And rightfully so.
The Tampa Bay Bucs officially named Liam Coen as their new offensive coordinator Saturday. They took a lengthy, thorough approach to finding one. Similar to last offseason’s process of the Dave Canales hire. But there was one major difference to a year ago.
This year, the Bucs included quarterback Baker Mayfield in the process. Mayfield, at the NFL’s Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, shared his thoughts on a potential Coen hire. But it wasn’t just on Coen, it was the entire roster of names the team interviewed.
In short, Mayfield had a hand in who they would hire next which was a first for him, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
“Do I know them? Do I have any interaction? What are my thoughts on that,” Mayfield said of the input they asked of him during the hiring process.
The Bucs actually asked Baker Mayfield for his input on all the coaches they were interviewing, including Liam Coen. “Do I know them? Do I have any interaction? What are my thoughts on that?” Mayfield said, adding that it was a “first” for him to be involved in that.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) February 3, 2024
Coen and Mayfield know each other from their (very brief) time together in Los Angeles in 2022. The system Coen will be running is a similar one to that of what Canales installed in Tampa Bay.
But curiosity remains as to the future of Mayfield and the Bucs. Clearly both sides want to remain together as is evident to the team’s approach in the hiring of their newest offensive coordinator. However, will it eventually translate to a deal that keeps Mayfield in pewter?
Oh the suspense.