New Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen held his first press conference since taking the job on Tuesday and quarterback Baker Mayfield was a chief topic.
Coen worked with Mayfield when both men were with the Rams in 2022 and he said that it was fun to think about getting a chance “to coach a guy that’s as competitive as he is, that has that moxie” again. In order for that to happen, Mayfield will have to agree to a new deal with the Buccaneers and Coen said he’s hopeful that things come to his desired resolution.
“I want him to be here,” Coen said, via the team’s website. “It’s probably more ‘want’ than ‘know.’ He’s obviously a reason that I’m here. That’s real. But at the end of the day, this is going to be collaborative, hopefully. I think he wants to be here but we know it’s a long way to go. It’s a long way to go, and I want him to be here. I think he wants to be here, he wants to work with me and do this with Coach [Todd Bowles] and the organization. He has had nothing but great things to say about this place, so hopefully that can get done.”
Mayfield said he wanted to know who the Bucs would hire as their offensive coordinator before opening contract talks and he endorsed Coen before he was officially hired in Tampa. That would seem to bode well for an eventual agreement on a new deal, but there’s still work to do before anything reaches the finish line.