Former Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Reached Out To Steelers

Byron Leftwich is searching for his next coaching opportunity after spending time as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator.

Kade Kimble | Oct 10, 2023

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have really found some rhythm this year with Dave Canales running the offense as the offensive coordinator, despite having Baker Mayfield lead the roster instead of Tom Brady, who played his last season in the NFL with the Buccaneers last year.

Before Canales took over the offense, Byron Leftwich was the team's offensive coordinator. He served in the role from 2019 to 2022, where he won the Super Bowl in Brady's first season with the team.

Despite winning a Super Bowl, Leftwich didn't have a good exit to the team, as the defense being elite wasn't enough for the Buccaneers as his offense couldn't support the defense by scoring enough to win games.

According to The Athletic's Mark Kaboly, Leftwich has reached out to the Pittsburgh Steelers in an attempt to land his next coaching gig. This makes sense, as after Leftwich played with the Buccaneers in 2009, he spent the next few seasons with the Steelers, also having played with them before the Buccaneers for one season. The Steelers, however, have been "pretty much ignoring him."

The Steelers offense has left a lot to be desired this season. This leaves their offensive coordinator Matt Canada on the hot seat, as the Steelers average the third-least amount of yards in the NFL.

Though Leftwich got off to a hot start with the Buccaneers, his inability to run a Brady-led offense towards the end of his tenure was worrisome and he just flat-out didn't have a good last couple of seasons. His offense was unable to get into the end zone much, and they averaged under 20 points per game in his last season.

Even if Leftwich did land a job with the Steelers, it would be in some capacity as a consultant, rather than an offensive coordinator replacement for Canada. Of course, over time, he could work his way back up to that level, but it'd take plenty of proving his value.

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Published Oct 10, 2023

KADE KIMBLE

Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's FanNation in 2022.