New Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen might not be as happy as quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans these days, but he’s probably a close second.
Mayfield re-signed with Tampa Bay on a three-year deal worth $100 million, while Evans was re-signed to a two-year deal worth $41 million. Both Pro Bowlers opted to stick with the Bucs rather than test free agency – and Coen is mighty grateful to have them back in the fold.
Coen joined the Bucs to replace Dave Canales with the hope that Mayfield would be his offense’s trigger man and that Evans would once again be the top target in the passing game. But both were slated to become free agents and nothing was assured.
So Coen was overjoyed to hear that Mayfield and Evans would be suiting up in red and pewter once again – and play in his offense.
“It was hard to envision this thing without those guys, especially getting a true X receiver, somebody that can demand so much from the defense,” Coen said. “And the familiarity with Baker – not just the familiarity, but the skill set. I know that we can push the ball down the field, that we can throw the football and make decisions at the line of scrimmage that are going to be advantageous for us to get into the right plays. That was huge.”
It’s been well-documented how Mayfield and Coen know each other from their time together with the Rams over the last five weeks of the 2022 season. Working with Mayfield again was one of the enticing things that made Coen want to leave his post as the offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky to take on the play-caller duties in Tampa Bay.
“I was talking to Sean McVay this weekend when we were getting this thing done (Mayfield’s extension) and he said, ‘Man, Baker made football fun again for us at a time where – and in an organization where we weren’t used to struggling,” Coen said.
“Baker came in and lit the fire under all of us. He made football fun and he made practice fun. He made practice competitive. There was a huge familiarity there that you can’t underestimate.”
How exactly did Mayfield make football fun in Los Angeles as the 2022 Rams dealt with several key injuries and a post-Super Bowl hangover en route to a disappointing 5-12 season?
“The bravado, the practice habits, the study habits, the way that he competed, the way he would carry himself,” Coen recalled about their days together in L.A. “He’s out there jawing with [Los Angeles Rams cornerback] Jalen Ramsey and the guys. And in games, he just has a way about him.
“He’s an igniter. He’s an igniter, and people tend to like to be around those types of people.”
Liam Coen Was Able To Be There For Baker Mayfield’s Big Moment
The Bucs’ new offensive coordinator wasn’t planning on celebrating the news of Baker Mayfield’s contract extension with him, but it just kind of happened to work out that way.
“So it’s funny, I was planning on all day – Jason [Licht] had mentioned Salt Shack being a good place to go to in the evenings and to grab a bite to eat,” Coen said. “At 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, I was planning on going. I was picking up Brian Picucci, our assistant offensive line coach, to go over there, and Baker called me. ‘Hey, we’re doing this! Let’s go!”
“I’m just screaming. I’m in the mall – pretty excited. And I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I’m over at Salt Shack with Tristan [Wirfs].’ So I ended up meeting those guys over there and having a bite to eat. It was great to see him and Emily [Mayfield] and their excitement.”
Mayfield was thrilled that Coen could join the party and help celebrate his return to Tampa Bay with a lucrative new deal.
“It was surreal, sitting there at lunch with Emily, Tristan and Meredith [Sutton, Wirfs’ girlfriend] – I mean some of our closest friends, obviously,” Mayfield said. “Just to have that relief, and then call Liam, and he’s like, ‘Well I’m already on my way.’ It’s the community feel – it’s a big part of that. We celebrated in there. Some people said, ‘Congrats!’ because it just popped up on the [ESPN] ticker. But it was awesome – to be able to look out on the water. That’s the reason that makes this place so special. Everybody wants to be outside together and enjoy the weather.”
Mayfield and Wirfs will both become first-time fathers later this month. Wirfs and his girlfriend Meredith are expecting a baby boy, while the Mayfields are expecting a baby girl.
First-time fatherhood and the ability to plant some roots in Tampa and build a home are some of the things on Mayfield’s docket personally this offseason. Professionally, he’s excited to play in a similar, familiar offense and to work with Coen again – this time with the Bucs. Mayfield loves Coen’s coaching slogan: players, not plays.
“You look at what he’s done in his coaching career and the guys they really highlight in their schemes and try to get open to do all that,” Mayfield said. “That’s what he means about that. We have great players here. So he’s going to try to format things to get them the ball in unique situations and ask them to do the things they’re really good at and build that from there.
“He’s a guy that understands that. Some of the old school coaches think ‘It’s my way or the highway’ when it comes to X’s and O’s. But in reality, if we get the ball to some of these guys’ hands good things are going to happen regardless.”
And the Bucs offense seems to be in good hands with Liam Coen at the helm.
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