The Bucs’ search for their fifth offensive coordinator in the last five years rolls on this week, and a new-but-familiar candidate is now in the mix, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Monday afternoon.

Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, who interviewed twice with the Bucs during their offensive coordinator search in 2023, is set to interview for the same job again this week. Rapoport reported that Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor gave Pitcher permission to speak with teams that would give him an opportunity to be a play-calling offensive coordinator, as Taylor calls plays for the Bengals.

Pitcher, 39, was a quarterback at Colgate University from 2006-2008 before playing wide receiver at Division III SUNY Cortland from 2009-2011. He began his coaching career soon after, serving as SUNY Cortland’s wide receivers coach in 2012. From there, he became a scouting assistant with the Colts. After his first two years in Indianapolis, he was promoted to the position of pro scout with the Colts, a position he would hold in 2014 and 2015.

In 2016, Pitcher joined the Bengals as an offensive assistant. He served in that role through 2018, then became the team’s assistant quarterback coach in 2019. He continued to climb up the ranks in 2020, becoming the Bengals’ quarterbacks coach at a time when the team had just spent the No. 1 overall pick on LSU’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Joe Burrow.

Bucs OC Dan Pitcher – Photo courtesy of the Cincinnati Bengals

Pitcher worked alongside Burrow as his quarterbacks coach from 2020-2023. In 2021, Pitcher helped Burrow to a Comeback Player of the Year season in which he completed 70.4% of his passes for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. The Bengals would go on to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl that year before losing to the Rams.

Burrow then had his first Pro Bowl season in 2022 and then, following the 2023 season, Pitcher received plenty of interest for opportunities elsewhere. The Bucs, searching for a replacement after firing Byron Leftwich, first interviewed Pitcher virtually before bringing him in for an in-person interview.

There was real interest in Pitcher on Tampa Bay’s part, but that offensive coordinator search happened at a time when the team wasn’t sure who its quarterback would be. Tom Brady had just retired and the only quarterback on the roster was Kyle Trask. That, combined with uncertainty surrounding Todd Bowles’ job security after an 8-9 season, made for a difficult search.

Ultimately, Pitcher chose to stay with Zac Taylor, Joe Burrow and the Bengals. And that decision quickly paid off for him, as he was soon promoted to offensive coordinator when Brian Callahan left to become the Titans’ new head coach that same offseason.

Pitcher has been the Bengals offensive coordinator for the last three seasons, though Taylor has continued to call plays.

Dan Pitcher’s Availability Is An Intriguing Development For The Bucs

Since firing Josh Grizzard on Jan. 8, the Bucs have interviewed seven candidates to find his replacement. Brian Callahan was the first, then came Lions pass game coordinator David Shaw, Cardinals quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork, former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, former Giants offensive coordinator and interim head coach Mike Kafka, former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.

Former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel and Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Nathan Ray Seebeck

Since McDaniel’s interview on Friday, all has been quiet on the Tampa Bay front. Both Monken and McDaniel would seem to be at the top of the list for the Bucs, but they’re also in a spot where they’re forced to play a waiting game. Monken is interviewing for a second time with the Browns for their head coaching opening, plus there’s the potential for him to follow John Harbaugh and serve as his offensive coordinator with the Giants. Meanwhile, McDaniel continues to get interviews for head coaching jobs himself.

So, in a sense, all Tampa Bay can do is wait, especially if the team has zeroed in on one of those two candidates. Considering their play-calling experience, they’ve long felt like two of the top names on the market for a number of teams, including the Bucs. And for the same reason, Robinson has been lurking in the background as a possible third choice.

Does Dan Pitcher’s availability change things? Granted, Pitcher doesn’t have the play-calling experience that these other candidates have. But the Bucs liked Pitcher when they interviewed him in 2023, and with his time working under Taylor and with Burrow in Cincinnati, he’s a young and intriguing up-and-comer. If Tampa Bay wants to go that route with its coordinator search – or if it misses out on the likes of Monken and McDaniel – Pitcher could certainly be high on the list of options.

Bengals OC Dan Pitcher – Photo by: USA Today

Because Pitcher is the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati, the Bucs needed permission from the Bengals to interview him because it’s technically a lateral move rather than a promotion. However, as Rapoport said, Taylor has given his coordinator a chance to interview for positions that would allow him to call plays. That’s certainly the case in Tampa Bay, as Bowles largely leaves his offensive coordinator to have full autonomy with his side of the ball.

Earlier this offseason, Pitcher interviewed for the Browns’ head coaching vacancy. This came after a season in which he and Taylor helped the Bengals offense stay afloat in Burrow’s absence, with veteran Joe Flacco stepping in and guiding a high-scoring offense along to stay in contention despite Cincinnati’s porous defense.

Whether Pitcher is offered the job by Tampa Bay after interviewing with the team for a third time over the last four offseasons remains to be seen. Like everything else with the Bucs’ ongoing offensive coordinator search, this may continue to be a waiting game.