ORLANDO, Fla. — He already had seen the news on social media, so when Baker Mayfield received a flurry of text messages from Liam Coen, the quarterback practiced the silent count.

“I left him on ‘read’ for a little bit, just like he left me on ‘read,’” Mayfield said of the pleas from Coen, who initially had agreed to return to the Bucs as offensive coordinator then accepted the Jaguars' head coaching job a day later.

“I made him beg,” he added.

Mayfield and the Bucs' offensive linemen were vacationing together in the Caribbean. Palm trees and cold beers should never be interrupted by bad news.

“We were down in the Bahamas with the big fellas, so we all had a few choice words for (Coen) before we actually told him we were happy for him,” Mayfield said.

“I know people are going to be upset about it, but for him, (Coen’s wife) Ashley and their kids, you can’t argue with that decision. I can’t be mad at that. As much as I’d want to have him still here? It is what it is. Life goes on and I’m happy for him.”

On Saturday, life was going just fine for Mayfield, left tackle Tristan Wirfs, receiver Mike Evans and defensive tackle Vita Vea. They endured about a half-hour walk-through practice with the NFC team in the Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium.

A day earlier, Mayfield. his teammates and their wives, girlfriends and kids sat around the hotel pool and enjoyed their growing families.

Wirfs even tried to teach Evans how to leap out of 4 feet of water onto the deck of the pool, but the 31-year-old receiver didn’t go all the way through with his attempt. On Friday night, they rode roller-coasters at Universal Studios Florida.

But that’s nothing like the dizzying rotation of offensive coordinators for the Bucs, from Byron Leftwich to Dave Canales to Coen in consecutive seasons.

That’s why Mayfield and his teammates are so excited about the Bucs hiring Josh Grizzard as their next offensive coordinator. The 34-year-old former Dolphins assistant was the Bucs’ passing game coordinator this season and also was responsible for third downs.

Tampa Bay was first in the league with an astounding 51.11% third-down conversion rate.

Grizzard’s promotion provides some continuity of the Bucs’ offensive system. Tampa Bay averaged 29.5 points per game this season, finished fourth in rushing yards and third with an average of 5.2 yards per carry.

“Grizz is a great guy,” Mayfield said. “Unbelievably smart. You know, he was in Miami for seven years. They kept him through a bunch of staff changes, which shows his football knowledge. But also for him, it’s the versatility of being in a bunch of different systems and extremely smart guy.

“Every season looks different. But in terms of the offseason and (organized team activities), you’re not installing brand-new plays. That‘s so helpful. We had a lot of young guys step up this year, so for them not to have to learn a new system is huge.”

Evans worked closely with Grizzard in the passing game and was impressed with his array of experience in different offenses. While in Miami, Grizzard worked for Adam Gase, Brian Flores and Mike McDaniel.

“We’ve got Josh. It’s going to be the same offense, pretty much,” said Evans, who was selected to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time in his career. “We’re just going to add some new wrinkles and expand on what we did last year.

“We’re just trying to get it to that best-in-the-league level. We were really good last year, one of the tops in the league, but we’re trying to be the best offense in the league, and I think Josh can help us get there.”

Change has been constant for Mayfield. Grizzard will be his eighth offensive coordinator in as many NFL seasons. He noted that the Bucs’ decision to deny Coen a chance to pilfer offensive line coach Kevin Carberry and assistant offensive line coach Brian Picucci was critical.

“Obviously, us keeping (Kevin) Carberry and Brian Picucci is huge,” Mayfield said. “It starts with the run game and those guys up front and everything else, you make it work after that. But I’m excited for Grizz.”

Wirfs is also pleased with the continuity. “This will be my fourth OC in five years. We keep the same system. Grizz knows it like the back of his hand. He’s a wizard, so we’re super excited about Grizz.”

A year ago, uncertainly enveloped the Bucs. Mayfield and Evans were unrestricted free agents. Wirfs was seeking a new deal. Coen had been hired just a few days before the Pro Bowl.

Coen may be gone, but the Bucs believe they are on the cusp of something great as the core group of players remain together.

“We were talking about it. Like the core group we have right after the season, we’re really close,” Mayfield said. “We know there’s plays to be had, and you’ve got to make them when they count, but just two years in a row for us with the group that we’ve had, coming this close to being in the NFC Championship Game and going onto the next round.

“Once you’re right there, you realize there’s little things you can work on in the offseason to push it to the next level. We have a motivated group.”

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