Baker Mayfield pushes Bucs into making a decision for his new offensive coordinator
Baker Mayfield got the guy he wanted.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their fifth offensive coordinator in as many years, thanks to a big push from Baker Mayfield.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will run the show moving forward. Robinson and Mayfield go back to the latter’s time with the Los Angeles Rams, when the former was the passing game coordinator.
As we all know, Mayfield’s time in LA was integral to his revival, and Robinson’s offense has similarities to Liam Coen’s. Therefore, it makes sense that Mayfield weighed in and helped the Buccaneers make their decision.
Robinson yielded a mixed bag of results in Atlanta
Robinson did some good things in Atlanta: He turned Bijan Robinson into an absolute star, he took Drake London’s game to the next level, and he also helped Kyle Pitts turn in the best year of his career since his rookie season.
His offense is zone-based in the run game, and he mixes it up in the passing game, attacking both the middle of the field and the sidelines at a pretty even rate (50% of attempts were over the middle in 2024 and 48% in 2025, per SIS).
That’s good news for a shifty runner with good vision like Bucky Irving and a wide receiver corps that boasts two guys in Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka (three if Mike Evans comes back) who can play multiple positions.
The concerns with Robinson’s offense are predictability and overuse of certain elements, such as the Pistol formation. His offense also seemed limited, but much of that can be chalked up to the quarterback play of Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr.
Cousins clearly wasn’t himself in his first year back from an Achilles tear in 2024, and Penix Jr. has yet to really take steps forward as a former eighth overall draft pick. It remains to be seen whether Robinson’s potential role played a part in Penix Jr.’s lack of development. There’s also the reality that Penix Jr. has only played in 14 NFL games thus far – he hasn’t even played a full season, yet.
Falcons offense under Zac Robinson in ’24 and ’25
- EPA per play: 0.00/-0.07
- Points per game: 22.9/20.8
- Yards per play: 5.8/5.4
- Total touchdowns scored: 39/36
Overall, the hire makes sense, and it’s honestly one that was suspected from the beginning. The familiarity with Mayfield, the systemic similarities, and the fact that Todd Bowles had four up-close looks at an offense that tormented his defense in three of those four matchups pointed to this direction.
Now comes the process of putting it all together. The Buccaneers still need a quarterbacks coach and maybe another assistant. Once those spots get filled, it’s time to hit the ground running toward a crucial season for the entire franchise.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers News
Buccaneers land ‘home run hire’ in Danny Smith that should erase the special teams stench from 2025
This is a very encouraging hire.
