Next Offensive Coordinator Should Be Serious Head Coach Material
January 15th, 2026
Team Glazer huddles with Buccaneers GM Jason Licht.
Perhaps Joe is simply stating the obvious in the headline. But if it’s not obvious, the Bucs, if they fail to win in 2026, should want to get off the offensive coordinator carousel.
Joe knows three out of four teams alive in the AFC playoffs have defense-first head coaches, but it’s certainly preferable to have stability in the offensive playcaller role.
Todd Bowles is about to hire his fifth offensive coordinator for his fifth season after firing fall-guy Josh Grizzard.
So what’s the right profile for the new hire? Joe has noted experience is critical. The Bucs have an offense ready to be elite, and Bowles has a job to preserve. That combination should demand an accomplished playcaller.
But Joe also would like to see the new playcaller be a viable head coach candidate in case the 2026 Bucs offense thrives while the team overall misses the playoffs.
What a crime against Bucs fandom it would be to see an A-grade Tampa Bay offense next season but the whole staff gets fired because Team Glazer doesn’t feel comfortable promoting the new offensive coordinator to be head coach.
Of course, that’s a moot point if the Bucs overal have a strong 2026 season and make up for the embarrassment that was 2025.
January 15th, 2026 at 7:25 am
I just saw that Monken is going to the giants w Harbough
January 15th, 2026 at 7:32 am
Pathetic.The Buc ship is sinking fast and the hull is full of worms.
January 15th, 2026 at 7:42 am
ABSOLUTELY!
January 15th, 2026 at 7:43 am
Best thing that can happen for our franchise is a complete tank job
January 15th, 2026 at 7:50 am
Interesting article. @Joe said the new OC should be a viable head coaching candidate. I fully agree. With that said I wonder if Jason and / or the Glazers will play a bigger role in deciding whi the new OC will be? In other words if Coach Bowles picks someone that they don’t think can take over the HC job in 2027 would they pull rank on Bowles and say “no, that’s not our guy. Try again”.
Interesting to think about.
January 15th, 2026 at 7:56 am
Schelelhasse or McDaniels
January 15th, 2026 at 7:56 am
Monken to the Giants is no surprise. Perhaps itāll be Zac Robinson (if heāll have us).
January 15th, 2026 at 7:57 am
Al121976 Says:
January 15th, 2026 at 7:25 am
I just saw that Monken is going to the giants w Harbough
_______
Dammit
January 15th, 2026 at 7:58 am
Still time to fire Bowels if the interview goes well, letās just skip a step!
January 15th, 2026 at 8:02 am
McDaniel
January 15th, 2026 at 8:06 am
Most definitely, Joe.
If Monken is going with Harbaugh, it could be why they are interviewing McDaniel tomorrow at One Buc Place. We need a bump up for the future. McDaniel comes back to his OC roots for a year, and if everything goes right he could be Bucs future HC. š
January 15th, 2026 at 8:07 am
“What a crime against Bucs fandom…” the crime has already been committed. And it’s on par with the 1997 Dunbar Armored Depot robbery. The Glazers decided to keep Bowles, the king of mediocrity in place as the head coach.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:11 am
Bucs should go hard for McDaniel or Scheelhaase.. i dont want to be stuck with Zac Robinson..
January 15th, 2026 at 8:12 am
That would take McD out of the running
January 15th, 2026 at 8:13 am
Fire Bowles heās the problem. Coen .
was the right man for the job.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:20 am
Mhystc – I think Nate is interviewing with the Steelers for HC. I like him too, but that may be a good spot for him to start off as HC.
Rachaad had mentioned Zac Robinson on that podcast. I am with you, no way. Let Zac go to the Lions with Jared Goff.
Definitely now the guy for the Bucs is McDaniel. Let him com back to OC for a year, see how he does, and then possibly make him coach. It’s a win-win.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:23 am
Pure dribble
January 15th, 2026 at 8:26 am
The Bumbling Brothers
January 15th, 2026 at 8:28 am
With Monken now off the board, McDaniel may have leverage to make a play for HC. Does anyone (other than Lakeland) think this would NOT be an upgrade from Bowles? Especially considering how or of a DC Bowles is.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:30 am
Remember. Glazers have neither confirmed nor denied Bowels returning in 2026.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:32 am
heyjude Says:
January 15th, 2026 at 8:20 am
Mhystc ā I think Nate is interviewing with the Steelers for HC. I like him too, but that may be a good spot for him to start off as HC.
Steelers like to hire them young and keep them until they get old and burn out. Heāll probably end up there if heās smart. Thats a steady 2 decade paycheck!
January 15th, 2026 at 8:32 am
I’m just not seeing anything positive or uplifting with the offseason or the 2026 season. I won’t be watching any Bucs games with Todd “The Toilet” Bowles remaining as head coach.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:34 am
hire someone off the street football not rocket science hire someone walking down dale mabry with a hoodie team up with bowles that would work
January 15th, 2026 at 8:36 am
McDaniels. Pay him.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:37 am
So Joe, many have entertained this question already this morning. With Monkin out of the picture, who seems to be that OC candidate that can come in as the OC and continue that continuity if Bowles retire or be fired. Who at this time seem to be the strongest candidate? Z Robison, M McDaniel, N Sheelhasse or some surprise candidate? Of course I understand that theses guys could get hired somewhere else or may not want to come to Tampa
January 15th, 2026 at 8:39 am
Fire Bowles.
Hire McDaniel.
