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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield can become a free agent in March, but his role in the recent hire of offensive coordinator Liam Coen speaks where he’ll land.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported that the Buccaneers collaborated with Mayfield on the offensive coordinator position. The vacancy came about when Dave Canales left Tampa Bay for the Carolina Panthers to become the team’s head coach in January.
Canales’ exit left the Buccaneers in a potentially precarious position because he helped Mayfield produce a career year in 2023. In addition, Mayfield hasn’t enjoyed stability at offensive coordinator throughout his six-year NFL career.
“Do I know them? Do I have any interaction? What are my thoughts on that?” Mayfield told Laine.
She also noted “that it was a ‘first’ for him to be involved in that” process. That also means a first for a quarterback taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Despite Mayfield’s draft position and early success with the Browns, he didn’t receive that level of input there nor his other short-lived stops. The Panthers cut him in December 2022 after a trade with the Browns before that season, and Mayfield looked around in free agency after a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams to end the 2022 season.
Baker Mayfield Connecting With Liam Coen Changed Everything
Mayfield first connected with Coen, who served as the offensive coordinator in Los Angeles at the time in 2022. Mayfield regained a spark on the field during their time together, too.
“He may not be as outgoing as I am, but he’s definitely fiery,” Mayfield told reporters on February 2.
Mayfield lit a fire in Los Angeles from day one there with a 17-16 comeback win over the Las Vegas Raiders — around 48 hours after joining the team. He threw for 230 yards and a game-winning touchdown after a crash-course on the Ram’s playbook.
“It brought that feeling of having that success and really remembering what it was all about, kind of hit the reset button for me,” Mayfield said in June 2023 at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship via the New York Post.
Mayfield finished his 5-game stint with the Rams throwing for 850 yards and four touchdowns versus two interceptions. He credited head coach Sean McVay “and a bunch of other guys” for making a difference in his career.
In addition, Mayfield called the Buccaneers offense under Canales “a very similar system” to the Rams under Coen. Mayfield reiterated that point again last week after Coen’s hire.
“Obviously, same system. Just some different terminology in how he wants to call things,” Mayfield said. “There’s something to say about that continuity in the offense for the skill guys, the offensive line … it’s important to have.”
Buccaneers Will Need to Spend Big to Keep Baker Mayfield
The Buccaneers will need to invest heavy funds to keep that continuity with Mayfield. Spotrac projects him to make $27.1 million annually or earn a 4-year, $108.51 million contract — a far cry from his 1-year, $4 million deal in 2023.
Mayfield told reporters on February 2 that contract negotiations “will pick up” amid Coen’s hire. That said, the Buccaneers need to lock up another big contract — wide receiver Mike Evans.
Tampa Bay will need to fork out $23.8 million annually or a 4-year, $95.34 million deal to keep Evans. That’s something Mayfield expects to see, too, in order to stay.
“If I’m back, I want Mike back,” Mayfield told reporters on January 21.
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