Buccaneers Named Favorite for Mike McDaniel by NFL Insider

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to make a big splash this offseason by hiring an offensive coordinator after firing OC Josh Grizzard after just one season.

The Buccaneers have had success with these hires, seeing Dave Canales and Liam Coen go on to become head coaches. Those candidates (and Grizzard) were inexperienced candidates, so the Bucs could go with an experience this time around — and few candidates have as much experience and success as Mike McDaniel does.

McDaniel, fired from the Miami Dolphins this offseason, is perhaps one of the best run game schemers and playcallers in the NFL. He's a wanted man, interviewing for just about every open OC position, and he's gotten quite a few interviews at head coach as well. A head coaching job would obviously be a better job than Tampa Bay's OC job, but if he wants an OC job, the Bucs would have a lot to offer as a destination.

One NFL insider, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, not only believes that McDaniel is in the running for Tampa Bay's OC job, but that he might be the favorite for it.

Mike McDaniel "favorite" for Buccaneers OC job

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel runs off the field following a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

"He's in the running for the Buccaneers, if not the favorite for that job," Breer said. "There's competition for Mike McDaniel."

The smoke with McDaniel to the Buccaneers has been circulating for some time. Breer has previously linked the two, and ESPN writer Jeff Darlington has also hinted at the pairing for a while as the offseason has gone on.

The hire makes sense from both sides. The Bucs would love McDaniel's playcalling expertise, particularly with how he could revamp the team's run game. McDaniel will have many other suitors for OC — including from the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers — but jobs like those are headed by offensive coaches who would likely have a say in the playbook. The Bucs, under head coach Todd Bowles, wouldn't interfere with his scheme, so he'd have complete autonomy in Tampa Bay.

Whether or not McDaniel comes to Tampa Bay or takes an OC/HC job remains to be seen, but it's seeming more and more likely that he could coach the Bucs' offense in 2026. If he doesn't the Bucs will have plenty of other candidates to choose from.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 season.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Falcons find new head coach that should make Bucs fans nervous

• Liam Coen still has big praise for Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield

• Buccaneers legend Ronde Barber makes bold Mike Tomlin prediction

• Tom Brady details why he decided to join Buccaneers in new interview