The Jacksonville Jaguars have had a wild week regarding their head coach opening. Eventually, they settled on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator Liam Coen to be the Jaguars’ next head coach, but not after a tumultuous journey.
Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Rollercoaster Saga Ends in Hire
Coen was the reported No. 1 target for the Jaguars’ entire search. However, there was one major factor that seemingly affected this process.
Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke was retained despite the Jaguars moving on from Doug Pederson on Jan. 6. Coen reportedly pulled himself out of the search on Wednesday to sign an improved contract to remain as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. However, Khan took action and fired Baalke on Jan. 22, soon after Coen reportedly removed himself from the conversation.
Out of nowhere, Coen was on a plane back to Jacksonville, Fla. According to reports, he never showed up to sign his new deal with the Buccaneers and was unreachable, as he planned to become the next head coach for the Jaguars.
This was not a great look for Coen after Tampa Bay provided him the opportunity to succeed this year and was willing to give him a huge raise to keep him around, and fans were not shy to react on social media.
After going dark on the Buccaneers, he had no choice but to try to explain himself. He released a statement posted by “Good Morning Football” analyst Peter Schrager expressing his gratitude for the Buccaneers and his excitement for his new coaching chapter with Jacksonville.
Exclusive: Here's Liam Coen's statement to me. Please credit when re-posting. @gmfb @nflnetwork @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/awErfSoCVi
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 24, 2025
Shad Khan released a statement explaining how the process went down in his eyes, trying to protect Coen’s image from going dark on the Buccaneers. He outlined his commitment to winning and justified his actions of getting Coen on the plane to pry him away from Tampa Bay.
A statement from Jaguars Owner Shad Khan. pic.twitter.com/Ifqrx7z3MY
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 24, 2025
Coen’s Offensive Prowess — Where Jacksonville Can Grow?
Coen spent only one year as the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay. While there, he transformed their offense massively. Mike Evans always does his job, but Baker Mayfield was great for Tampa Bay under Coen. Throwing for career-highs with 41 touchdowns and 4,500 passing yards, Mayfield shined under Coen’s offense.
Tampa Bay’s offense ranked third in PFN’s Offense+ metric compared to 22nd in 2023, even after losing Chris Godwin to a season-ending injury and Evans missing time as well. Mayfield’s resurgence with Tampa Bay has been with the help of two offensive coordinators who have landed head coaching jobs due to their offensive prowess (with Dave Canales joining the Carolina Panthers in 2024).
Coen transformed Mayfield into a quarterback who doesn’t stretch the field as much. His pressure rate dropped from 34% to 24% as a result, and his aDOT dipped from 8.6 air yards to 6.9 air yards. This change in Mayfield’s style implemented by Coen’s offense helped shape Mayfield’s success.
Trevor Lawrence could benefit from a similar change as well. His aDOT has been rising year to year, and his overall play has been slowly declining with it. Travis Etienne Jr. had a down year as well, and when looking at rookie RB Bucky Irving’s success in Tampa Bay, there is a blueprint for Etienne to bounce back.
A real bright spot for the Jaguars in 2024 was rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr., who was outstanding this year. It is undeniable that Coen will have weapons at his disposal, and it is encouraging for Jacksonville’s fans. There is evidence to support that the Jaguars could have success under his offensive system.
Jaguars’ Defensive Struggles
The Jaguars did not have a good defense at all in 2024. Coen has zero experience coaching the defensive side of the ball as well, so the Jaguars may need to nail their defensive coordinator hire to have any hope for success this season.
The Jaguars defense ranked 31st in PFN’s Defense+ metric, 32nd in turnover rate, and 30th in points allowed per drive. Khan and Coen will have their work cut out for them to find the right person to lead this defense. Options are slowly running out as one of the top defensive coordinator candidates Robert Saleh is expected to sign with the San Francisco 49ers to be their defensive coordinator.
The defensive personnel needs revamping as well, so Coen’s offensive ceiling could be hindered by the looming defensive struggles in Jacksonville.
