Tampa Bay Buccaneers fire coach Dirk Koetter after 3 seasons

TAMPA, Fla. — Dirk Koetter has been fired as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The team made the announcement Sunday night, a little more than three hours after the Bucs concluded a disappointing season with a 34-32 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Koetter was promoted from offensive coordinator to his first NFL head coaching position when Tampa Bay fired Lovie Smith in January 2016. He led the Bucs to a 9-7 record that year, but followed up with consecutive 5-11 finishes.

The Bucs started 2-0 this year, and then lost 11 of 14 down the stretch, including four straight games to finish the season.

Koetter, who had a 19-29 record, was dismissed after meeting with team ownership after Sunday’s game.

“We sincerely appreciate the hard work and commitment shown by Dirk over the past several years,” Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement.

Glazer said general manager Jason Licht would begin the search for a new coach immediately.