The Bucs wasted no time in getting to work on searching for their next offensive coordinator, with the team announcing Friday afternoon that they have completed a virtual interview with former Titans head coach Brian Callahan. This news comes only a day after the team announced the firing of first-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, along with quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis and a group of defensive assistants.

Callahan, 41, was fired six games into his second season as Tennessee’s head coach. After finishing his 2024 debut season at 3-14 – a finish that landed the Titans the No. 1 pick in the 2025 Draft, which they spent on quarterback Cam Ward – Callahan started 1-5 in this past season. He was then fired, making for a combined 4-19 record as the team’s head coach.

Prior to his 23-game stint as the head coach of the Titans, Callahan served as Zac Taylor’s offensive coordinator with the Bengals from 2019-2023. However, Taylor was the team’s play-caller, with Callahan having a role in designing the offense and helping with the game plan each week. When he took the Titans’ job, Callahan called plays during the 2024 season and started the 2025 season by calling them only to hand over those duties after three games.

Former Titans HC Brian Callahan – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Steve Roberts

During his time in Cincinnati working with Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow (from 2020-2023), Callahan was part of two AFC North-winning teams, as well as two AFC Championship Game appearances and a Super Bowl appearance.

Between 2021 and 2023, the Bengals offense was top 10 in a number of categories, finishing sixth in points per game (24.9), seventh in passing (250.8 yards per game), seventh in red zone efficiency (61.5%), 10th in third-down percentage (41%) and sixth in time of possession (31:00).

With that said, in Callahan’s first year with the Titans, his offense was 27th in scoring, 26th in total yards per game, 26th in passing and 19th in rushing. Of course, this was an offense on a team that won only three games and wound up with the No. 1 pick, so none of those numbers are overly surprising.

Bucs Have Cast A Wide Net In Recent Offensive Coordinator Searches

If you’re reading this, you’ll undoubtedly be aware of the fact that the Bucs are no strangers to the process of searching for an offensive coordinator, as this is their fourth search in four years. Whoever ends up getting the job to replace Josh Grizzard will be Todd Bowles’ fifth offensive coordinator in five seasons as the team’s head coach.

In each of the last three searches, Bowles and the Bucs’ brass cast a wide net.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After Byron Leftwich was fired following the 2022 season, Tampa Bay interviewed 10 candidates for his replacement, including Dave Canales, the eventual choice. Among the others who interviewed were, then-49ers pass game coordinator Klint Kubiak, Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell, Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney, Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, then-Saints quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry, then-Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery, then-Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher.

Canales parlayed his one year as the Bucs’ offensive coordinator into a head coaching job with the Panthers, setting up another long search for Licht, Bowles and Co.

The team ultimately settled on Liam Coen, but also interviewed former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, then-Lions wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, former Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, then-Lions tight ends coach and pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand, then-Bucs quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis, then-Bucs tight ends coach John Van Dam and then-Rams pass game specialist Jake Peetz.

Also during that cycle, Tampa Bay was planning to interview then-Rams quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator Zac Robinson, former Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and former Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. However, all three eventually took coordinator jobs elsewhere (Robinson/Falcons, Moore/Eagles, Dorsey/Browns) before interviewing with the Bucs.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and former OC Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After Coen left them to become the Jaguars’ head coach last January, the Bucs’ third coordinator search in three years was much shorter. They interviewed five external candidates – Chargers pass game coordinator Marcus Brady, then-Vikings assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski, Rams offensive assistant/pass game specialist Nate Scheelhaase, then-Rams tight ends coach/pass game coordinator Nick Caley and Rams quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone – before conducting an internal interview with Josh Grizzard, who served the pass game coordinator in 2024 under Coen.

Grizzard ended up being promoted to the offensive coordinator role in an effort to maintain some continuity with Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneer offense. But after a second-half slide and an 8-9 finish to the 2025 season, Grizzard became one of the fall guys as Bowles kept his job and is now looking to right the ship.