The Tampa Bay Buccaneers persevered through adversity during the 2024 NFL season as they overcame injuries to win the NFC South and qualify for the playoffs.
Even though the Buccaneers lost to the Washington Commanders in the NFC Wild Card round, it should still be considered a successful year.
Tampa Bay was able to succeed thanks to an offense led by quarterback Baker Mayfield and coordinator Liam Coen.
Mayfield and Coen collaborated briefly with the Los Angeles Rams, and together they propelled the Buccaneers to success during the 2024 season.
Coen appeared ready to return to Tampa Bay, but a significant offer from the Jacksonville Jaguars was enough to convince him to become their head coach.
There was a lot of controversy regarding Coen’s back-and-forth decision, but Mayfield expressed how happy he was for his former offensive coordinator.
“Obviously people have their thoughts on how it went down, and I understand the emotional aspect of it, but I’m happy for Liam,” Mayfield said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “He deserves an opportunity.”
#Bucs QB Baker Mayfield says he understands why people were upset about the way Liam Coen’s deal with the Jaguars went down but he helped him as a QB and should do tue same for Trevor Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/RNkLjgwLHC
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) February 1, 2025
It’s not the norm for coaches to back out of reported agreements, so Buccaneers fans were understandably upset when Coen left for the Jaguars.
However, Mayfield seems to be at peace with Coen’s choice and even went on to say he’s excited for Jags QB Trevor Lawrence.
Coen is a rising offensive mind in the league and it’ll be interesting to see how he does as a first-time head coach.
NEXT: Bucs Have Made A Decision About New Offensive Coordinator
