I have a feeling this has gone around as a rumor for a while, but this is the first time I've seen confirmation of it.
In 2005, Pete Carroll chose to take away play calling duties from Norm Chow and give them to now-Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian and now-Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin. The reason was that the two were getting job offers from elsewhere, and Carroll had to do something to keep them from leaving.
Chow wasn't fired, but for a guy with his experience and stature, taking away play calling duties basically meant he had to go elsewhere. He did, jumping to the NFL's Tennessee Titans. Chow is now offensive coordinator at UCLA, and USC has yet to win a national title without him despite loaded rosters and lofty expectations.