Kevin Gilbride, who has held the job on a full-time basis since 2007, announced his retirement Thursday night.

Fox Sports 1 first reported that Gilbride would step down.

“It’s hard to say, ‘It’s time,'” Gilbride, 62, said in news release sent out by the Giants. “To finally do it, it’s a very unnatural feeling. I’ve been telling my wife [Debbie] for years I was going to do it. She moved back to Rhode Island [where she helps care for a granddaughter when the Gilbrides’ daughter is working], so I’ve been by myself in the hotel for three or four years. I knew this was it and I was going to do it. I finally pulled the trigger. But it’s difficult.”

A source close to the situation said that former Giants assistant Mike Sullivan, recently fired as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator along with coach Greg Schiano, is a leading candidate to replace Gilbride. The team is expected to bring Sullivan in for an interview.

Coach Tom Coughlin expressed support for his coaching staff Monday, but owner John Mara said he believed the offense to be “broken.” The expectation around the team was that it would be strongly suggested to (if not demanded of) Coughlin that the Giants make a change at offensive coordinator.

“I have great respect for Kevin and Debbie and their family, so it’s not an easy thing to part ways,” Coughlin said in a statement released Thursday. “Kevin is a professional. He’s been an exceptional football coach for the New York Giants. He helped win two Super Bowl championships. Kevin was the play-caller in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. He has done a great service to the franchise.”

The Giants finished 28th in total offense this season. The offensive line couldn’t protect quarterback Eli Manning, who had the worst season of his career. Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks played poorly in his contract season and failed to catch a single touchdown pass. Tight end Brandon Myers was a flop, and the run game never showed up thanks to injuries.

Nevertheless, blame appears to have fallen on Gilbride, who was Coughlin’s offensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995-96, and came with him to the Giants as quarterbacks coach in 2004. He was promoted to interim offensive coordinator in 2006. The interim tag was removed in 2007.

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The news first broke Wednesday night, but contract details had to be finalized. Smith, who signed a five-year deal, will be introduced at a Monday news conference.

“Today is an exciting day for the Buccaneer organization, and the entire Tampa Bay community, as we welcome back Lovie Smith,” Bucs co-chairman Bryan Glazer said. “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.”

The hiring is a homecoming for Smith, 55. He served as Tampa Bay’s linebackers coach under coach Tony Dungy from 1996 to 2000. Smith went on to become defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and then became the head coach in Chicago in 2004, leading the Bears to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2006 season.

“I think the fit is going to be tremendous,” Dungy said. “No. 1, he knows the area, he knows how the team got built into a Super Bowl winner, he knows how to win in the NFL, but more than that, I think he is going to build just a chemistry and camaraderie in that locker room and in the whole organization that’s going to resemble what we had before. I’m really excited and I know the players are going to be ecstatic playing for Coach Smith.”

Smith inherits a team that went 7-9 and 4-12 under Greg Schiano, who was fired Monday. The Bucs started the 2013 season 0-8, and there was plenty of controversy. Quarterback Josh Freeman was benched after three games and was replaced by rookie Mike Glennon.

“I’m excited about getting to meet Coach Smith and I’ve heard nothing but good things about him,” Glennon said. “Obviously, he has a great track record in the NFL, so I think it’s a great hire. He knows how to win, has a great mind for defenses, and I’ve also heard he’s just a great person. I’m looking forward to meeting him and the rest of the coaches. Hopefully, we can get started as soon as possible.”

In other developments Thursday, former California coach Jeff Tedford agreed to become Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator under Smith, according to league sources.

Smith and the Bucs also are targeting Kansas City Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard as the team’s next general manager, sources said. Prior to taking the Chiefs job in 2013, Ballard was in the Bears’ personnel department when Smith was their head coach.

The Bucs still may interview another candidate or two for the general manager job but Ballard tops the list, according to the sources.

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The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end has declared for early entry into the 2013 NFL draft, Texas A&M announced on Sunday night.

Moore had a strong junior season, leading the Aggies in tackles with 80, finishing tied for third in the nation in sacks with 12.5 and tied for fifth in tackles for loss with 20. He was named a first-team All-American by several organizations, including ESPN.com, the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America.

Moore was second on ESPN’s Todd McShay’s initial 2013 mock draft.

“Today is a sad moment and a happy moment,” Moore said in a statement. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the NFL, but I’ve loved my time representing the 12th Man and with my teammates at Texas A&M. Wherever I go, I will always be an Aggie at heart.”

Moore could become the third defensive lineman since 1970 to lead the Aggies in tackles if he finishes first in the category after the AT&T Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma on Friday. He would be the first since Sam Adams accomplished the feat in 1993. Moore also had eight quarterback hurries and two blocked kicks this season.

“I couldn’t be happier for Damontre as he pursues his professional dreams in the NFL,” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said in a statement. “He’s been a great representative of Texas A&M University, as a student and a football player, and I know he will continue to be an ambassador for the university in everything he does in the future.”

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