Liam Coen did such a good job with Baker Mayfield on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year that the Jacksonville Jaguars hired him as head coach for the 2025 NFL season, hoping to see a better version of Trevor Lawrence on the field.
Coen didn’t spend much time with Mayfield, as he left the Bucs after only one year as offensive coordinator. However, it looks like the 11 months the duo lived together in Tampa Bay were quite eventful.
Speaking at the NFL annual meetings last week, Coen made a strong confession about his relationship with Mayfield by revealing their straightforward communication, admitting that the quarterback even yelled at him sometimes.
“Just being able to have honest conversations. Like we had some real hard, at times, honest conversations that allowed us to in times of crisis be ok. Right? In times of adversity [we’d] have real fluid conversations because it gets heated. Bake’s yelled at me, and I was ok with that,” Coen said, via joebucsfan.com.
Coen’s great work with Mayfield in Tampa Bay
Mayfield already came off a strong season as the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback when Tampa Bay hired Coen. In 2023, the former first-round pick completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 4,044 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, helping the Bucs upset the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs.
When Dave Canales left his post as the Bucs OC to take the Carolina Panthers’ head coaching opening in 2024, Coen had big shoes to fill. He was up to the task, helping Mayfield improve the numbers that led him to a first Pro Bowl selection.
Last year, Baker posted career-highs in completed passes (71.4), passing yards (4,500), and touchdowns (41). His 16 interceptions were the second-highest in his career, but it didn’t prevent the QB from making the Pro Bowl for the second straight year.
Coen has nothing but gratitude for Mayfield
Coen knew Mayfield from his time as offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, who hired the quarterback late in the 2022 NFL season to replace an injured Matthew Stafford. But the way things went on the Bucs exceeded all expectations.
“I can’t thank Baker enough for what we were able to do last year,” Coen said. “That was such a cool year, and he was such a big part of that. Maturing off the field, man. … Like he has really been able to grow. He understands the game at a high level. I think he’s a little underappreciated for that aspect of his game. We were able to have really good dialogue, which only helps being on the field and having communication, and his leadership goes without saying.“
Jaguars expect improvement from Lawrence after Coen’s success with Mayfield
While Josh Grizzard will become Mayfield’s third offensive coordinator on the Bucs, Coen will try and use his fruitful experience in Tampa Bay to get the best of Lawrence in Jacksonville.
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Just like Mayfield, Lawrence entered the NFL as a first overall pick, so the Jaguars can’t wait to unlock his full potential. The 25-year-old will be looking to come back stronger after suffering a season-ending head injury last year, but only time will tell whether Coen makes a good match like it did for Mayfield.