Buccaneers have a breakout candidate who is the key to Baker Mayfield’s season, but he won’t play a single snap
Another season, more offensive coaching changes for Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. There’s one coach that will play a major role in Mayfield’s 2026 season and he just got labeled as a potential breakout candidate.
Baker Mayfield is playing for the fourth different offensive coordinator in as many years, but his QB coach in Thaddeus Lewis remained the same up until this offseason.
Lewis was one of the several coaching changes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made after the 2025 season and he was replaced by former Indiana Hoosiers QB coach and co-offensive coordinator Chandler Whitmer.
Whitmer was a major factor in Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman-winning year and now, his main goal is to not only help Baker Mayfield get back to the MVP level of play we saw during the first half of 2025, but to also elevate his game as he enters his ninth NFL season.
Make no mistake about it: Like Mendoza, Whitmer will play a key role in Mayfield’s season. They’ll work directly together on the practice field, scour game tape, and have plenty of in-depth conversations in the meeting room. There’s a lot to like about the setup, as Whitmer is already familiar with Zac Robinson and his offensive philosophies after serving as the Atlanta Falcons’ pass game specialist in 2024.
Count The Athletic’s Jordan Rodrigue as “in” on the positive impact Whitmer can provide, as well as the depth. She named Whitmer as the Buccaneers’ breakout coaching candidate in her latest article:
“While plenty of league curiosity surrounds new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, Whitmer will probably also draw a lot of his own after spending the last season as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of College Football Playoff champion Indiana … and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza.
“Whitmer, now paired with Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, has also previously worked with Kirk Cousins (in Atlanta, as pass game specialist under Robinson) and Justin Herbert (with the Los Angeles Chargers, as offensive quality control).”
jordan rodrigue
The Athletic
Chandler Whitmer represents another attempt at continuity for Baker Mayfield
The Buccaneers are trying everything they can to keep some sort of continuity around Mayfield and Whitmer is part of the effort. As mentioned, he worked with Robinson in 2024 and that will certainly help the communication between himself, Robinson, and Mayfield.
That’s because a) Whitmer is familiar with certain aspects of the system and he’ll know how to correctly, and effectively, convey the messaging from Robinson-down. There’s always a feeling-out process for coaches who work with each other for the first time, as there is with just about any profession.
Erasing that is very helpful in ensuring things get started off on the right foot and everyone is on the same page.
The additions of pass game coordinator T.J. Yates and senior offensive assistant/pass game specialist Ken Zampese also follow this line of thinking. Both guys worked closely with Robinson for two years in Atlanta. They too will play big roles in helping set up the infrastructure for Mayfield and the Buccaneers offense.
And expect Mayfield to have a big year if Whitmer lives up to the breakout label.