Josh Grizzard Fired as Bucs OC After Missing NFL Playoffs, Rumors on Top Replacements

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reportedly moving on from an offensive coordinator for the fifth time in five years.

The Bucs fired OC Josh Grizzard days after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Thursday.

Tampa Bay also parted ways with quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Lewis worked with the Bucs for three seasons, including the entirety of Baker Mayfield's tenure with the team so far. McGaughey had held his role for the last two seasons.

The news comes the day after Todd Bowles told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times he would be returning as head coach, but with changes to his staff.

Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken are "two names to watch" as offensive coordinator candidates, according to Garafolo.

The Buccaneers surged to the top of the NFC South with a 5-1 start to the season, only to collapse down the stretch with a 3-8 run that ultimately left them out of the playoff picture altogether.

Tampa Bay's collapse coincided with the shoulder and knee injuries Mayfield was battling throughout the latter half of the season, as well as with extended injury absences from receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan.

Mayfield threw 12 touchdown passes to just one interception during the Bucs' 5-1 start. He was also recording 26.3 rushing yards per game.

The quarterback abruptly stopped carrying the ball in Week 7, a turning point which also marked a downswing in his passing accuracy.

Mayfield recorded 14 passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions, while dropping his rushing to just over 20 yards per game, over the last 11 games of the season.

Grizzard, 35, was hired last January to replace outgoing OC Liam Coen. He had previously spent one season as the Bucs' passing game coordinator under Coen.

Bowles cited "continuity" between Coen and Grizzard's offenses as the reason the Bucs went with an in-house candidate after Coen departed to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Instead, the Bucs' passing offense went from ranking third in the NFL in passing yards during the 2024 season under Coen to 20th in passing yards behind Grizzard in 2025.

According to Garafolo, the Bucs aren't the only team potentially interested in Scheelhaase. Garafolo described him as a "red-hot OC candidate" who could be considered for head coaching positions after leading the NFL's top passing offense in both yards and touchdowns this season.

Monken could meanwhile be on the move after the Ravens' dismissal former head coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens struggled in 2025, but ran one of the top offenses in the NFL for two prior seasons under Monken.