Liam Coen to be Jacksonville Jaguars next Head Coach

Liam Coen to be Jacksonville Jaguars next Head Coach

It has been a bizarre 48 hours in the world of Liam Coen and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A couple of days ago, it was announced that the Bucs and Coen agreed on a deal to make him one of the highest-paid coordinators in NFL history. But now, in a sudden twist of fate, Coen will be coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars come the start of next season. But was this such a sudden decision?

Jenna Laine of ESPN was the first to report the news:

Breaking: Liam Coen has informed the Buccaneers that he is taking the Jaguars’ head coaching job, per @JennaLaineESPN. pic.twitter.com/KRPmmEDYYd

— ESPN (@espn) January 24, 2025

Links between Liam Coen and the Jaguars didn’t just come out of nowhere. The issue was Trent Baalke. The guy is a moron, and Coen rightfully wanted nothing to do with him. Frankly, no potential coach wanted to take a job where Baalke was their boss.

But then the big news dropped: the Jaguars finally fired Trent Baalke. Within a day, Coen was on a flight to Jacksonville to have a secret meeting with Shad Khan. Which likely sealed the deal when paired with the Baalke firing.

Coaching searches can get crazy. This is a new one. Bucs agreed to an extension, but it wasn't signed. No contact at all between Liam Coen and the #Bucs. The Jaguars situation changed dramatically… yada yada yada … Now he's in the Jacksonville building discussion the HC job. https://t.co/Dsixt5NYf7

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 23, 2025

The Bucs, for the most part, were left in the dark. Nobody on the team had heard from him for over a day until he reached out to Todd Bowels, saying he was at an appointment with his son. Coen also briefly mentioned the Jaguars’ position but just that he wanted to look back into it.

Then boom! Thursday evening, it’s revealed that Coen is a key candidate for the Jaguar’s next coach and likely on the way out. It was just a brutal blow for the Bucs, who were trying to avoid finding a fourth offensive coordinator in as many years.

Liam Coen was also one of the best in the NFL when it came to designing an offense. He turned the worst rushing offense into the fifth-best in just one year and turned them into a top-three offense in yards per game.

But his best work has been with Baker Mayfield. Who posted career marks in yards and touchdowns under Coen. Now, Dave Canales also deserves some of the credit with Baker, but Coen clearly knew how to get the most out of his QB.

I know Jacksonville hopes Coen can bring some of that magic with him and apply it to Trevor Lawrence. Who has yet to take that next step and become the star many think he can still become. I’ll tell you, though, if Liam Coen can’t make Lawrence work, nobody can.

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As for the Bucs, they will once again have to scramble to find an offensive coordinator. Much like they did when Dave Canales left the year before, then again, that did leave them with Liam Coen, so maybe there is a silver lining for Bucs fans.

As a Bucs fan, this would put a bad taste in my mouth, but that’s just football sometimes. The Bucs are no strangers to losing coordinators and have shown the ability to bring the right guy in time and time again. Keeping them has been the real issue.

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