Deion Sanders really is a man of action. He hinted at some “big moves” coming to his coaching staff for the Colorado Buffaloes, and he’s already making good. The 2025 offseason is a crucial one for him, as it marks his first in Boulder without his son, Shedeur Sanders, and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Coach Prime will be counting on his latest big-name hire, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, to keep the offense humming despite losing its two cornerstone players.
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Leftwich joins a coaching staff that is already thick with NFL experience and championship success. Sanders also hired Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk to coach his own backs, and another Hall of Famer, defensive tackle Warren Sapp, has signed on in a senior quality control analyst role for the defense. He had previously served as a graduate assistant in 2024.
However, while Faulk and Sapp likely jumped at the opportunity to join Coach Prime’s staff, Leftwich somewhat settled for that OC position in Boulder. He had reportedly interviewed for the New England Patriots head coaching job and the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator job, but didn’t get either.
He hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2022, when he was fired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. However, given that his tenure from 2019 to 2022 covered Tom Brady’s entire three-year run with the Bucs—including a Super Bowl title—many are surprised he hasn’t landed a head coaching job. Naturally, Shannon Sharpe believes Leftwich deserves a shot at leading an NFL organization.
“He went from a guy that had an opportunity to get a head coaching job, to being out of the league… And he called plays!” Sharpe candidly said on an episode of Nightcap.
“But if you notice, every other offensive coordinator that has ever coached Tom Brady, what has he got in the NFL Ocho? A head. Coaching. Job. Charlie Weis, Bill O’Brien, Josh McDaniels. Three play-callers got jobs. One guy, Bill O’Brien, never won a Super Bowl with him. He lost. This guy won a Super Bowl calling plays.”
Sharpe’s co-host, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, argued that many undervalued Leftwich’s contributions to the Buccaneers’ success because Tom Brady was at quarterback. Though Sharpe pointed out that the contributions of Weis, O’Brien, and McDaniels were arguably overvalued because Brady was their QB, exposing a double-standard.
It certainly seems Sharpe is correct in his assertion that every Brady OC got a chance in the NFL, but let’s take a closer look.
Charlie Weis was Brady’s first OC, from 2000 to 2004. He left to take the head coaching job at Notre Dame in 2005, coaching five mediocre seasons there.
He then took jobs as the OC of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010 and Florida in 2011, before finishing his coaching career with a poor three-year stint with the Kansas Jayhawks from 2012 to 2014. So, while he did get one of the most prestigious coaching jobs in college football, he was never an NFL head coach.
After going without an OC in 2005, QB coach Josh McDaniels took over in 2006. He held the role from 2006 to 2008, orchestrating the greatest offense in history for the nearly undefeated 2007 Patriots. He then endured an ugly two-year stint as the Denver Broncos’ head coach. A few years later, he reunited with Brady as his OC, this time serving in the role for a decade from 2012 to 2021.
Again, he was given a head coaching job in the AFC West, this time with the Las Vegas Raiders. And again, he was run out of town midway through his second season. Guess which job he took for the 2025 season? He’s back in New England as the offensive coordinator.
Between McDaniels’ stints was Bill O’Brien, who was QB coach/OC from 2009 to 2011. He went on to be a pretty solid head coach for the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020, winning four division titles (though he was never able to win a playoff game).
And that brings us to Byron Leftwich, who was Brady’s OC from 2020 to 2022. The QB rose to Leftwich’s defense when he was fired following the 2022 season. But that didn’t seem to matter, as Leftwich spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons away from the game.
However, a successful year or two in Boulder could put him right back on the NFL radar. Having top QB recruit Julian Lewis should make for a fun season of play-calling for Leftwich.
