As the Buccaneers look for a new offensive coordinator following the dismissal of Byron Leftwich, they may be looking at a familiar name.
As JoeBucsFan proposes in a recent column, Tampa Bay could be looking at former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien as their next offensive coordinator.
O’Brien currently serves as the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama. “O’Brien, 53, has strong ties to Bucs general manager Jason Licht,” said JoeBucsFan. “They worked together in New England and were good friends there and after their Belicheats time ended. To the best of Joe’s knowledge, they have the same agent.
Joe would be pleased to see O’Brien paired with Todd Bowles, but the Bucs may be O’Brien’s second choice.”
Buccaneers Almost Landed Bill O’Brien as Coordinator in 2022
As mentioned in the column, the New England Patriots are likely O’Brien’s first choice. Prior to his stint with the Texans from 2014 until 2020, he served in a variety of coaching roles for the Patriots from 2007 until 2011.
O’Brien being linked to the Buccaneers isn’t exactly surprising considering the previous report that Tampa Bay was going to hire the former Patriots assistant to call plays last season if Leftwich had bolted.
“A year ago, then-Bucs coach Bruce Arians was pretty confident that Leftwich was going to be hired as head coach by the Jacksonville Jaguars to replace Urban Meyer,” said Stroud on Jan. 7. “The Bucs contacted O’Brien, who would have replaced Leftwich. But it all fell apart when the Jaguars hired Doug Pederson, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles.”
