Dirk Koetter to be promoted to Buccaneers head coach?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a surprising announcement Wednesday night that they have fired Lovie Smith as head coach.

Smith helped improve the team from a 2-14 record in 2014 to a 6-10 season in 2015. With his resume of success in Chicago coupled with the positive steps in Tampa, a firing came out of nowhere. But there may be a reason for the move.

Mark Dominik, who was the Bucs’ GM from 2009-2013, tweeted shortly after the move was announced that he expects the team to end up hiring Dirk Koetter as head coach.

With Lovie Smith fired I would expect Dirk Koetter to be named head coach within the week. They still will interview a few other candidates.

— Mark Dominik (@MarkdominikESPN) January 7, 2016

Bucs reporter Luke Easterling feels similarly:

#Bucs will likely interview multiple candidates, but I believe their next head coach is already in the building: OC Dirk Koetter.

— Luke Easterling (@LukeEasterling) January 7, 2016

Koetter was in his first season as offensive coordinator for the Bucs. He was getting consideration for the Eagles and 49ers head coaching vacancies, which may have spurred the move for Tampa Bay.

Koetter was said to have a strong rapport with rookie quarterback Jameis Winston. The team likely figures they don’t want to hinder the QB’s development by having him change offensive systems in his second season.

If Dirk Koetter leaves for a HC job, it would be a crippling blow to Tampa Bay's offseason plans. His rapport with Winston has been critical

— Ira Kaufman (@IKaufmanTBO) January 3, 2016

Prior to heading to Tampa, Koetter spent three seasons as offensive coordinator of the Falcons. He was the OC in Jacksonville from 2007-2011 before that. Koetter also has stints as head coach at Boise State and Arizona State on his resume. He was considered for the Boise State vacancy a few years ago, but opted to remain in the NFL. That decision may be paying off.