The Jaguars are adding an offensive assistant.
Jacksonville is hiring Brian Picucci to be the club’s offensive run game coordinator, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Picucci had been Tampa Bay’s offensive line coach in 2025 after serving as the club’s assistant offensive line coach in 2024.
Picucci worked with Jaguars head coach Liam Coen at multiple stops, including with Tampa Bay in 2024 and also at the college level at Kentucky.
Bucs Clips
The Buccaneers have made it official with Zac Robinson, announcing the club has hired him as offensive coordinator on Thursday.
“We are excited to welcome Zac Robinson as our next offensive coordinator,” head coach Todd Bowles said in a statement released by the team. “Zac is one of the bright offensive minds in our game, and during the interview process, I was very impressed with his plan for getting the most out of the talent we have on that side of the ball. He has a very good understanding of the strengths of our top offensive players from his time in the division the past two years and I am very confident in his ability to teach and develop our young players.”
Robinson replaces Josh Grizzard, who served one year as the team’s OC after Liam Coen departed the franchise to become Jacksonville’s head coach.
Robinson will be the team’s fifth different offensive coordinator over the last five seasons following Byron Leftwich, Dave Canales, Coen, and Grizzard.
Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has been the betting favorite to win offensive rookie of the year for some time and he officially became a finalist for the award on Thursday.
McMillan was a first-round pick last April and he posted 70 catches, 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns for the NFC South champs. If McMillan wins the award, he’ll join Cam Newton as the only Panthers to receive the honor.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough might have surpassed McMillan as the favorite with more time in the starting lineup. Even if he falls short of hearing his name announced at the NFL Honors event in February, Shough’s provided reason for hope about the future in New Orleans.
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, and Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson are the other finalists this year.
The Buccaneers have found their next offensive coordinator.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that they are finalizing a deal with Zac Robinson to take that key role on Todd Bowles’s coaching staff.
Robinson spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Falcons, so he’s no stranger to life in the NFC South. The Falcons finished 13th in scoring in 2024, but dropped to 24th in 2025 and finished 8-9 both seasons. That led to head coach Raheem Morris getting fired and it pushed Robinson to find a new place to coach.
Robinson was the quarterbacks coach for the Rams before going to Atlanta, so he’s also no stranger to Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield spent time with the Rams during the 2022 season and the success of their reunion will do much to determine how well things will go in Tampa next season.
The firing of Bills coach Sean McDermott has provoked plenty of reactions. Former Cardinals and Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians recently gave a frank assessment of the situation.
“This one baffles me,” Arians told Pat McAfee, via JoeBucsFan.com. “How [Bills General Manager] Brandon Beane got elevated [to president of football operations] and Sean McDermott got fired, that just blows my mind because they didn’t have any damn players.
“I mean the guy’s one of the best coaches in the league and a great leader of men. He’s taken that team as close as you can get, couldn’t beat [Patrick] Mahomes. [McDermott] didn’t throw any damn interceptions. And the referees screwed him bad and he gets fired. C’mon man. And Brandon Beane gets a fucking raise? I don’t get that one. That one blows my mind.”
Plenty of Bills fans surely feel the same way. And Wednesday’s press conference likely didn’t change many, if any, minds.
But only one person’s vote counts. Owner Terry Pegula decided it was McDermott’s fault. And that Beane not only merits no blame but deserves credit for building the team that McDermott couldn’t get to a Super Bowl.
The Buccaneers appear to be moving closer to making their decision about a new offensive coordinator.
Albert Breer of SI.com reports that they have scheduled a second interview on Thursday with former Titans head coach Brian Callahan for the position. The Bucs fired Josh Grizzard after one season in the role.
Callahan also interviewed for the Chargers’ coordinator position, but they are expected to hire Mike McDaniel to fill that spot on Jim Harbaugh’s staff.
The Bucs also announced the completion of an interview with Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher on Wednesday. Pitcher succeeded Callahan when Callahan left Cincinnati for Tennessee, so the choice in Tampa could wind up being a former Bengals assistant one way or another.
The Falcons have requested an interview with Buccaneers wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports.
The Falcons are seeking an offensive coordinator under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Atlanta also requested an interview with Cardinals passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Drew Terrell.
McClendon has spent the past two seasons with the Bucs, his first NFL job.
He has worked in the college ranks for 17 seasons, mostly at Georgia but also at South Carolina and Oregon. He was interim head coach for the Ducks in 2021 and interim head coach for the Bulldogs in 2015.
McClendon was co-offensive coordinator or offensive coordinator during his four seasons (2016-19) with the Gamecocks.
The arrival of Robert Saleh in Tennessee makes the AFC South spicier, thanks to the presence of Saleh’s nemesis, Jaguars coach Liam Coen. The arrival of Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta makes the NFC South spicier, too.
It started when D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution posted a surprisingly aggressive tweet: “Falcons’ [coach] Kevin Stefanski had a dumpster fire at quarterback in Cleveland — Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson failed, which started a chain reaction to 11 other starters. QB Shedeur Sanders closed out last season with seven starts.”
Mayfield saw it, and responded.
“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield said. “Still waiting on a text/call from [Stefanski] after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage. Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach.”
Mayfield is right; it was and is a reach. Mayfield took the Browns to the postseason in 2020, leading them to the divisional round against the Chiefs. Kansas City narrowly escaped, 22-17.
In 2021, Mayfield played through injuries, and the Browns missed the playoffs. In early 2022, someone in Cleveland got the bright idea to mortgage the future for (and pay a king’s ransom to) Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Browns traded Mayfield to the Panthers, who at the time were nearly as dysfunctional as the Browns have been for more than a decade.
Mayfield’s three years with the Buccaneers have proven that he’s not a “dumpster fire” quarterback. The Browns were the dumpster fire.
Now, the smoke has spread to Atlanta and Tampa Bay, where the perpetual chip on Mayfield’s shoulder has gotten a little bigger. And it’s awesome.
It looks like Mike McDaniel will not be the next head coach in Cleveland.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that McDaniel informed the team that he is withdrawing from their head coaching search. McDaniel interviewed with the team earlier this month and was slated to meet with them a second time on Wednesday.
McDaniel has also interviewed with the Raiders, Ravens, Falcons, and Titans since being fired by the Dolphins after Week 18. The Falcons and Titans have found their new head coaches, so McDaniel will not be landing either of those jobs.
There has also been offensive coordinator interest in McDaniel from teams like the Chargers and Buccaneers. Teams with new coaches could join them as they begin to fill out their coaching staffs, so there are still a lot of potential landing spots for McDaniel as the coaching carousel continues to turn.
The Browns had a second interview with their own defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, and Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase also remain in the mix in Cleveland.
The Buccaneers have found a new special teams coordinator.
Per NFL Media, veteran coach Danny Smith is joining Tampa Bay in the role.
Smith, 72, had been with the Steelers as the club’s special teams coordinator since 2013. But with Mike Tomlin stepping down as head coach, Pittsburgh gave its assistants permission to find roles elsewhere.
Smith has been serving as a special teams coordinator since 1995 when the Eagles hired him in the role. While he was Detroit’s tight ends coach from 1999-2000, he has since served as special teams coordinator for Buffalo (2001-2003), Washington (2004-2012), and Pittsburgh.
Smith replaces Thomas McGaughe, who was fired after spending 2024-2025 with the club.
