Bucs dismiss offensive coordinator Leftwich, several other assistants

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers parted ways with nine assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, the team announced Thursday.

Leftwich, 43, had been an assistant with the Buccaneers since 2019.

Wide receivers coach Kevin Garver, offensive quality control coach Jeff Kastl, assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust, specialists coach Chris Boniol, and running backs coach Todd McNair were also dismissed.

Quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen, senior offensive assistant Rick Christophel, and outside linebackers coach Bob Sanders opted to retire.

"We appreciate the hard work and contributions that all of these coaches made to our successes over the past four seasons," head coach Todd Bowles said in a statement. "As a collective group, we did not meet the high standards that had been set for this past year, and my focus now is on doing what is needed to ensure a successful 2023 season."

Bowles is set to assemble his own offensive staff after taking over from Bruce Arians last March, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report. Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken is considered an option to replace Leftwich.

Leftwich helped lead the franchise to the Super Bowl LV title during the 2020 season alongside quarterback Tom Brady. However, Tampa Bay's offense regressed this past season. It ranked 25th in the NFL in 2022 with 18.4 points per game after averaging 30.1 in 2021.

The Bucs mustered just 14 points in their wild-card game loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday. They failed to score 20 points in six of their final eight games, including their opening-round loss.

Leftwich's departure comes nearly a year after he interviewed to be the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The AFC South club opted to hire Doug Pederson instead.

Tampa Bay's offense could look much different in 2023 as Brady is set to become an unrestricted free agent.