Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has no hard feelings for former offensive coordinator Liam Coen, but that does not mean he is letting Coen off easily for leaving.
Mayfield joked that he left Coen on read when the former Buccaneers offensive coordinator reached out to tell Mayfield that he was taking the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job. Mayfield did make clear, however, that he understands that a head coaching position is something Coen cannot easily pass up.
“I left him on read for a little bit, just like he left me on read. I made him beg,” Mayfield joked to reporters Saturday at the Pro Bowl Games. “It was good. I know people are going to be upset about it, but for him, Ashley, and their kids, you can’t argue with that decision. I can’t be mad at that. As much as I would want to have him still here, it is what it is. Life goes on. I’m happy for him.”
#Bucs Pro Bowl QB Baker Mayfield on Liam Coen FaceTiming him and the OLine in the Bahamas to tell him he was taking the Jaguars HC job. “I left him on red a little bit,” he said. But Mayfield understood it was an opportunity Coen couldn’t pass. pic.twitter.com/6mQPiCXbjq
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) February 1, 2025
Mayfield’s initial comment was a nod to Coen’s controversial departure from Tampa Bay, in which he supposedly ghosted the team one day after agreeing to a new contract. Coen’s wife maintained that there was a legitimate reason the Buccaneers could not get in contact with Coen as contract talks with the Jaguars progressed.
Mayfield was a big proponent of Coen getting the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator job last offseason. There is no doubt the quarterback is unhappy to see him go. However, he certainly understands the business, and gets that Coen might not have received this sort of opportunity again.
