The Bucs are set to interview Georgia offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Todd Monken for their vacant offensive coordinator role next week, Pewter Report can confirm. ESPN’s Jenna Laine first reported the news Friday evening. 

Monken’s name has long been linked to the Bucs’ open coordinator position. Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds picked Monken as his top choice for the job back on Dec. 23 and wrote about him in various editions of SR’s Fab 5 and Bucs Monday Mailbags in the weeks since. When Byron Leftwich was fired on Jan. 19, Monken was one of the first candidates mentioned, specifically by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Georgia OC Todd Monken – Photo by: USA Today

A partnership between head coach Todd Bowles and Monken would appear enticing, as the latter has been working with Kirby Smart, a defensive-minded head coach, at Georgia since 2020. The Bulldogs have won back-to-back national championships, doing so with both a dominant defense and a prolific offense. While marrying a pass-first offense with an efficient running game, Monken oversaw the rise of former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett, who went 29-3 as Georgia’s starter and was a Heisman Trophy candidate this past season.

Monken is the highest-paid assistant in college football right now, making just over $2 million annually. So, the Bucs will have to shell out some money to pry him away from Athens, where he and Smart’s Bulldogs are likely to be among the national championship favorites again in 2023.

Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator search has included quite a few names, and interviews have been completed with four coaches to this point. Most of the names included in the mix have been quarterbacks coaches and pass game coordinators without a lot of play-calling experience. Monken certainly has a wealth of experience in that department, and he’s done so for the Bucs before.

Bucs OC Todd Monken – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

He previously worked in Tampa Bay on Dirk Koetter’s staff, serving as the team’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2016-2017 before spending the 2018 season in the offensive coordinator role. He called plays for much of that season, and the Bucs averaged 24.8 points per game.

The first time Monken ever called plays in the NFL was in the Bucs’ 2018 season opener, a game they won 48-40 in New Orleans. With then-quarterback Jameis Winston out due to suspension, NFL journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick stepped in and threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns, going on to win Offensive Player of the Week honors. The 48 points was a new single-game franchise record at the time, though Tampa Bay went on to score 55 in a win at Los Angeles the next season.

Before departing the NFL for his current job at Georgia, Monken spent the 2019 season as the Browns’ offensive coordinator, working with Baker Mayfield. Other than his jobs with Tampa Bay and Cleveland, Monken’s other NFL experience included a stint as the Jaguars’ coach from 2007-2010.