BREAKING: Buccaneers fire Byron Leftwich with Tom Brady’s future in doubt
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired Byron Leftwich after Tom Brady and the offense looked awful in the Wild Card matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. The entire offense was not good all season long, so Buccaneers brass decided it was time to move on.
NFL reporter Rick Stroud said that the team is planning to make sweeping changes to their coaching, so Leftwich's firing isn't expected to be an isolated incident.
The Bucs have fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. The team is making sweeping changes to their coaching staff following an 8-9 regular season and wildcard loss to Dallas. As many as five offensive assistants and two on defense are expected to be let go.
Stroud tweeted:
"The Bucs have fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. The team is making sweeping changes to their coaching staff following an 8-9 regular season and wildcard loss to Dallas. As many as five offensive assistants and two on defense are expected to be let go."
The Buccaneers offense, despite having Brady, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Julio Jones and Leonard Fournette, struggled all year. They averaged 18 points and scored a measly 14 in the Wild Card game.
As a result of their awful offense, and with Brady likely leaving town via free agency, the Buccaneers have begun making changes. Todd Bowles is expected to remain as head coach, but nearly everything below him is now in flux.
Just two years removed from winning the Super Bowl, the Buccaneers are in a tight spot. Just next season, they could have an entirely new offensive staff and a brand new quarterback.
What's next for the Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
This is a critical offseason for the Buccaneers as their team could look very different next season. Tom Brady is probably leaving, with tons of teams gearing up to put a full court press on signing him.
With no Leftwich either, and assistants likely to follow him out the door, it's critical that they nail the hirings. They're likely to pick too high in the draft to get their next franchise quarterback there, but they will likely have a young quarterback that will need good coaching.
There are options for them to pivot from Brady, but they need a good offensive staff regardless. Could former head coach Kliff Kingsbury or someone else be coming to Tampa Bay?