Problem solved.
The fact that he got anything out of Trainwreck Tua is a miracle.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:42 am
Good luck with that. There’s no guarantee the Glazers would consider the OC as HC material.
The big question as always is who wants a one year job?
I’m not overly impressed with McDaniels but it’s hard to succeed when your QB sucks. Why come to the Bucs when you can go to Philly with a better roster and QB. Or go to Baltimore. Theres a lot of competition of OCs right now.
Bucs might need to find a one year placeholder and start over with an offensive HC after the 2026 season.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:47 am
Tank for Moore 2027!
January 15th, 2026 at 8:47 am
As the dominoes begin to fall, more than likely, the Bucs players and fan base will be handicapped by a second rate HC/DC and bottom tier OC!
January 15th, 2026 at 8:55 am
McDaniels might be a great offensive, but he sure isn’t a very good head coach.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:55 am
Remember Todd Bowles is the reason Byron Leftwich isn’t a 2 time super bowl winning OC.
January 15th, 2026 at 8:56 am
Monken might be headed to the Giants with Harbaugh, so might have to take that name out of the hit as heās likely weighing his options and considering where heāll go.
January 15th, 2026 at 9:00 am
Monken could step in once todd is fired next year. He won’t get a h/c shot with the Giants
January 15th, 2026 at 9:05 am
Licht & the Glazers shouldnāt let McDaniel leave tomorrow without signing him. Doesnāt matter what Bowles thinks. Let McDaniel coach the offense unobstructed and let it play out.
January 15th, 2026 at 9:10 am
Once Harbaugh got the giants gig you knew monken would be off the board.
January 15th, 2026 at 9:14 am
Rachaad Whiteās comments showed us what we all already knew. The calls are coming from inside the house! The players donāt respond to Bowles anymore. He is a lame duck head coach and heāll be fired a year, or 2 really, too late. 26 will be a wasted year and weāll be resetting in 27. I will never route for the Bucs to fail but Iām already completely apathetic about the upcoming season.
January 15th, 2026 at 9:20 am
Mcdanielā¦.. as long as he loses the capri pants!!!! š¤¦š»š¤£
January 15th, 2026 at 9:36 am
So, lets walk this out…
– Good OC comes in, has a great offense
– Team goes 10-7
– Todd survives another year
– OC gets a HC job
– Back where we started
If the Glazers aren’t going to fire Bowles and promote the OC, what’s the point of hiring a quality OC in the first place?
January 15th, 2026 at 9:40 am
LtDan – YES. AGREE 100%. āWhat a crime against Bucs fandomā¦ā the crime has already been committed. And itās on par with the 1997 Dunbar Armored Depot robbery. The Glazers decided to keep Bowles, the king of mediocrity in place as the head coach.
Can you blame Monken or any other good OC for not saying yes to this crap situation?
January 15th, 2026 at 9:41 am
Colonel Angus – So true, so true. I had been in the thinking mode that the next few years the Steelers may be similar to other teams and not find a long lasting HC. However, if they get Nate, he could be there for a good 19 years!
January 15th, 2026 at 9:42 am
Man some are saying there is going to be a coach package available ,,, would you fire Bowles for the old Rams coaching staff,, Shula (HC) Nate S (OC) Raheem (DC) ,,, Thatās a pretty good staff whoever gets them
January 15th, 2026 at 10:00 am
The only way a qualified OC is coming to Tampa is by hiring them as HC and firing Bowles.
January 15th, 2026 at 10:37 am
Not seeing the offense ready to be elite thing. Off line canāt pass block, even the year before they ran the ball well to negate poor pass blocking and Baker escaped rush just enough. Upgrade O line or find someone to coach em up, otherwise looking for a dismal season because defense aināt getting any better
January 15th, 2026 at 10:41 am
Well, Harbaugh is going to the Giants, will he take Monken with him? That means Artie Blank struck out, I do not even know if Harbaugh got to interview with the ATL. McDaniel will be a head coach if he wants it, if he is okay with being an OC, well Detroit seems to be a more desirable job as does Philly. That brings the Bucs to Zach Robinson, and my issue with him is that his numbers as OC were not all that great when you take away his success against Bowles which padded the ATL offensive numbers over the past 2 years. He might end up getting the job though with Licht hoping he is more like Coen then Canales or Grizzard.
January 15th, 2026 at 10:41 am
You all need to realize that it’s not Bowels it was his coaching staff!
The man is a DEFENSIVE GURU! Genius pier genius!
January 15th, 2026 at 10:43 am
Just think: if we fire Bowles, he will suddenly become the next hot item in the hiring bin. He’ll be suddenly desirable in all the media accounts. It’s the National Recycling League. No one seems to notice that almost all the candidates running around have just been terminated as incompetent ?
January 15th, 2026 at 11:03 am
ALL decisions should always be with the purpose of making the next Bucs HC from an OC!
January 15th, 2026 at 11:22 am
Or maybe, for a change, have a succession plan! Get someone young, smart and energetic in (ideally from the McVay coaching tree and type), give them two years of experience, retire Bowles after two seasons and we’re set for the future.
January 15th, 2026 at 12:14 pm
Lightiningvinnie1- I like that.
January 15th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
The embarrassment that was 2025 Will look like the golden age of Bucs football compared to the complete washout that 2026 will be.
Welcome to the Sewer of Shame, with your host, Tood Bowels.
January 15th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
“fall guy Josh Grizzard” š¤£