By Jayna Bardahl, Dianna Russini and Jeff Howe

Although Todd Bowles is returning to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his staff will look very different next season.

A day after news broke that Bowles would remain Tampa Bay’s head coach, the team announced Thursday it fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis, cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross and defensive line coach Charlie Strong.

In a statement Thursday, Bowles called the staffing decisions “difficult” and said the “disappointing end to the season required some changes to our coaching staff in order to ensure we live up to the high standards we have set here.”

“These coaches have all put in a tremendous amount of work and effort, but unfortunately, the results were not there this past season,” he said. “Our goal is to compete for championships every year, and it is my responsibility to make these tough decisions in order to reach those expectations. I want to thank these coaches for all that they have contributed to our success over the years, and I wish them well.”

The Bucs also announced Thursday that senior offensive consultant Tom Moore retired at age 87, after 62 years of coaching, and safeties coach Nick Rapone retired at age 69.

Bowles — who is 35-33 over four seasons in Tampa Bay — was expected to make personnel changes, a league source said Wednesday, after the team finished the 2025 season 8-9. The Bucs missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019 due to a three-way tiebreaker in the NFC South. Their offense ranked 21st in the league in yards per game (320.4) and 18th in points per game (22.4).

Quarterback Baker Mayfield was an early MVP candidate when Tampa Bay started 5-1, but the year turned out to be his least productive since joining the Bucs in 2023. Mayfield completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,693 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Baker Mayfield’s offensive coordinators by year:

2018 — Todd Haley/Freddie Kitchens
2019 — Todd Monken
2020 — Alex Van Pelt
2021 — Alex Van Pelt
2022 — Ben McAdoo (CAR)/Liam Coen (LAR)
2023 — Dave Canales
2024 — Liam Coen
2025 — Josh Grizzard

And now, another name in 2026.

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 8, 2026

Injuries impacted the offense, too. Wide receivers Mike Evans (nine games) and Chris Godwin (eight games), running back Bucky Irving (seven games) and left tackle Tristan Wirfs (five games) all missed extended time.