Bucs hiring Seahawks’ Dave Canales as offensive coordinator

TAMPA — The Bucs’ 27-day search for an offensive coordinator ended Wednesday with the team hiring Seahawks quarterbacks coach Dave Canales.

The 41-year-old Canales is credited with helping to revitalize the career of veteran quarterback Geno Smith, who led the Seahawks to a playoff appearance this past season and was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

The Bucs and Canales were finalizing a contract late Wednesday night. He replaces Byron Leftwich, who was fired along with five other assistants Jan. 19. Three other members of Todd Bowles’ staff retired.

Canales was among 10 candidates to meet with the Bucs about the position and had also interviewed twice with the Ravens for their offensive coordinator job. Rams assistant head coach coach/tight ends coach Thomas Brown had a second interview with Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

Canales’ work with Smith was significant. After the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Broncos, Smith caught fire last season, passing for 4,282 yards with 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while leading the Seahawks to an NFC wild-card game against the 49ers.

Incidentally, the 32-year-old Smith could become an unrestricted free agent in March unless he is able to reach an agreement on a long-term deal with the Seahawks. Seattle’s backup quarterback, Drew Lock, also is a free agent and could attract the Bucs’ interest.

Smith played for two seasons under Bowles with the Jets, but they were marred by injuries. In 2015, he suffered a fractured jaw in training camp after an altercation with defensive end IK Enemkpali over an alleged unpaid debt that sidelined him until November. In 2016, he suffered a torn ACL in his only start.

“I learned a lot from him about defenses,” Smith said of Bowles before the Bucs beat the Seahawks in November in Munich, Germany. “He was always a guy I felt like was in my corner. We had many talks. That was obviously during a tough time in my NFL career. I was still young and up-and-coming, and Coach Bowles helped me through a lot of those situations.”

However, Spotrac estimates Smith’s market value at two years, $78.659 million, while the Bucs are $55 million over the $224.8 million salary cap.

The Bucs have only one quarterback under contract after the retirement of Tom Brady on Feb. 1: former Florida Gators star Kyle Trask, who has appeared in just one game in two NFL seasons.

Canales has been with Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll for 13 seasons, dating back to their days at Southern Cal.

Canales played receiver and defensive back at Carson High School in California and was a receiver at Azusa Pacific University, then an NAIA program in California. He began his college coaching career at El Camino (California) College and joined Carroll at USC as assistant strength coach in 2009. The next season, Carroll hired him at Seattle to coach receivers. He became the Seahawks’ passing game coordinator in 2020 and was their quarterbacks coach last season.

The Bucs are taking a bit of a risk with Canales, who has never been an offensive coordinator or called plays in college or the NFL.

But the Seahawks did something on offense that Bowles would love for the Bucs to emulate: run the football with authority. Seattle was tied for fifth in the NFL last season, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Tampa Bay was last in the league with a 3.4-yard average.

Two familiar names could potentially join Canales in Tampa Bay. Seahawks assistant receivers coach Brad Idzik, whose father, John Idzik, spent 12 years in the Bucs’ front office; and Nate Carroll, who has worked on his father’s staff in Seattle since 2010 and now serves as a senior offensive assistant.

The Bucs also interviewed Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who was hired by the Ravens for the same job Tuesday; Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher, who decided to remain with quarterback Joe Burrow in Cincinnati; Lions assistant head coach/running backs coach Scottie Montgomery; Broncos passing game coordinator/ quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak; Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter; Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney; Saints passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry and Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell.

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