Michael Clay, who’s been the Eagles’ special teams coach since Nick Sirianni got here in 2021, had a virtual interview Thursday for the same position with the Buccaneers, the Bucs announced.
It’s somewhat surprising news because special teams has been decent in the five years Clay has been here and Sirianni has always spoken highly of Clay.
This year was a mixed bag. The Eagles got great production out of punter Braden Mann, kicker Jake Elliott had a miserable season and the Eagles ranked 14th in punt return average and 30th in kick return average and 16th covering punts and 4th covering kicks.
Clay, 34, played for Chip Kelly at Oregon and was in training camp with the Dolphins in 2013 as an undrafted rookie linebacker. Kelly hired him in 2014 as a defensive quality control coach and then promoted him to assistant special team coach under Dave Fipp in 2015.
He spent 2016 through 2020 with the 49ers in both special teams and strength coach roles before rejoining the Eagles in 2021 as special teams coordinator.
Thomas McGaughey, who spent 1996 on the Eagles’ practice squad, was Bucs special teams coordinator the last two years under one-time Eagles defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. He was fired last week.
The Eagles’ assistant special teams coach this year was kicking specialist Tyler Brown, whose father Randy spent 2004 and 2005 on Andy Reid’s staff with the Eagles.