It’s no secret that one reason the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Liam Coen as their new offensive coordinator this offseason was because of his prior working relationship with quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Tampa Bay choosing Coen also helped convince veteran wide receiver Mike Evans to re-sign with the only NFL home he’s known during his career.
“I like him,” Evans said about Coen on Wednesday, as shared by the Buccaneers’ website. “I talked to him even before I re-signed. That’s another reason I wanted to sign back. He had all these plans to continue giving me the ball. I love to hear that. That just makes me happy. I like him a lot.”
Mayfield first had Coen as a coordinator late in the 2022 season when both were with the Los Angeles Rams. Meanwhile, Mayfield and Evans became a dynamic offensive duo as they guided Tampa Bay to a playoff berth and a postseason victory in their first campaign together.
Evans could’ve tested free agency in March but instead signed what is essentially a two-year contract reportedly worth $41M with $11M in incentives and escalators to stay with the Buccaneers. As for Mayfield, he inked a three-year, $100M deal with a maximum value of $115M and $50M guaranteed to return to the Buccaneers.
As Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports noted in June, the Buccaneers also brought back other key contributors this offseason. Evans believes the team can improve upon what it accomplished following the retirement of Tom Brady in February 2023.
“Last year, we heard all the talk about us: we lost Tom, we’re going to be trash and things like that,” Evans explained. “But we knew the caliber of players that we had, and this year, we’re going to be better, I feel like. …We know Baker is going to be the guy. Last year, we didn’t know that preparing. So it’s a lot more continuity and just learning a new offense, and we’ll be good.”
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles challenged his team at the start of training camp to target a trip to Super Bowl LIX. It sounds like Evans believes Tampa Bay can complete such a journey with Coen and Mayfield leading the offense.
