The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have their third offensive coordinator in as many seasons with the hiring of Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
Most Buccaneer fans had never heard the name Liam Coen before he was announced as the new offensive coordinator.
And once again, the Buccaneers appear to have settled on their ninth or tenth choice for offensive coordinator.
However, it appears that Coen was the Buccaneers’ choice all along. Coen said the team contacted him right after Dave Canales accepted the head coaching job with the Carolina Panthers.
He admitted that Baker Mayfield is the reason that he is in Tampa. “He’s obviously the reason that I’m here. That’s real. But at the end of the day, this is going to be collaborative. I think he wants to be here, but we know it’s a long way to go. I want him to be here.”
So, who is Liam Coen?
Coen was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky last season and worked with Baker Mayfield when Mayfield finished the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams.
Coen replaces Dave Canales, who was named the Carolina Panthers’ head coach.
This will be the fourth stop for Canales in as many years. Coen was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky in 2021, the OC for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, and back at Kentucky as the OC in 2023.
Coen made a significant impact at Kentucky. In 2021, the Wildcats averaged 32.3 points per game, then dropped to 20.4 in 2022 without Coen calling the plays.
With Coen as OC in 2023, Kentucky improved to 29.1 points per game.
Baker Mayfield Has High Praise for Coen
Baker Mayfield spoke about Coen and gave high praise to the coach. “Obviously, I got to work with Liam in LA. Great guy. Really, really great guy.” Mayfield went on to say that it’s a similar offensive system to the one used by Dave Canales last season with a bit of different terminology on how he wants to call things.
Mayfield added that it is important to maintain continuity within the offense, especially with the skill guys and the offensive line.
Coen’s offensive philosophy is heavy on play-action passes and a lot of pre-snap motion. He also likes to tailor his offense to the players and the skill set available to him.
The Buccaneers wanted to ensure they hired someone with ties to Baker Mayfield. Mayfield indicated he wanted the Bucs to hire someone with the same offensive philosophy that Dave Canales rolled out to keep things relatively the same from a continuity standpoint.
Will The Hiring of Coen Keep Mayfield A Buccaneer?
Will this decision be enough to keep Baker Mayfield as a Buccaneer? Coen is hoping as much. “I think he wants to work with me and do this with Coach Bowles and the organization. He has nothing but great things to say about this place. Hopefully, that can be done.”
Mayfield will command anywhere from 25 to 35 million dollars a season to keep him in Tampa.
Coen also referenced the offensive talent on this Buccaneers team, mentioning Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Rachaad White, and Trey Palmer throughout the press conference.
Coen hopes the Buccaneers can agree with Mike Evans on a new contract. “When you can call a go-ball and those 50-50 balls are now 80-20 or 70-30s, that’s not anything I can coach.”
Coen will get right to work helping Todd Bowles fill out the offensive staff and do what he can to ensure that Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield stay in Tampa.