In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, it was rumored last week and official this week: Jim Leonard is moving to Buffalo to become the next defensive coordinator for the Bills. Sure, we would have liked to see him return to Wisconsin, but you have to be happy for him. It’s a pretty highly coveted job, and while it’s easy to move up the ladder to a coordinator job for a less-than-desirable team, the Bills should be a great fit for him. They will almost certainly be contending for the near future with Josh Allen. And Joe Brady is an offensive guy, meaning that Leonard will have the chance to run the defense how he wants to run it.
Leonard isn’t the only Wisconsin native whose name is moving around the league. Former Badger QB Scott Tolzien was recently talking with the Steelers about a potential offensive coordinator job under Mike McCarthy. Instead, he’ll be sticking in New Orleans as the quarterback coach. Now that he’s had a big interview though, his name will likely stick around in the coming years for similar positions around the league. Former Badgers QB and former UW-Oshkosh quarterback coach Connor Senger has also been getting some interviews around the league, though he seems to be sticking to his position with the Cardinals for the moment. Even non-native Wisconsin names seem to be getting coaching jobs these days; Mike LaFleur, brother of Green Bay’s Matt, was named head coach of the Cardinals this week. We have to wonder, will there even be driveby handshakes between the two brothers next season?
Moving to the NBA, it seems as though Giannis Antetokounmpo’s time with the Bucks is just about at its end. At least Oates seems to think so. It is true that he does seem to genuinely love Milwaukee still, but the Bucks have taken a step back every year since 2021. Giannis has always said that he wants to play for championships and now seems to be the time to say goodbye. Hopefully, the Bucks get a big haul out of him with lots of draft picks that’ll allow them to basically start over. But it doesn’t matter what they get; losing Giannis means that the Bucks will lose any trade.
The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
February 4th, 2026, 08:00 am
The Wisconsin Sportscast
Jim Leonard Moves to Buffalo, and Giannis Counts His Days in Milwaukee
00:00
32m
Published February 4th, 2026, 08:00 am
Description
In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, it was rumored last week and official this week: Jim Leonard is moving to Buffalo to become the next defensive coordinator for the Bills. Sure, we would have liked to see him return to Wisconsin, but you have to be happy for him. It’s a pretty highly coveted job, and while it’s easy to move up the ladder to a coordinator job for a less-than-desirable team, the Bills should be a great fit for him. They will almost certainly be contending for the near future with Josh Allen. And Joe Brady is an offensive guy, meaning that Leonard will have the chance to run the defense how he wants to run it.
Leonard isn’t the only Wisconsin native whose name is moving around the league. Former Badger QB Scott Tolzien was recently talking with the Steelers about a potential offensive coordinator job under Mike McCarthy. Instead, he’ll be sticking in New Orleans as the quarterback coach. Now that he’s had a big interview though, his name will likely stick around in the coming years for similar positions around the league. Former Badgers QB and former UW-Oshkosh quarterback coach Connor Senger has also been getting some interviews around the league, though he seems to be sticking to his position with the Cardinals for the moment. Even non-native Wisconsin names seem to be getting coaching jobs these days; Mike LaFleur, brother of Green Bay’s Matt, was named head coach of the Cardinals this week. We have to wonder, will there even be driveby handshakes between the two brothers next season?
Moving to the NBA, it seems as though Giannis Antetokounmpo’s time with the Bucks is just about at its end. At least Oates seems to think so. It is true that he does seem to genuinely love Milwaukee still, but the Bucks have taken a step back every year since 2021. Giannis has always said that he wants to play for championships and now seems to be the time to say goodbye. Hopefully, the Bucks get a big haul out of him with lots of draft picks that’ll allow them to basically start over. But it doesn’t matter what they get; losing Giannis means that the Bucks will lose any trade.
The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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The Wisconsin Sportscast
A weekly podcast with insights and analysis on the Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Bucks from two of Wisconsin’s most experienced sports journalists. Mike Lucas is a veteran sports columnist for the Cap Times and was a Badgers radio color commentator for over 25 years. Tom Oates was a sports reporter and columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal for 40 years.
