The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are casting a wider net in their search for a new offensive coordinator. After cycling through multiple young play-callers in recent years, Tampa Bay appears to be prioritizing experience and quarterback development as it tries to stabilize an offense that has been in constant flux under head coach Todd Bowles.
Brian Callahan Brings Joe Burrow Pedigree to Tampa Bay’s OC Search
The Buccaneers completed a virtual interview Friday with former Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan for their vacant offensive coordinator role, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. It marked Callahan’s first publicly known interview since being dismissed by the Titans six games into the 2025 season. It instantly made him one of the most accomplished candidates linked to Tampa Bay’s opening.
Bucs completed a virtual interview with former Titans head coach Brian Callahan for their offensive coordinator position.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2026
Callahan’s two-year stint in Tennessee was forgettable on the surface. He went 4–19 as head coach, including a 1–5 start in 2025, before being fired in October. He also surrendered play-calling duties early last season. But the Buccaneers are clearly looking past the record and focusing on the offensive résumé that made Callahan attractive in the first place.
Before arriving in Nashville, Callahan spent five seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator from 2019 through 2023. That stretch coincided with the franchise’s transformation from a bottom-feeder into an AFC powerhouse built around quarterback Joe Burrow. Under Callahan and head coach Zac Taylor, Cincinnati won two AFC North titles, reached two AFC Championship Games, and appeared in Super Bowl LVI.
The production during that run was not accidental. From 2021 through 2023, the Bengals ranked sixth in scoring at 24.9 points per game, seventh in passing at 250.8 yards per game, and seventh in red-zone efficiency at 61.5 percent. Burrow himself posted the league’s seventh-best passer rating and tied for the third-best completion percentage from 2020 through 2023, quickly evolving from the No. 1 overall pick into one of the NFL’s most efficient quarterbacks.
That quarterback-centric background is especially relevant for the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers do not need a rebuild at the position, but they do need continuity. Baker Mayfield delivered a strong 2025 season, ranking among the best in 2025. Yet Grizzard’s dismissal after just one year leaves Mayfield heading into his third offensive system in three seasons.
Callahan’s interview also fits a broader pattern in Tampa Bay. Dave Canales and Liam Coen both used the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator job as a springboard to head coaching roles, leaving Bowles to replace his play-caller yet again. With this being the team’s fifth offensive coordinator in five years, the appeal of a seasoned NFL coach who has already overseen an elite quarterback’s development makes sense.
Whether Callahan ultimately lands the job remains to be seen, but the Buccaneers’ early interest in a former head coach suggests Bowles and general manager Jason Licht may be prioritizing stability over another developmental gamble.
