm
Duh.
January 8th, 2026 at 2:47 pm
Alstott 1
Why do that when you can fire them all with one stroke.
January 8th, 2026 at 2:49 pm
From a business perspective a cut and run on bowles would be both profitable and agreeable for all Buccaneers’ fans.
January 8th, 2026 at 3:04 pm
Smh, NEEDED TO BE DONE IN SEASON!!!!! TOO LITTLE TOO LATE!!!
January 8th, 2026 at 3:09 pm
About fricken time.
January 8th, 2026 at 3:20 pm
Well, hot dang! The brilliance of this move is baffling!
January 8th, 2026 at 3:38 pm
Finally…only about 17 weeks too late, but I guess better late than never.
January 8th, 2026 at 3:42 pm
Bowles was ultimately at fault. He cared more about his homeboy network than the team. Only way I can see why this dude was ever hired in the first place
January 8th, 2026 at 3:55 pm
GOOD!
January 8th, 2026 at 3:59 pm
He should have been fired after week 4, but accountability is not a skillset that Todd Bowles possesses.
January 8th, 2026 at 4:09 pm
next the dc guess he would have to look in a mirror that would be funny
January 8th, 2026 at 4:28 pm
I bet this one took some real evaluation !! About three months to late boys !
January 8th, 2026 at 5:19 pm
Rams axed their special team coach in season amd they in the show now.
January 8th, 2026 at 5:37 pm
Still have one big, fat, sloppy, uninspiring problem that we didn’t take care of.
January 8th, 2026 at 6:26 pm
I can’t believe the stupidity of the ownership group – this is the worst idea that could be implemented – Todd is absolute trash as a HC
4-13 next year – right back to the lost decade
The Glazer kids are stupid or greedy, plain and simple
I do the payment plan so I can’t cancel without forfeiting several month payments – they know it and tens of thousands of us are in the same boat
Yuk, yuk, yuk – it’s a Bucs life
January 8th, 2026 at 6:45 pm
Yet, Jason Licht signs of on Todd’s stupid choice. Yeah, ROH. Licht is a puppet, I cannot attribute any failure or success to him. He’s only as good as his coach
January 8th, 2026 at 8:10 pm
Great. Good news, but Bowles is still head coach? That’s either insanity or stupidity. You choose.
January 8th, 2026 at 8:16 pm
Was this guy Bowles’ brother in law, cousin, nephew? A related party issue can be the only explanation for not firing him mid-season.
January 8th, 2026 at 8:40 pm
Todd Bowles is a teeth clenched idjit. At least he’s fat for an idjit
January 9th, 2026 at 12:08 am
While they are at it, and no one has been talking about it, but their strength and conditioning coach, Piroli, should be sent packing. With the amount of injuries this season, there is an obvious fail here. Some injuries are inevitable, but others can be mitigated through…..strength and conditioning.
January 9th, 2026 at 3:05 am
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The plan was to have Bowles back there at punter & have it get blocked as much as possible.