Although Baker Mayfield isn’t technically under contract, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ new offensive coordinator, Liam Coen, stated this week that the quarterback was a major draw in bringing him to Tampa Bay, calling it a “no-brainer.”
Mayfield is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Having worked with him when the two were with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, Coen undoubtedly hopes he will return. Mayfield signed a one-year deal with the team last offseason before leading them to the divisional round of the playoffs and an NFC South crown.
Coen stated on Tuesday, “He’s an ignitor, and he’s the type of man that you want to be around.” “He joined the Rams organization during a very trying period. a period of time [when] we weren’t very enjoyable. At the time, he came in and made a lot of people laugh at football. He returned to practice and brought competition back to football. He’s snarling at [cornerback] Jalen Ramsey, and they’re trading blows. That was something we hadn’t felt for a short while, is that correct?
The Bucs held interviews last Friday morning with potential applicants for the position of offensive coordinator. On Saturday, the hiring was announced. Coen joined Tampa from the University of Kentucky, where he was the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2023.
Before that, in between his two terms at Kentucky, Coen was the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2022, assistant wide receivers coach from 2018 to 2019, assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020, and offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2019.
After one season, Dave Canales left to become the coach of the Carolina Panthers, and Coen assumed the role of offensive coordinator.
“It’s fun to train a person who is as competitive as he is and has that moxie—to be around [Mayfield] maybe every day,” Coen remarked. “I really wanted to be around it, and that was extremely intriguing for us. You can’t coach that.” The guy’s interpersonal communication skills are rather remarkable.
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Mayfield, who was traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Panthers in July 2022, has been looking for a place to call home after being cut by four teams in a single calendar year. He told ESPN that the Bucs did ask him for his opinion on candidates, demonstrating that the organization’s actions match their words of support.
People asked Mayfield things like, “Do I know them? Do I interact with anyone? What do I think about that?
Says Mayfield, “It’s a positive indication.” “Well, that was the first time I was involved in that, or even just inquired about being part of that. I was thrilled about that, but time will tell. Of course, I wish I could be back there. I believe it’s reciprocal, so we’ll see. However, it’s one day at a time.”
Coen has been busy dissecting the Bucs’ 2017 footage, and he doesn’t think Mayfield has yet reached the peak of his abilities. He thinks Mayfield’s cerebral game still has unrealized potential.
Coen remarked, “I think he wants more and that he doesn’t get enough credit for—honestly—his study habits, his work habits, and his preparation.”
Coen also mentioned the strength of the Bucs’ wide receiver duo, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Evans is a free agent, but the Bucs have made it clear that they also hope to re-sign the team’s all-time receiving yardage leader.
Godwin’s 1,024 receiving yards this season were the third-highest of his career. According to Coen, Godwin should return to the slot and assume the “F” role, which Cooper Kupp excelled in in Los Angeles. Finding methods to get the ball into the hands of his finest playmaker is nothing new for Coen, as opposing teams are always focused on Kupp.
Coen stated, “We had to be innovative in everything we did, from formation to alignment to where we would put Kupp to how we would finish up in the final formation. Things ran through [Kupp].”
“We have to be able to transfer him around at the end of the day.”
According to sources who spoke with ESPN’s Dan Graziano this week, the Bucs were also able to hire Kevin Carberry to fill the position of offensive line coach. Carberry most recently held the positions of offensive line coach for the Rams from 2021 to 2022 and assistant offensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints in 2023.
