Breaking News: Jaguars Hire Bucs’ Offensive Genius Liam Coen as Head Coach in Stunning Turnaround!

On January 7, the day after the Jacksonville Jaguars fired Doug Pederson as head coach, they began their search for a replacement. They sent out eight interview requests to different teams, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Jaguars were interested in interviewing offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who led one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NFL in 2024. 

The Buccaneers supported Coen in participating in the virtual interview, which he completed on January 15. According to a source familiar with the situation, Coen impressed Jaguars owner Shad Khan, who was eager to conduct an in-person interview.

This sparked a series of events leading to Coen’s eventual hiring as the Jaguars’ head coach, but not without some drama. The Buccaneers, determined to keep Coen, offered to make him the highest-paid coordinator in the league if he withdrew from the Jaguars’ interview process. Coen accepted and pulled out of consideration on Wednesday morning.

However, later that day, the Jaguars parted ways with general manager Trent Baalke, and Khan reached out directly to Coen, asking him to reconsider. By Thursday afternoon, Coen was on his way to Jacksonville for an in-person interview, and by midnight, both sides had agreed on a deal. The Jaguars, initially disappointed by Coen’s withdrawal, were thrilled to secure an offensive expert they believed could help develop quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers, who thought they had secured Coen for the long term, were left searching for his replacement.

Liam Coen spent just one season as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, where he helped transform quarterback Baker Mayfield and the team into a top-performing unit. In his first and only season, Coen replaced Dave Canales, who had been hired by the Carolina Panthers as head coach after 2023. Coen had previously worked with the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay, including the 2022 season when Mayfield had a brief stint with the Rams.

Coen quickly built a strong relationship with Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and earned approval from team ownership. He helped Mayfield achieve a career-high 41 touchdown passes, surpassing his previous record of 28 from 2023, which was also the third highest in Buccaneers history. Coen managed this success despite missing key players like receiver Chris Godwin for half the season and Mike Evans for three games, showcasing his ability to adapt the offense to available personnel.

Under Coen’s guidance, the Buccaneers scored 28.6 points per game, the third-highest in team history, and significantly improved their running game, going from a league-worst 88.8 rushing yards per game in 2023 to 149.2 yards per game in 2024 — the best in franchise history.

Given Coen’s success, it wasn’t surprising that the Jaguars wanted to interview him. Head coach Bowles even offered advice before his virtual interview, saying, “Me and Liam are very close, and we have conversations about what to expect from interviews. It shows you’re picking the right guy.”