Tampa Bay Buccaneers Expected To Move On From Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich After Playoff Loss

It looks like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be ready to move on from Byron Leftwich.

Following the team’s 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in their opening game of the playoffs, the Buccaneers are expected to fire the offensive coordinator, according to Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report.

“Now that the Bucs’ 2022 season has come to a close following Tampa Bay’s 31-14 loss to Dallas in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, Pewter Report is reporting that the team is expected to fire offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich,” said Reynolds.

Reynold went on to note how the move has been expected for some time, with the Buccaneers approving a plan to fire Leftwich at midseason. However, head coach Todd Bowles didn’t see a potential upgrade on the current staff — which is the reason they stuck with Leftwich, despite the offensive unit’s struggles all season long.

“The Bucs okayed a plan to fire Leftwich at midseason – either after the Ravens game on Thursday Night Football or after the bye week,” said Reynolds. “Instead, Bowles decided to trust his defense and Brady’s heroics and hoped that Leftwich and the offensive staff could make some improvements along the way, which didn’t happen. It’s likely that Bowles didn’t see a potential upgrade at play-caller on the current staff, which is why he stayed with Leftwich for the rest of the year.”

Leftwich just completed his fourth season as offensive coordinator of the Buccaneers, a holdover from the Bruce Arians regime. However, the 43-year-old offensive coordinator struggled to lead the offensive unit in his first season without Arians — a big reason why Tampa Bay struggled to an 8-9 record.

The Buccaneers averaged 18.4 points per game this season, ranking 25th in the league. It was a far decline from the 30.1 points per game they averaged last season and the 30.8 points per game they averaged during the 2020 season.

Tampa Bay didn’t show any improvement in their biggest game of the season. Despite defeating the Cowboys in the season opener, they looked like a shell of the team they were in Week 1. The Buccaneers didn’t score their first points of the game until the end of the third quarter and didn’t score their second touchdown until the game was out of reach with 2:04 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Leftwich was previously a hot name in head coaching searches in recent years, interviewing for the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job last offseason. However, he removed his name from consideration and the Jaguars eventually hired Doug Pederson.

The move isn’t exactly surprising, given that the Buccaneers hope to lure Tom Brady back for a fourth season. As reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Tampa Bay wants to re-sign Brady. However, there’s a “chance” Brady doesn’t return to the Buccaneers.

“Tom Brady is a free agent after this season,” said Rapoport. “He will be 46 years old and I would say there’s a chance he does not return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite the fact that they very much want him back and plant to make efforts toward that.”

Considering the offense’s lack of improvement throughout the season, firing Leftwich was almost a necessity if Tampa Bay hopes to re-sign Brady.

The Buccaneers will return Bowles as head coach for a second season despite his struggles leading Tampa Bay just two years removed from a Super Bowl, as Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times previously reported.

“Barring an unforeseen change of heart, the Bucs plan to retain Todd Bowles as their head coach for the 2023 season regardless of the outcome of Monday night’s wild-card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys,” said Stroud.

With Leftwich on the way out and Brady possibly moving on, the Buccaneers could be looking at a massive rebuilding project in the offseason. Tampa Bay will be more than $43 million over the salary cap entering the offseason, the second-highest mark in the NFL. They’ll likely have to move off of key veterans in order to clear up cap space for any chance of re-signing Brady.