The Buccaneers formalized last night’s news, naming Lovie Smith as their next head coach.
The team announced a five-year contract for Smith, and will introduce him at a press conference in Tampa next Monday.
“Today is an exciting day for the Buccaneer organization, and the entire Tampa Bay community, as we welcome back Lovie Smith,” Buccaneers co-chairman Bryan Glazer said in a statement. “We knew from the start of our search that he was the ideal man to lead our team into a new era of Buccaneer football. Lovie is an accomplished and very well-respected head coach who has enjoyed success at every level of his 30-year career.”
Smith spent four years as an assistant in Tampa Bay under Tony Dungy, and has the kind of stability and experience the Bucs so badly need. His 81-63 record in Chicago was solid, and he went to a Super Bowl with Rex Grossman as his quarterback.
That will serve him well as they try to figure out if Mike Glennon is anything more than a Rex-level placeholder, or whether they need to make a push for another quarterback this offseason.