Tampa Bay

Buccaneers

McClendon has been with the Bucs for the past two seasons, helping develop the likes of Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka in the wide receiver room, alongside vets Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Falcons are conducting offensive coordinator interviews under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. McClendon will interview with the chance to develop Drake London and Bijan Robinson’s offense.

The 72-year-old had been with the Steelers for the past 13 years, but was allowed to walk after Mike Tomlin stepped down. He should bring some stability to one of the worst special-teams units in the NFL last year. Todd Bowles has at least gotten off to a good start on fixing some of the issues his team had in 2025 through staff changes here.

It’s a lateral move, however, Pitcher would be leaving for a job where he’d actually get to call plays. Head coach Zac Taylor actually gave Pitcher the chance to interview even though he could have blocked it. It’s eye-catching, if nothing else. Pitcher joins a crowded OC interview pool for the Bucs that includes Mike McDaniel, Brian Callahan, Zac Robinson, Mike Kafka, and Todd Monken.

Yesterday, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator could appeal to McDaniel because it gives him “full autonomy of the offense,” with head coach Todd Bowles focused on the defensive side of the football. The Eagles, Lions and Chargers are also reportedly interested in hiring McDaniel as their next offensive coordinator, though all three teams possess offensive-minded head coaches.

McDaniel won’t be without a job for long, but whether or not he lands a job as a head coach or an offensive coordinator is still to be determined. The former Dolphins head coach last spoke with the Ravens on Thursday regarding their head coaching vacancy, and is reportedly at the top of the list for the Eagles to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy. McDaniel also interviewed for the head coaching vacancies for both the Browns and Falcons. McDaniel would likely have full autonomy over the Bucs’ offense should he join the team, and could help turn around an offense the regressed in its first season sans Liam Coen.

A true veteran of the game, Smith, 72, has spent the last 13 seasons leading the Steelers’ special teams unit, and spent time as the special teams coordinator for the Bills (2001-2003), and Commanders (2004-2012) before that. Smith’s special teams units with the Steelers were often some of the best the league had to offer, making him an enticing candidate for the Buccaneers, who struggled mightily in that area last year.

The Buccaneers, Eagles, Lions and Chargers are interested in hiring McDaniel for their offensive coordinator vacancies. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington notes that the Eagles, Lions and Chargers are all run by offensive-minded head coaches. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles previously held defensive coordinator roles with the Buccaneers (2019-2021), Cardinals (2013-2014) and Eagles (2012). He allows his offensive coordinators “full autonomy of the offense,” which could appeal to a former head coach like McDaniel, who may wish to avoid butting heads with an offensive-minded head coach over scheme and staff.

McDaniel has been a busy man since being fired by Miami. He has several interviews for both head coaching and OC vacancies. McDaniel will likely be stuck with a less-than-deal head coaching job if he lands one. It could be smarter for him to rehab his image as a play-caller in a great situation before returning to a better opening as a head coach down the road. An opportunity to work with Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ deep cast of pass-catchers would certainly allow McDaniel to prove his worth. Detroit and Philadelphia are also intriguing offensive coordinator openings for the former Miami boss.

Kafka also has an interview scheduled with the Lions for their offensive coordinator vacancy. The Giants offense struggled for most of last year, though they did use three quarterbacks including rookie Jaxson Dart. Kafka never actually played with a full suite of options as Giants offensive coordinator and would be mildly interesting in a spot with better personnel. His roots with Andy Reid have led several reporters to conclude he might draw an interview there once the Chiefs moves on from Matt Nagy. (Or once Matt Nagy moves on from the Chiefs.)

Monken hasn’t parted ways with the Ravens quite yet, but there’s no way he’ll stay on with the team after John Harbaugh was fired in part for refusing to fire Monken. Monken’s Ravens offense was one of the league’s most efficient units over the past few seasons. His work with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland for one season could make Monken an appealing hire for a Bucs team looking to right the offensive ship after a rocky second half of the 2025 season.