Other than winning a Super Bowl, it’s not totally clear what Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield would have to do in order to be universally thought of as an elite quarterback.
To some, being a 2-time Pro Bowler, resurrecting his career in Tampa Bay and leading his team to consecutive NFC South Division titles was enough.
To others, there’s alway going to be something to criticize.
The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia went on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on August 11 and threw some shade Mayfield’s way headed into 2025, singling the former No. 1 overall pick out as a system quarterback who may have just benefited from a run of great offensive coordinators.
In 2023, Mayfield’s first year in Tampa Bay, he was paired with current Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales as the OC. His second year was with current Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen.
So is it Mayfield or the coordinators? To Kapadia, it’s the coordinators.
“My concern is that was a highly schemed offense last year for Baker Mayfield where they did a great job of he didn’t have to throw into tight windows and did a lot of shorter throws,” Kapadia said. “And they lose the guy who was their offensive coordinator in Liam Coen. Now, I’m not saying he’s Bill Walsh, sure. You could replace a guy like Liam Coen. It just adds a little unknown to me.”
What Buccaneers Have In New Offensive Coordinator
If Mayfield’s success is truly a result of his run on great offensive coordinators, then it’s worth taking a look at the man who will take over in 2025 with Josh Grizzard, who was the passing game coordinator in 2024.
With Grizzard taking over a spot where the last 2 offensive coordinators have spent one season before becoming NFL head coach, there’s understandably a lot of buzz.
“Grizzard has had a quick rise in the NFL coaching ranks; he was first an offensive quality control coach with the Dolphins in 2017 and had only two years as a wide receivers coach in Miami before he got the Bucs job last season,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote on May 27. “At only 34 years old, and with experience under Mike McDaniel and Coen, it’s fair to have ‘next big thing’ suspicions around Grizzard. If he can keep the train chugging from last season, the Bucs should have a top-10 offense again.”
While Grizzard is Mayfield’s third offensive coordinator in 3 seasons in Tampa Bay, ESPN’s Jenna Laine pointed out an even more shocking statistic for Mayfield.
“(Grizzard) will be the eighth offensive coordinator for Mayfield in his eight seasons in the league,” Laine wrote on January 31.
Even for a coordinator position, that’s an incredible amount of turnover for one player. It also speaks to what Mayfield has accomplished as he revived his career over the last 2 seasons in Tampa Bay.
Grizzard, 34 years old, was one of 6 candidates who interviewed for the Bucs’ offensive coordinator opening and the only internal candidate who got an interview.
He’s also a former quarterback — he was a backup for 4 seasons at Yale.
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