The Buccaneers made some changes to their offensive coaching staff in January and have been in the process of hiring replacements. Former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has made the in-division move to replace Josh Grizzard in the same role, and now Tampa Bay is looking at Indiana co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer to fill the role left vacant after they dismissed Thad Lewis, per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
After only a year away from the NFL, Whitmer could be headed right back. A former college quarterback who spent time at Illinois, Butler Community College, and UConn, Whitmer didn’t start his coaching career until five years after his playing career ended, working as a graduate assistant at Ohio State and Clemson in 2019 and 2020, respectively. From there, he got his first NFL opportunity as a quality control coach with the Chargers in 2021. He spent three years in Los Angeles before getting hired by the Falcons in 2024 to serve as Atlanta’s pass game specialist.
Whitmer made the move to join Curt Cignetti‘s staff at Indiana after Tino Sunseri departed for the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach job at UCLA. Whitmer stepped into his co-OC title, shared with offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Mike Shanahan. In doing so, Whitmer ended up tying himself to transfer quarterback (by way of Cal) Fernando Mendoza.
Working with Cignetti and Whitmer, Mendoza would go on to lead the NCAA in passing touchdowns (41), finish third in the NCAA in completion percentage (72.0), and fourth in the country in yards per attempt (9.3). The team’s success resulted in the Hoosiers winning their first ever national championship game, and Mendoza took home the top individual prize when he won the Heisman Trophy and became the favorite to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Mendoza was certainly a talented player when he came in, but it seems clear the system designed by Cignetti and Whitmer contributed to his huge leap in 2025. Tampa Bay could be looking to pair Whitmer with another Heisman-winner after Baker Mayfield had a down 2025 campaign. Whitmer interviewed with the team this week and could return to the NFL just a year after leaving.