Buccaneers OC Candidates: 3 Byron Leftwich replacements who could prompt Tom Brady to stay in town

Earlier Thursday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced that they had parted ways with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. The NFC South franchise concluded a relatively poor season by crashing out of the wild-card round in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

However, replacements for Leftwich are already grabbing headlines. With the right person in charge of the team's attack, there is a possibility that NFL legend Tom Brady could sign an extension with the franchise as well.

Here are three possible candidates that could succeed Byron Leftwich as the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator.

#1, Will Bill O'Brien reunite with Tom Brady after Byron Leftwich's departure from Buccaneers?

Bill O'Brien, right, and Tom Brady with the New England Patriots

Bill O'Brien has coached Tom Brady before. The 53-year-old was with the New England Patriots for five seasons, spending two as quarterbacks coach.

While O'Brien wasn't able to lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl, he may feel he has unfinished business with Brady. The quarterback will certainly consider the possibility of reuniting with a former coach.

Following his spell with the Patriots, O'Brien took up the head coaching job at Penn State for two seasons. He then went on to join the Houston Texans as head coach from 2014 to 2020. O’Brien finished his stint in Houston with a 52-48 record and led the Texans to the playoffs three times.

He joined the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2021 and helped coach Bryce Young win the Heisman Trophy that year.

#2, Is Todd Monken a strong candidate for Buccaneers OC post after Byron Leftwich's firing?

Todd Monken took up the offensive coordinator's role with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2020 and has helped the team win back-to-back national titles. The 56-year-old has a stunning 37-3 with the Bulldogs across three seasons so far.

Monken called the plays for Georgia's record-breaking 65-7 win over TCU in the national championship game earlier this month. He transformed Stetson Bennett into arguably one of the best quarterbacks in college football history.

Moreover, Monken has coached in the NFL. He worked as a receivers coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars and as an offensive coordinator with the Buccaneers for three years each.

Monken is likely to be an upgrade on Byron Leftwich if he joins Tampa Bay in the offseason. There is a high chance that Brady will also be interested in working alongside a coach who has proven his ability in recent years.

#3, Can Frank Reich succeed Byron Leftwich as the next Buccaneers OC?

Frank Reich was fired from his post as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season after the team struggled. The 61-year-old finished his spell in Indianapolis with a 40-31-1 record.

However, Reich is still widely regarded as one of the best offensive coaches in the modern game. He was a successful offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Across nine years in the NFL, his team's offense has ranked in the top 10 four times. Reich was also the man who led the Eagles' offense to victory over Tom Brady's Patriots in 2017.

It now remains to be seen whether the Buccaneers can land him as their offensive coordinator and possibly get Brady to join forces with Reich this time around.