Tampa Bay interview Brian Callahan, who was fired amid the season from the Tennessee Titans, seeking his offensive play-calling expertise honed with Joe Burrow's success.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need a new offensive coordinator, after firing Josh Grizzard on Thursday.
Among other possible options the team is exploring, the Bucs are considering a guy who not too long ago was a head coach in the NFL.
The Bucs announced Friday they have completed an interview with former Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan.
Callahan’s tenure leading Tennessee didn’t go too well.
In his first season at the helm, the Titans went 3-14. Callahan didn’t make it through even half of Year 2. The Titans started 1-5, and then fired him on Monday, Oct. 13.
Tampa is not looking to replace current head coach Todd Bowles, but Callahan wouldn’t have the chance to be hired as a head coach if he hadn't already succeeded as an OC.
For five years, Callahan was the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator, helping quarterback Joe Burrow become a superstar and helping lead the Bengals to within one defensive stop from winning the Super Bowl.
In the two full seasons that Callahan and Burrow worked together, the Bengals finished in the top 10 in scoring.
"I owe Cali a lot, and he's helped me improve my game and how I approach the game and how I think about football," Burrow said in 2024. "I'm very grateful for him."
With that said, it’s fair to wonder how much of Cincinnati’s success was due to Callahan and how much was due to head coach Zac Taylor, since Taylor handled the play-calling responsibilities.
Before Callahan became Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator, he was the quarterbacks coach of the Oakland Raiders (2018) and Detroit Lions (2016-2017).
Before that, Callahan spent six seasons with the Denver Broncos, starting as a coaching assistant in 2010 before becoming an offensive quality-control coach (2011-2012) and then an offensive assistant (2013–2015).
Callahan started his coaching career in 2006 with his alma mater, UCLA, and stayed there through the 2007, before moving to the high-school ranks as the offensive coordinator at California’s Juniperro Serra High, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2008-2009.
The Buccaneers’ OC position is open because the team let go of Grizzard after just one season.
Tampa will now be looking for its fourth offensive coordinator in as many years.
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