After an impressive season that saw them reach the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield expressed a public interesting in running things back.
Expectations are that Mayfield will re-sign with the Bucs. But before those negotiations move forward, he required a bit of knowledge: Who would be running the offense as the offensive coordinator (OC)?
“It all just kind of depends,” Mayfield told NFL Network earlier this week when asked if he would re-sign with Tampa Bay. “Obviously Tampa, we’re going though a little bit of a OC search right now. It’ll start there. They were the first ones that gave me a chance, and (I’m) thankful for them. We’ll see. Taking it one day at a time.”
Mayfield’s concern was addressed on Friday with word that the Buccaneers would be hiring Kentucky’s Liam Coen as their next offensive coordinator.
Coen spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams from 2018-2020 as an assistant and one season as their offensive coordinator in 2022. During that second stint, he worked side-by-side with Mayfield, who was the team’s starting quarterback over the final month of the season.
The familiarity between Mayfield and Coen may be enough for the Pro Bowler to sign on the dotted line.
“I think out of all the guys they interviewed — of the names I saw — a lot of good options. It’s kind of hard, I don’t understand how that thought process goes, but obviously, I got to work with Liam in [Los Angeles]. Great guy, a really great guy,’ Mayfield said, via Pewter Report.
“If they lock that down for sure it’s a similar system — same system, just some different terminology and how he wants to call things. There’s something to say about that, with continuity within the offense for the skill guys and the offensive line. It’s important to have.”
Coen’s hire keeps the ball in Tampa Bay’s court for now and may tip the scales for Mayfield, but if he’s allowed to hit free agency in March, things are still subject to change.
