T.J. Yates begins his first season as Pass Game Coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2026.
Yates joins Tampa Bay after spending the past five seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, most recently as passing game coordinator in 2025 after serving as quarterbacks coach (2024), wide receivers coach (2022-23) and passing game specialist (2021). He previously worked two seasons with the Houston Texans as assistant quarterbacks coach (2020) and offensive assistant (2019), helping the club capture the AFC South title and advance to the Divisional Round in 2019.
In 2025, Atlanta's offense finished among the NFL's top 10 in interception rate (1.5% – seventh), sack rate (4.8% – fifth), red zone efficiency (62.0% – ninth) and goal-to-go efficiency (88.5% – second), while developing a quarterback in his first full season as a starter and navigating injuries at the position. Yates' work as quarterbacks coach in 2024 resulted in Atlanta's offense ranking sixth in the NFL in yards per game (369.8) and fifth in passing yards per game (239.3). As wide receivers coach in 2022-23, Yates oversaw the development of Drake London, who set a franchise record for the most receptions by a rookie (72) in 2022.Â
Prior to entering coaching, Yates spent seven seasons in the NFL as a quarterback with the Houston Texans (2011-13, 2015, 2017), Atlanta Falcons (2014), Miami Dolphins (2016) and Buffalo Bills (2017). He was originally selected by Houston in the fifth round (152nd overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. A Marietta, Georgia, native, Yates played collegiately at the University of North Carolina, where he was a four-year starter.
