The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for a new special teams coordinator, and that search began on Saturday with an opening interview with Detroit Lions Assistant Special Teams Coach Jett Modkins.
The interview, which kicks off the team's efforts to replace Thomas McGaughey, with whom the team parted ways on Thursday, was conducted virtually. Modkins just finished his fifth season on the Lions' staff working with Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fipp. Over the past five seasons, the Lions' special teams have ranked among the league's best in multiple categories.
Modkins' coaching career began in 2019 as a defensive volunteer coach at Akron. After one season in that post and one as the Denver Broncos' diversity coaching intern, he joined the Lions' staff at the same time the team hired Fipp in 2021. Detroit's special teams results have been excellent in mutliple ways during the last five seasons.
From 2021-25, the Lions ranked fifth in kickoff return average (26.0) and fourth in punt return average (11.2). The team also tied for the league lead in that span with three punt return touchdowns. The Buccaneers have not had a punt or kickoff return for a touchdown since 2010, the longest active drought in the NFL.
Detroit also ranked fifth in the league in gross punting average (48.3) from 2021-25, and 10th in punt return average against (8.5).
