Dirk Koetter fired by Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wasted no time in making the first end-of-season coaching change of the regular season.

The Buccaneers announced in a statement that they have fired head coach Dirk Koetter after three seasons at the helm.

“We sincerely appreciate the hard work and commitment shown by Dirk over the past several years. Working with Dirk has been a pleasure and we wish him and his family all the best in the future,” chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement.

According to one report, the Buccaneers only kept Koetter for 2018 because their preferred replacement wanted too much money. That doesn’t exactly count as a long-term vote of confidence, and after a second consecutive poor season, there was very little reason to justify retaining him for 2019.

Koetter will finish his Tampa Bay career with a 19-29 record in three seasons. His first season was moderately successful at 9-7, but two straight five-win years sealed his fate.