The Tampa Bay Buccaneers squandered their chance at a sixth straight playoff run at the end of the 2025 NFL season by losing the NFC South to the Carolina Panthers.
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles kept his job, but many other coaches on the team were fired after the season’s end, including offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. With quarterback Baker Mayfield finding a resurgence in his NFL career in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers brought in Zac Robinson to be their new OC in 2026.
What Does Baker Mayfield Think of Zac Robinson?
This isn’t the first time Mayfield and Robinson have worked together, but it’s also not the first time they’ve been familiar with each other on the football field.
Robinson played college ball at Oklahoma State, and Mayfield watched him growing up as an Oklahoma fan. The former first-overall pick then went to Oklahoma, where he won the Heisman trophy.
Then, the two didn’t cross paths until 2022, when the Los Angeles Rams signed Mayfield, and Robinson was the team’s pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“He was a guy that when I first met him in person in L.A. I already had a respect for him in terms of a football aspect, but not knowing how he would be as a coach,” Mayfield said on The Rondé Barber Show.
“Real laid back, but he’s got a fire within him. So he comes off as very monotoned, chill, but if you make him angry, there’s a switch that flips. And I was like, ‘Okay, there is something in there that I like.'”
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When quarterback Matthew Stafford got injured in 2022, Mayfield stepped in. Robinson and Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Cohen taught him the playbook in two days, and he led a 13-point fourth-quarter comeback.
He played five games that season and did so very well, earning himself a new contract with the Buccaneers that offseason.
“We’ve all stayed in touch after that 2022 cup of coffee. They’re great guys,” Mayfield said of Robinson and Cohen. “They care about winning, trying to put their guys in the best position possible.
“I think that’s when I realized when I got to L.A. that this is kind of system, these are the kind of coaches I want to be around, that are truly going to adapt to the personnel, to what guys’ strengths are and go from there.”
In 2024, Cohen became Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator, and Robinson became the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator. The three remained in the NFC South together before Cohen took the Jaguars’ head-coaching job last season.
With the Falcons, Robinson got his first taste of calling plays, and that, Mayfield said, makes a big difference.
“You can be as knowledgeable as they come, but calling plays is an art form,” Mayfield said. “You have to be able to get into a rhythm, know your guys, and on top of that, you can have a game plan going in. Depending on how the game’s going, you may have to flip to plan B or plan C.
“He’s come a long way, but I think he’s really, really comfortable in it. That experience is invaluable.”
It’s safe to say Mayfield is excited for the 2026 season with Robinson calling his plays, and he said he’s looking forward to more quarterback keepers, bootlegs, and under-center play-action.
It was difficult for the Buccaneers to succeed last season because of injuries up front. However, Mayfield is excited to run Robinson’s play action and attack teams with downhill running, and he wants Tampa Bay to be more aggressive on offense.
