Tampa Bay Buccaneers are keeping offensive coordinator Liam Coen after the rising star assistant spurned the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Coen, coming off an impressive first year calling the plays, was rewarded with a lucrative extension. The 39-year-old assistant will become one of the highest-paid coordinators in the NFL. Immediately after the news broke, Buccaneers fans couldn’t contain their excitement.
Liam Coen Withdraws From Jaguars’ Coaching Search
Terms of the new contract weren’t disclosed, but a report from the Tampa Bay Times suggested he could be earning somewhere in the range of $4.5 million annually.
Meanwhile, Coen had been named the front-runner to replace fired head coach Doug Pederson in Jacksonville until he pulled his name out of consideration for the job. Speculation continues to run rampant that an awkward dynamic in the Jaguars’ front office spurred the reversal.
After the season, owner Shad Khan retained general manager Trent Baalke despite a growing sense around the NFL that the organizational structure is broken in Jacksonville, with FOX Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reporting the Jaguars would have a “hard time attracting a top head coach if they kept Trent Baalke.”
This was cited as the reason the franchise missed out on leading candidate Ben Johnson, who joined the Chicago Bears.
It’s been no secret around the NFL since the season ended that the #Jaguars would have a hard time attracting a top head coach if they kept Trent Baalke. They stuck with him — and here we are. https://t.co/pEd5T6TJRq
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 22, 2025
Later on Wednesday afternoon, in the aftermath of the Coen news, the Jaguars parted ways with Baalke. Ethan Waugh will take over as interim general manager, according to a statement, as the two sides decided to “respectfully separate” in their mutual best interests.
Buccaneers Fans React to Coen Staying in Florida
Buccaneers fans took to social media in droves to rejoice in the Coen news. The architect behind the league’s third-best offense is returning for his second season after flirting with another job. His relationship with Baker Mayfield — a quarterback who has had nine different offensive coordinators in his seven NFL seasons and who finished with a No. 6 ranking (87.9) in PFN’s QB+ metric — cannot be overstated.
“Liam Coen returning to Tampa Bay is a MASSIVE win for 2025,” Nick Wize wrote. “This will be the first time Baker Mayfield has had the same OC 2 years in a row.”
“Retaining Liam Coen is such a coup for Tampa Bay,” Jonathan Jones added. “The Bucs have won four straight NFC South titles and will be considered the favorite to win an unprecedented fifth consecutive NFC South championship in 2025.”
Zack Blobner captured the excitement by posting an instantly viral meme, with mashed-up press conferences featuring Mayfield and head coach Todd Bowles:
HC Todd Bowles & QB Baker Mayfield after the news broke Liam Coen is staying in Tampa Bay as OC 😎 pic.twitter.com/8E24WkWojE
— 𝗭𝗮𝗰 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗻𝗲𝗿🎙 (@ZacOnTheMic) January 22, 2025
“The Buccaneers going from a poverty franchise to a well-respected one has been one of the great pleasures of my life,” Louis Ptack wrote.” Thank you, Tom Brady.”
The Glazers, Jason Licht, Baker, Todd Bowles, and Mike Greenberg, who was a first round interview for the Jets GM job, all deserve credit in getting Liam Coen to return to Tampa Bay. This has been in the works and a testament to the leadership and what they're building in TB.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 22, 2025
“Kudos to the Glazers for stepping in and stepping up, and for Jason Licht, Todd Bowles, Mike Greenberg, and Baker Mayfield doing their parts to keep Coen in Tampa Bay.
Continuity is king in the NFL. Wise choice, Liam,” Pewter Report added.
This is just massive news! A huge offseason win for the #Bucs!
Kudos to the Glazers for stepping in and stepping up, and for Jason Licht, Todd Bowles and Mike Greenberg for doing their parts to keep Liam Coen in Tampa Bay.
Continuity is king in the NFL. Wise choice, Liam. https://t.co/9BBMaXxaBg
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) January 22, 2025
Once it became clear that Jaguars were firing Baalke anyway, Evan Closky couldn’t restrain his laughter: “Lololol.”
“Key part of Liam Coen news is the Bucs organization remains a model of top quality consistency,” Cameron Wolfe added. “A place where people want to stay and build. Credit to Glazers and GM Jason Licht.”
Remember, Tampa Bay ranked No. 3 in offense — 6,792 total yards, 399.5 yards per game — while putting up the fourth-most points in the NFL (29.5 points per game) under Coen’s guidance and finishing with a No. 3 regular-season ranking (90.9) and A- grade in PFN’s Offense+ metric. Meanwhile, Mayfield set career highs in passing yards (4,500), touchdown passes (41), and completion percentage (71.4%). Now, everyone remains in place for 2025.
Raiders Steal Away Buccaneers Assistant GM
Well, almost everyone.
The Buccaneers are losing assistant general manager John Spytek to the Las Vegas Raiders, according to NFL Network. The 44-year-old will run the show in Las Vegas and lead the head-coaching search, as he replaces outgoing Raiders general manager Tom Telesco.
Sources: The #Raiders are expected to hire #Bucs assistant GM John Spytek as their new general manager.
A top lieutenant for GM Jason Licht, Spytek is respected for helping build the #Bucs… including when they won the Super Bowl with Tom Brady, a #Raiders limited partner. pic.twitter.com/Cypg6mvr25
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 22, 2025
Spytek enjoys a friendly relationship with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady — his former college teammate at Michigan and Super Bowl champion colleague on the Buccaneers — and has been gaining attention as a rising star among front-office executives.
Prior to Tampa Bay, Spytek served in front-office roles for the Detroit Lions (2004) as well as the Philadelphia Eagles (2005-09), Cleveland Browns (2010-12), and Denver Broncos (2013-15).
