With the hiring of Zac Robinson, Baker Mayfield's fourth offensive coordinator since arriving in Tampa Bay, a new era dawns for the Buccaneers' offense in 2026. Robinson became instrumental in the career resurgence of Mayfield in 2022 during the signal-caller's brief stint with the Rams. After being signed off waivers from Carolina with a two-day stretch to learn the playbook before the Thursday Night Football clash with the Raiders, Mayfield did the improbable – led a captivating 98-yard game-winning drive to put L.A. in the win column. Now, the two reunite in Tampa Bay with a shot at reclaiming the NFC South title.

"Getting to know him then and him having to tutor me on the fly on the playbook, it was him, Liam [Coen] and Sean [McVay] but it was more directly with Zac and Liam at that time and getting to know those guys," said Mayfield via the Rondé Barber Show. "They tried to make it as easy as possible for me and go from there and we just all stayed in touch from that 2022 cup of coffee for me. Great guys and they care about winning and they try to put their guys in the best position possible, and I think that is what I realized when I got to L.A. of, 'This is the kind of system and these are the kind of coaches that I want to be around.' They truly adapt to the personnel and what guys strengths are and go from there."

After serving as a quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator for the Rams, Robinson spent the 2024-25 seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Falcons. During that span, Robinson gained experience in formulating a call sheet and constructing a gameplan. Play calling requires a methodical approach that blends foresight and improvisational skills. It requires dedication and intuition on when to abandon the script and start anew. The men donning a headset must isolate each potential situation with results, moving down the list of plays until the opportune moment arises and the defensive look appears. It requires working through different formations and concepts as a way of collecting input on how the defense will respond. Within the parameters of a drive, effective play-callers adjust. Then in the second half, the task is configuring the plays that worked in the first half but delivering the combination in a way that keeps the defense off-kilter. Robinson's mindset, as described in his introductory press conference, is "be the attacker."

"Calling plays is an artform," noted Mayfield. "You can be as knowledgeable as they come but calling plays is an artform. You have to be able to get into a rhythm, know your guys and on top of that, you can have a gameplan going in and depending on how the game is going, flip to Plan B or Plan C. Being able to do that on the fly and having the learning experience is invaluable. So, he has come a long way but I think he is really comfortable in it. I think when you spend that many years in one system, learning under McVay, but then still having your own experience with the [Falcons], is invaluable. I think what he has been able to do adjusting to two very different quarterbacks as well and what that looks like, I think it is great for him."

Following Robinson's hiring as the Bucs' offensive coordinator, both he and Mayfield have mentioned a probable increase in keepers and bootlegs, playing into the quarterback's strengths to sell the run and pass while attacking downhill. Along with the increase in misdirection and jet motions, bootlegs have become a predominant principle in the modern era for offenses with a mobile quarterback. On the boot, the quarterback and the line sell a run fake and following the snap, the edge is secured and a guard or lineman acts as the puller out in front. The launch point is changed and the quarterback scans the field. On naked bootlegs or keepers, the offensive line flow in the opposite direction of where the quarterback moves. The edge is left unblocked and if the defender does not fall for the fake, they will be in the quarterback's face. The aim is to build the run game through outside zone to set up the drop-back passing game and play-action to ignite bootlegs.

In 2020, Mayfield was the only player to have at least 10 bootleg passing attempts that traveled at least 20 air yards per SIS. On those throws, Mayfield went eight-of-11 for 324 yards and two touchdowns. On rollouts to his right, Mayfield was three-of-five for 137 yards (one touchdown) but on the left, he went five-of-six for 187 yards (one touchdown). For Mayfield as a right-handed quarterback, being able to move laterally to the opposite side and turn his body without a stationary foundation and throw across the body is a challenging task. However, Mayfield has the improvisation skills to throw from various arm angles off-platform and that capability will be featured in the club's 2026 offensive attack.