Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) talks with offensive coordinator Liam Coen against the Washington Commanders Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Jaguars HC Liam Coen Praises Baker Mayfield and Buccaneers

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Apr 1, 2026 12:11 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are once again hitting the reset button at offensive coordinator. Tampa Bay will have had five offensive coordinators in as many years, as former Atlanta Falcons OC Zac Robinson is set to call plays for the Bucs in 2026.

Robinson, however, knows quarterback Baker Mayfield well. Robinson was the quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams during Mayfield's short stint there in 2022, and he worked alongside then-OC Liam Coen to help him deputize Matt Stafford. Coen would go on to become HC for the Bucs, and in his single year there, he led Mayfield to his best-ever season. Mayfield threw over 40 touchdowns that year, and Coen seemed to get the best out of him as a player and competitor.

Naturally, Coen still has some affinity for the Bucs despite being hired as the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach last year. And when he was asked about the reunion between Robinson and Mayfield, he had a lot of great things to say about both and the Bucs in general.

Liam Coen praises Baker Mayfield and Zac Robinson

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"I am. I just think that obviously, their connection [Mayfield and Robinson], and they have a prior relationship, that definitely helps with Baker," Coen said, per PewterReport. "And yeah, he's probably gonna be a little teed off, a little ticked off to go have a better season, get back to the playoffs, do some of those things — that's what he cares about, it's winning. That's all he gives a crap about. I gotta believe that those guys will get back to that."

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen expects a big bounce-back season for Baker Mayfield and the Bucs in 2026, as Mayfield enters a contract year with Zac Robinson taking over as the Buccaneers’ new offensive coordinator. pic.twitter.com/U62e82A2GP
— PewterReport ‍☠️ (@PewterReport) March 31, 2026

Coen's assertion that the Bucs will get back on track is a safe one for him — Tampa Bay doesn't play Jacksonville in 2026, and the Bucs are in the NFC anyway. But he has a close relationship with Mayfield and Robinson, and it makes sense that he'd be confident in that union in Tampa Bay. Both Mayfield and Robinson have to bounce back — Mayfield from a bad stint during the second half of the year and Robinson from an up-and-down tenure with the Atlanta Falcons — and Coen clearly believes in both.

Mayfield and Robinson would love to recreate Coen's electric 2024 Buccaneers offense, and to that end, the Bucs might bring on an offensive player or two in the NFL Draft at the end of the month.