Quarterback Baker Mayfield had the best season of his career in 2023 with the Buccaneers, and while there is mutual interest between Tampa Bay and the former No. 1 overall pick, according to NFL Media, his future is not yet secured. Before Mayfield seriously dove into extension talks, he wanted to know who the Bucs next offensive coordinator would be.
The search is now over. Tampa Bay has selected Liam Coen to replace Dave Canales, who is now the Carolina Panthers head coach. Coen has already worked with Mayfield and said he would love to work with him again.
"He's an igniter," Coen said during his introductory news conference (via NFL.com). "And that's the type of guy you want to be around."
Coen and Mayfield were both with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, where the quarterback played the final five games, starting four, and went 1-3 in his starts. He had 850 passing yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions while in L.A.
The new OC said Mayfield's presence was one reason he was excited to accept the job.
"This was a no-brainer for me," Coen said when discussing joining the Bucs. "I mean obviously the opportunity to work with Baker, to get back with him potentially, and John Wolford's in the room that I coached with the Rams for multiple years."
Coen credited Mayfield, who was traded from the Panthers to the Rams during the season, for handling adversity well.
"He came into our organization at a really difficult time, a time that we weren't having a lot of fun," Coen said of Mayfield. "And he came in and made football fun for a lot of people at that time. He came in and made football competitive again at practice."
Coen gave insight into his time with Mayfield, sharing a story that displayed the quarterback's approach.
"At Rams practice, he's jawing at [Jalen Ramsey], and they're going at it, and that was something that we hadn't felt in a little while, right, it was a tough year," Coen said. "And the opportunity to be around him, potentially, every day, to coach a guy that's competitive as he is, that has that moxie, that's fun. I mean you can't coach that. And when a guy has that ability, and the ability to communicate with others, that's something that I really wanted to be around, and was very intriguing for us."
Coen spent 2023 as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Kentucky.
This season, Mayfield set career highs in passing yards (4,044), touchdowns (20) and completion percentage (64.3), earning him his first Pro Bowl nod. Mayfield is a free agent this year, so there is no guarantee he will be back in a Bucs uniform, but it seems Coen would like him to be.
The 28-year-old said previously that "it all just kinda depends" when asked about where he will land in 2024.
"My agent and [the Buccaneers] I think they engaged a little bit, but obviously when Canales left -- and [I'm] happy for him as well, getting the head coaching job, he deserves that," Mayfield said last month. "But when they started the OC search, I think they [knew] that we gotta know who's calling plays before anything's done."
Now that the team has secured its OC, Mayfield may have a better idea of what he wants to do next season. He noted that he was thankful for the Bucs, saying they were the first ones who gave him "a chance," but is still "taking it one day at a time."
If Mayfield does return, he made it clear he wants wide receiver Mike Evans to be back as well, calling him a "stud."
