Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans know better than most how much Baker Mayfield struggled in 2025, but hope has arrived in the form of Zac Robinson.
The Bucs' new offensive coordinator brings five years of experience under Sean McVay and two years as the Falcons' full-time offensive coordinator, and is someone the team was interested in hiring two years ago before giving the job to Liam Coen.
During his tenure as an NFL coach, he's worked with a variety of different quarterbacks, schemes, and offenses, but one thing has remained consistent: success. During his first season as an NFL coach in 2019, Robinson was the assistant quarterbacks coach for Jared Goff, who threw for 4,638 yards.
Two years later, he assumed the same position, and Matthew Stafford, the new quarterback for the Rams, threw for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns, and won the Super Bowl.
Baker Mayfield will receive an upgrade from Zac Robinson in Tampa Bay
His experience is highly valuable, but how can he help Mayfield?
Well, Mayfield and Robinson already have a relationship from their brief time together in Los Angeles. Mayfield was famously cut by the Panthers, signed by the Rams, and started on Thursday night football in the span of three days late in the 2022 season.
Robinson, the Rams' passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach at the time, helped lead Mayfield to a victorious first game in Los Angeles that revitalized his career. Fast forward three years, and the two have another opportunity to work closely together.
Mayfield turned in his worst performance as a Buccaneer in 2025, but hope is on the horizon. The 30-year-old threw for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 63.2 completion percentage. This was his worst full season since his time in Cleveland, and worst overall since he was cut from Carolina.
Coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances, his regression was a shock. He threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2024, but hindsight shows he may have peaked. The biggest advanced statistical difference between the two seasons is his average depth per target.
On average, Mayfield threw the ball further downfield in 2025 than he did in his successful 2024 campaign. With Robinson coming in, this could be adjusted quickly.
The Falcons' OC adjusted the gameplan based on each quarterback's strength, to varying success. Michael Penix Jr. throws the ball with more velocity and strength, while Kirk Cousins does not. With this in mind, it's hard to imagine Mayfield repeating this average depth of target in 2026.
Outside of the numbers, Mayfield looked frantic at times in the pocket from a fan perspective. Part of the reason may be the lack of familiarity with the offense. After all, Robinson will be Mayfield's 11th career offensive coordinator through nine seasons, which is insane.
Baker Mayfield has now had an astounding 11 offensive coordinators in his 8 NFL seasons. Impossible to develop anything near the Stafford-McVay trust. I think Zac Robinson, from the McVay tree, will be pretty good. But ... Baker is starting over AGAIN.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 22, 2026
That's so many different playbooks, schemes, mindsets, ideas; all you can do is feel bad for him.
Baker is entering the final year of his 3-year, $100 million deal, and a lot is on the line. If he performs poorly again in 2026, head coach Todd Bowles and Mayfield may be both out of Tampa Bay. Until we get to that point, Robinson is the last hope to keep the two around.