Todd Monken is a name that should be very familiar to fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Monken was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2016-2018, under head coach, Dirk Koetter.
According to ESPN's Jenna Laine, he is also scheduled to interview with the Bucs next week for their offensive coordinator position.
He's always been respected in league circles for his knowledge and approach to coaching offense, but Monken has gained respect from a wider audience as of late. This is due to his exceptional performance as the current offensive coordinator of the two-time defending National Champion, Georgia Bulldogs.
Although Georgia's defense dominates the headlines almost as much as they do their opponents, it was under the leadership of Todd Monken that the Bulldogs' offense really took off. This past season, Georgia averaged over 500 yards of offense per game, which was good for 5th best in the nation, while scoring 41.1 points per game (tied for 4th in FBS). They also put up 65 points in the national title game vs. TCU... in case you turned it off at halftime.
At the NFL level, Monken gained a reputation for emphasizing creative, and aggressive passing attacks. This was evidenced by career years from both Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick under his tutelage.
Although Monken's tenure in Tampa Bay came to a screeching halt when Dirk Koetter was fired, fans in Tampa Bay don't seem to ever hold a grudge against Monken. Fans have been suggesting his name as a suitable option for the Bucs' OC gig pretty much since the moment Byron Leftwich was fired. He's also the most high-profile candidate they've been linked to so far.
After leaving Tampa, Monken went on to spend one season as the OC for the Cleveland Browns before joining Kirby Smart at Georgia in 2020. It would be a full-circle moment should Monken end up back with the Buccaneers as their offensive coordinator.
It appears as though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing their due diligence on a variety of different offensive coaches as they continue to scour both the NFL and NCAA for their next offensive coordinator.
As they should.
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