19 January 2023 , 17:46
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced that they have fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich - the man who has called plays for Tom Brady for the last three seasons.
After a shockingly poor 2022 year, the Buccaneers have quickly gone from Super Bowl contenders to a losing record - finishing the year 8-9, although they were able to make it to the postseason with the rest of the NFC South struggling. But in the first round of the playoffs, they were handily defeated by the Dallas Cowboys, bringing their nightmare season to a disappointing end.
It was the first campaign that the Buccaneers and Brady have had without head coach Bruce Arians, who retired from coaching after 46 years, but remaining with the team as a consultant.
Former defensive coordinator Todd Bowles would be given the job as head coach, with Leftwich remaining as the offensive coordinator, calling all of the plays and being in charge of pre-game preparations, something that Arians had done beforehand.
But the season has not reflected well on Leftwich, with the Buccaneers offence struggling throughout the year.
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Somewhat embarrassingly, the offence had been much more effective when running a no-huddle offence, with Brady actually calling the plays at the line of scrimmage - and him able to get the ball out quickly to his many playmakers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage and Julio Jones.
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich was fired on Thursday (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)Leftwich leaves the Bucs after four seasons, with Bowles looking likely to remain as the team's head coach despite a poor first season in charge.
The Bucs are already looking to what is next, and know that they may likely be a world in which Brady is not their quarterback.
The 45-year-old will become a free agent in a matter of weeks, and looks likely to remain in the sport amid reports of retirement, but could opt to sign elsewhere.
The Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins could all be in for the legendary quarterback, with Brady likely only playing for one more year before moving on to his new role with FOX Sports.
In 2022 after he resigned with the Bucs, Brady also had signed a 10-year, $350 million deal to join the company as an analyst and commentator, which he will take upafter walking away from his playing days.