Baker Mayfield discusses Buccaneers' unique hiring process

It was reported in February that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hiring Liam Coen as their new offensive coordinator this offseason "came on the recommendation of" quarterback Baker Mayfield even though Mayfield was on track at that time to become a free agent in March.

Mayfield opened up about Tampa Bay's unique hiring process during a recent appearance on the "Pardon My Take" podcast.

"I'd be like, 'Wait, I don't even have a deal yet. What am I doing here?'" Mayfield said about the experience, as shared by River Wells of Sports Illustrated. "Part of it was them trying to get input, get the right guy in there...making it more enticing no matter what the deal was that was offered. It did mean a lot during that process because that was the first time I'd been asked about anything."

Mayfield previously shared how the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers discarding him made him feel "like a piece of dirty laundry" ahead of his successful debut season with the Buccaneers. Before he signed a one-year contract with Tampa Bay in March 2023, Mayfield had Coen as a coordinator during a cup-of-coffee stint with the Los Angeles Rams late in the 2022 campaign.

"They're still going to make their decision however they want to, they're probably just letting me feel good about it," Mayfield said regarding his original thoughts about the Buccaneers choosing Coen as Dave Canales' replacement. "Knowing that I'd worked with Liam before, I think that was a big part of it."

The Carolina Panthers hired Canales as their new head coach in January.

Mayfield acknowledged during the podcast he thought the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings could have targeted him in free agency. One may never know, as he put pen to paper on a three-year contract to stay with the Bucs before he reached the open market.

Atlanta ultimately signed Kirk Cousins in March, while Minnesota seemingly plans to start veteran Sam Darnold over rookie J.J. McCarthy this coming September. As for Mayfield, he'll look to prove Tampa Bay made the right call in trusting him to help select a coordinator who ideally will get the most out of the club's offense following Canales' departure.