Indiana quarterbacks/co-offensive coordinator Chandler Whitmer walks the field Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Buccaneers Make Huge Hire to Help Baker Mayfield

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Feb 3, 2026 5:57 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers left the 2025 season on a rough note, winning just two of their last nine games and finishing 8-9 after a blistering 6-2 start. After missing the playoffs and failing to win the NFC South, head coach Todd Bowles made quite a few changes on his staff, bringing on offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and special teams coordinator Danny Smith.

Bowles also fired quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis, however, and he's been looking for a replacement since doing so. Now, he's found him, and it's a big hire — NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday that the Bucs hired Indiana quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Chandler Whitmer, and he's got an impressive resume.

Buccaneers hire Chandler Whitmer as quarterbacks coach

Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Bucs agreed to terms with Chandler Whitmer as their quarterbacks coach, sources tell The Insiders.

Whitmer, 34, spent last season Indiana’s co-OC/QB coach, developing Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza on the way to a national title. He had multiple NFL offers but chose… pic.twitter.com/3sLLbkpToo
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 3, 2026

Whitmer is most recently known for helping develop Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won the Heisman and national championship at the college level this year and will likely be selected first overall by the Las Vegas Raiders once the NFL Draft kicks off. Mendoza threw for 41 touchdowns, 3,535 yards and just six interceptions in 2025, and he did it with the help of Whitmer.

Whitmer has moved through the ranks fast in the coaching world. He was a graduate assistant at Yale, Ohio State and Clemson for a year each before immediately being hired as a Los Angeles Chargers' offensive quality control coach from 2021-23. He served as the Atlanta Falcons' pass game specialist in 2024, working under new Bucs OC Zac Robinson — and that connection likely landed him in Tampa Bay. Now, he'll get to coach quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has done some great work with the Bucs in recent years.

Mayfield started out hot but had a bit of a downturn in the back half of the season. Whitmer helped develop Mendoza into a superstar after he transferred from Cal to Indiana, and now, he could help Mayfield find some form again and get back to the MVP-level play Bucs fans saw from him during the first part of the year.

Tampa Bay is stlll looking for a few defensive coaches to fill out its staff this offseason. They've made quite a few splash hires on the offensive side of the ball, though, and Whitmer looks to be a big part of Tampa Bay's plans going forward.