CINCINNATI — Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher is one step closer toward staying in Cincinnati.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hiring former Falcons coach Zac Robinson to be their offensive coordinator according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Robinson met with Bucs’ brass on Wednesday. The meeting reportedly went into Wednesday night.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is reporting that Baker Mayfield helped push for Robinson to be the next coordinator. The move comes just one day after Pitcher had a virtual interview with the Buccaneers.

Former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan was a finalist for the job and was scheduled to interview in person on Thursday.

Instead, it’ll be Robinson. He’s served as the Falcons offensive coordinator for the past two seasons.

What Does It Mean for the Bengals?

The Bucs were reportedly targeting former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel for their offensive coordinator job. Once he made the decision to go to Los Angeles and join the Chargers, it appeared like Pitcher had a real chance of landing in Tampa Bay.

They interviewed Pitcher for their offensive coordinator job in 2023. He opted to stay in Cincinnati and became the Bengals offensive coordinator one year later.

It’s reasonable to think Pitcher wants to call plays with hopes of boosting his profile and becoming a head coach one day. Combine that with a possible raise and the Bengals’ unwillingness to give Pitcher offensive playcalling duties and it’s easy to see why the veteran coach was kicking the tires on other opportunities.

While Pitcher remains in Cincinnati for now, there are plenty of other open offensive coordinator jobs. If the Bengals continue to let him explore his options, there’s a chance he could end up elsewhere. For now, he’ll stay in Cincinnati with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals.