The Bucs have run the NFC South for the last three years, and if their reign atop the division is going to continue in 2024, they’ll need to go through a crop of former Bucs coaches.

The Panthers and Falcons both made their head coaching hires on Thursday, and both hired coaches with Tampa Bay ties.

First, it was Carolina swooping in and hiring Dave Canales away from the Bucs. Canales just finished up his first year as an offensive coordinator under Todd Bowles, and now he’s set to lead a Panthers team that just finished at the bottom of the NFC South with a 2-15 record.

Later in the day, the Falcons hired a former Bucs head coach — Raheem Morris. Morris led Tampa Bay from 2009-2011 at a very young age and ever since, he’s worked his way back up through the coaching ranks.

That included a previous stop in Atlanta from 2015-2020, where Morris was an assistant head coach and pass game coordinator from 2015-2019 (in addition to being a wide receivers coach from 2016-2019) and a defensive coordinator and interim head coach during the 2020 season.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris – Photo by: USA Today

Now, more than a decade after being promoted to replace Jon Gruden as the Bucs’ head coach at the very young age of 33 in the 2009 season, Morris is now getting a second chance with the Falcons.

That just leaves the Saints, and they themselves could soon have a former Bucs coach in their building as well.

Speaking of Gruden, there have been rumblings about him as a potential offensive coordinator candidate to replace the recently fired Pete Carmichael. There is still an ongoing lawsuit between Gruden and the NFL, though, but there’s potential for it to happen. But Gruden coached Derek Carr in Las Vegas and helped Carr and the Saints offense in the offseason as a consultant.

The former Super Bowl winner joining the Saints would complete the trifecta of what has been a unique start to the 2024 offseason for former Bucs coaches and the NFC South.

Could Former Bucs Players Be In The Mix For Tampa Bay’s Open OC Job?

With Dave Canales gone, the Bucs are now going to be searching for a new offensive coordinator for the second time in the last two offseasons.

There are certainly some in-house options in the form of quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis and wide receivers coach Brad Idzik. But if the Bucs go outside to interview other candidates, two former Tampa Bay players could find themselves getting interviews.

Vikings WRs coach Keenan McCardell – Photo by: USA Today

It happened just last year, as former Bucs wide receiver Keenan McCardell interviewed during the search process that ultimately ended with Tampa Bay hiring Canales.

McCardell is still in Minnesota as the Vikings wide receivers coach, working with a top receiver in Justin Jefferson and a budding star in rookie Jordan Addison. It’s at least possible that McCardell could be interviewed again by the Bucs again this time around.

Another former Buc who might generate some interest is ex-Tampa Bay quarterback Brian Griese, who is currently the quarterbacks coach with the 49ers. He has been there for the last two years and works under a great head coach in Kyle Shanahan.

Griese has played a part in developing Brock Purdy — the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft — into a productive quarterback capable of taking his team deep into the playoffs. Griese’s 49ers are set to play in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night.

There are plenty of other candidates who could emerge to fill the void left by Canales and the continuity from in-house options could be hard to pass up. But with all of the former Bucs coaches making big moves in this coaching carousel, maybe some former Bucs players will find themselves doing the same.