The Buccaneers made plenty of changes on defense in 2026, but the offensive side of the ball got its own shake-up too, starting with the coaching staff.
Tampa Bay first rolled the dice on Josh Grizzard as offensive coordinator, but that move didn’t last. After the 2025 season, Grizzard was fired, and the Bucs turned to a more established name in former Atlanta Falcons OC Zac Robinson to run the offense in 2026.
Robinson is the more obvious headline, since he’s already been an offensive coordinator and his approach has been studied on tape. But one of the assistants he brought to Tampa Bay is also turning heads, and he’ll be working directly with Baker Mayfield this season: quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer.
The Athletic’s Jordan Rodrigue highlighted Whitmer as a breakout assistant coaching candidate for every NFL team, pointing to the buzz around his recent work.
“While plenty of league curiosity surrounds new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, Whitmer will probably also draw a lot of his own after spending the last season as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of College Football Playoff champion Indiana … and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza,” Rodrigue wrote. “Whitmer, now paired with Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, has also previously worked with Kirk Cousins (in Atlanta, as pass game specialist under Robinson) and Justin Herbert (with the Los Angeles Chargers, as offensive quality control).”
Whitmer steps in for Thad Lewis, who had been on Tampa Bay’s staff from 2021 through 2025.
He does bring NFL experience with him, having worked as an assistant coach for the Falcons and Chargers. Still, this is the biggest NFL role he’s held so far, and the assignment is a major one: keep Mayfield on track and help him rebound after a rough second half of the season.
Footwork has already emerged as a major focus. Both Mayfield and backup Connor Bazelak have said Whitmer is demanding in that area.
“Really staying consistent with footwork. I think there were things that, you know, I kind of lost track of some of that during the last half of the year.
And Chandler's really good at it,” Mayfield said. “Chandler Whitmer has really been honing in on it.
At times, it can be pretty annoying how meticulous he is about it, but for me, I love that. I want to be coached hard, and I think he's doing an incredible job.”
Whitmer will keep working with Mayfield and the rest of the quarterbacks room throughout training camp, which starts on July 28.
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