Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ Tom Moore knew that retirement was a reality he would have to face someday. When he began writing his career memoir, ‘The Players’ Coach’, he first wanted to title it ‘Boots First’. It was a reference to how dead men were carried out in TV westerns. “That’s how I want to leave this game,” Moore said in 2024. “They’ll have to carry me off the football field.”

Thankfully, it never came to that. Instead, the 87-year-old walked into Todd Bowles’ office on Thursday morning and retired as the franchise’s offensive consultant.

“It’s time for me to go home and take care of my wife,” Moore said. “For 62 years, she made a lot of sacrifices so I could live a dream, and it’s been about Tom, but now it’s about Willie.”

Last season, his wife, Willie, suffered a stroke, and that incident pushed Moore to go back to South Carolina and take care of her.

“It’s time. I’ve been fortunate to land in a lot of great places. This is a great place. The Glazers are fantastic owners. It doesn’t get any better than Jason Licht as general manager. Todd (Bowles) is great, it’s a tough business. I’ve been blessed.”

Tom Moore launched his coaching journey in 1961 at his alma mater, the University of Iowa, where he worked with the freshman team. His professional path truly took shape in 1965 at the University of Dayton. From there, he built a foundation that carried him through college stops at Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, and Minnesota before entering the pro leagues.​

For the majority of his career, Moore worked on the offensive side of the ball. He started his NFL coaching career in 1977 and gained experience with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, and Indianapolis Colts.

Moore was one of those coaches who won four Super Bowl rings and also got to work with Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady.

Todd Bowles and the Bucs fire five coaches in a major staff purge

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw their five-year postseason streak come to an end after finishing with an 8-9 record. That disappointment reverberated through the organization, signaling the need for a full coaching staff overhaul. On January 5, head coach Todd Bowles confirmed he would stay on for the 2026 season but hinted at upcoming staff adjustments. Come January 9, the Bucs dropped the hammer, firing five coaches in a rapid shakeup.​

“Quite a staff purge by the Bucs and HC Todd Bowles,” reporter Rick Stroud listed on X. “Fired: Offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, QBs coach Thad Lewis, special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, defensive line coach Charlie Strong, defensive backs coach Kevin Ross.”

Then, Tom Moore and safeties coach Nick Rapone, 69, decided to retire.

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As per sources, the firings were not mandated by the team’s leadership and instead were Bowles’s moves. In fact, four of the coaches who were fired—Lewis, Ross, Moore, and Rapone—were part of Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl-winning staff under Bruce Arians.

However, this overhaul centers on building fresh support around quarterback Baker Mayfield. The QB will be heading into the final year of his contract with the Bucs, adding urgency to the rebuild.​

Moves like letting go of special teams coordinator McGaughey were somewhat anticipated, given the unit’s inconsistencies. That said, it isn’t the first time the team has gone for an overhaul.

If we go back to January 2023, the franchise fired then-offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich as part of a revamp that also included sacking eight other coaches. That season, the team went 8-9, won the NFC South, but still fell short of what was expected.