Now hiring: Todd Bowles looking for next NFL head coach, Buccaneers OC

Todd Bowles must have a special file with résumés in his desk at One Buccaneer Place. He might as well label it future NFL head coaches. Each of his the last two offensive coordinators have now left after one successful season to take head-coaching jobs.

And give Bowles credit. The Tampa Bay head coach has a defensive pedigree and the most important hire those coaches make is offensive coordinator. Bowles has hired two future head coaches in as many years.

Owners of the Giants, Colts and Bengals are taking note. Should they need to make a coaching change a year from now, 813 should be the first area code they search.

Dave Canales helped the Bucs advance to the divisional round in the 2023 playoffs, then took the reins of the Carolina Panthers. His replacement, Liam Coen, helped Baker Mayfield to a career year before stunningly reversing course on Thursday and agreeing to become the next head coach in Jacksonville.

Mayfield can’t be happy but he’s certainly not new to musical play-callers and offensive coordinators. In fact, the person Bowles hires to replace Coen will become the eighth person to hold that role for Mayfield in eight seasons. Here are Mayfield’s offensive coordinators since entering the league as the No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 draft.

• Cleveland, 2018: The Browns fired head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley in Week 8. Freddie Kitchens replaced Haley in leading the offense.
• Cleveland, 2019: Todd Monken served as offensive coordinator before leaving after one season to join the University of Georgia.
• Cleveland, 2020-21: After helping the Browns to the 2020 playoffs, Alex Van Pelt returned for a second season as offensive coordinator.
• Carolina, 2022: Traded to the Panthers in July, Mayfield worked with Ben McAdoo until Carolina released the quarterback on Dec. 5.
• L.A. Rams, 2022: Three days after signing with the Rams, and after a crash course with Liam Coen, Mayfield led his new team to a 17-16 win over the Raiders. He threw for 230 yards and a touchdown (with nine seconds left) to cap a tumultuous week.
• Tampa Bay, 2023: Mayfield replaces Tom Brady in the Bucs’ lineup and worked with Dave Canales for one season. Canales left to become Carolina head coach following the Tampa Bay’s divisional playoff loss.
• Tampa Bay, 2024: Hired from the University of Kentucky, Coen helped Mayfield finish third in passing yards (4,500), second in TD passes (41) and fourth in passer rating (106.8).

And, as Rick Stroud from the Tampa Bay Times noted on Thursday night, Coen is the latest in a long line of coaches to leave the Bucs at the altar.

For more information on the Buccaneers, Jaguars or the NFL hiring cycle, visit the Tampa Bay and Jacksonville team pages, and the Coach/GM Carousel page, at ProFootballPost.com.