Tampa Bay’s head coach likes what he sees from his quarterback.

It’s one thing for a quarterback going into his second year with the team that bet on him the year prior. It’s another thing when the quarterback is going into that second year with a new contract and a new offensive system.

For Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, he is the quarterback that is entering his second year with what many would call pressure to perform. Year two for Mayfield sees him playing with a new $100 million contract he earned for his play in 2023 on a prove it deal with familiar faces on offense which Includes his offensive coordinator in 2024.

However, although Liam Coen is a new face to the Bucs, Mayfield is familiar with his new OC stemming from his short time in Los Angeles with the Rams when Coen held the same title in 2022.

So when head coach Todd Bowles was asked how his signal caller is handling the ownership of the team in his second year, Bowles responded by saying his quarterback is the same guy regardless of whether or not this is a new offense.

“It’s the same Baker, it’s just him and Liam [Coen] getting on the same page, him and Thad [Lewis] getting on the same page [and] embracing the offense that is getting installed and checking to the right plays,” Bowles said. “The drive and the vigor is always there, but the maturity of how he’s handling the situation right now – learning a new offense – has been great.”

Sure, it’s nice to hear these things from Bowles during the off-season workouts. It just further validates the guy they have in Mayfield. But curious minds are curious on how Mayfield — in his second year in pewter — performs with a new look offense.

Is it the regular season yet?