After missing out on the postseason for the first time in half a decade, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have undergone a major overhaul of their coaching staff. Head coach Todd Bowles is leaving no stone unturned ahead of the 2026 season. The Bucs have parted ways with five coaches on both sides of the ball and have now brought in a new mind for the quarterback coach role for Baker Mayfield.
The #Bucs have agreed to terms with the team’s new QBs coach, Chandler Whitmer,” Pewter Report shared via X. “He was Indiana’s QBs coach and co-OC, helping turn Fernando Mendoza into a Heisman Trophy winner and helping the Hoosiers win a national championship.”
Chandler Whitmer’s rise has quietly followed the quarterback position at every meaningful stop. Still only 34, he was the quarterbacks coach at Indiana during Fernando Mendoza’s historic 2025 campaign, a season that ended with Mendoza becoming the program’s first-ever Heisman Trophy winner.
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For the Buccaneers, the shift could be just what the team needs. Baker Mayfield’s production dipped in ways that were hard to ignore, falling from 41 touchdown passes to just 26 last season. This was his lowest total since 2022 (10 TDs).
NFL, American Football Herren, USA San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct 12, 2025 Tampa, Florida, USA Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield 6 warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Raymond James Stadium Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xNathanxRayxSeebeckx 20251012_tcs_fo8_098
Even more telling was the nearly 50-yard drop in his per-game passing average (overall around 700 passing yards in total). That is just why a young, quarterback-focused coach suddenly matters in Tampa Bay.
Before that breakout year in Bloomington, Whitmer spent four seasons in the NFL, working closely with quarterbacks as an offensive quality control assistant with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2021 to 2023 and later as the Atlanta Falcons pass game specialist in 2024. The offense he helped shape produced one of the most dominant seasons in college football in years.
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With this hire, the Buccaneers have signed their fourth new offensive coach with ties to Zac Robinson’s time in Atlanta. The Bucs previously reached agreements with former Falcons assistants T.J. Yates and Ken Zampese.
Yates will serve as pass game coordinator. Zampese is a senior offensive assistant. Todd Bowles and Co. also hired former Oklahoma State offensive line coach Andrew Mitchell as the new offensive line coach. Mitchell and Robinson were teammates at Oklahoma State. In addition, the Buccaneers have also brought in defensive line coach Marcus West, who will continue in the same role he had with the Buffalo Bills.
As the Buccaneers continue to undergo multiple changes, an NFL insider has revealed what has transpired behind the scenes during these turbulent times in Tampa Bay.
Insider explains why Tampa Bay had to shake up its coaching staff
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles has made extensive changes to his staff by firing five coaches: offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, quarterbacks coach Thaddeus Lewis, cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross, and defensive line coach Charlie Strong.
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He has also lost two others, senior offensive assistant Tom Moore and safeties coach Nick Rapone, who are retiring.
Revealing who has led this overhaul of the coaching staff, ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported that head coach Todd Bowles was the final authority behind the overhaul, not ownership.
“A source told ESPN that these were not moves mandated by ownership after the Bucs finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019,” Laine reported. “Instead, the source said that Bowles made these moves on his own.”
Before the 2025 season, Bowles signed an extension through 2028 in June after leading the Bucs to three straight division titles from 2022 to 2024. He nearly clinched his fourth before Baker Mayfield and Co. fell apart after a 6-2 start, as they lost seven out of their last nine games and fell short in the tiebreaker.
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With these wholesale changes to their coaching staff, Tampa Bay supporters will hope that Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield return as regulars to the postseason track and bring back a third Lombardi Trophy.