On Wednesday, Liam Coen withdrew his name from the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head-coaching search and reached an agreement with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to become one of the highest-paid offensive coordinators in the NFL.
However, on Thursday, Coen never showed up to sign his agreement and the Bucs couldn’t reach him. It turns out Coen reopened talks with the Jaguars after they fired general manager Trent Baalke. The two sides met in person on Thursday, and Coen has reportedly accepted Jacksonville’s offer to become the franchise’s next head coach.
Pat McAfee Can’t Believe Liam Coen Is Taking Jaguars Job and Leaving Tampa Bay
Former NFL punter and ESPN personality Pat McAfee couldn’t believe Coen’s change of heart.
After Coen left the Buccaneers at the altar and accepted the Jaguars’ head coaching job, McAfee tweeted the following five-word reaction: “This Liam Coen sh*t is wild.”
This Liam Coen shit is wild
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 24, 2025
McAfee chose his words carefully in responding to the Coen saga. The Buccaneers were waiting patiently for Coen to report to One Buc Place in Tampa to sign his extension. He never showed. He was too busy flying to Jacksonville and getting ready to accept their head coaching position.
The way this whole situation played out — with Coen initially spurning the Jaguars to extend with Tampa Bay, then ultimately backing out of his agreement with the Bucs and ghosting them to circle back to Jacksonville — is a pretty bad look for the 39-year-old.
While it’s understandable that Coen viewed the situation differently after the Jaguars fired Baalke, he could have picked up the phone and communicated with the Bucs.
What kind of coach are the Jaguars getting?
This season was Coen’s first in Tampa Bay, and he immediately led one of the best offenses in the NFL. The Bucs ranked third in PFN’s Offense+ metric, a huge leap from last year’s 22nd-place ranking.
Under Coen’s coaching, Baker Mayfield posted one of the best seasons in Buccaneers history and ranked sixth in PFN’s QB+ metric (after ranking 13th in 2023) and eighth in EPA per play (after ranking 14th in 2023). Mayfield and the Bucs offense produced at elite levels despite missing Chris Godwin for the final 10 games of the regular season and Mike Evans missing three.
One key development to Mayfield’s sensational season was his ability to avoid pressure. In 2023, Mayfield was pressured on 34% of his dropbacks and had the fifth-deepest aDOT (8.6 air yards). His tendency to hunt for big plays led to some explosive games and caused him to invite more pressure. In 2024, Mayfield was pressured on 24% of his dropbacks, the third-lowest. His willingness to get the ball out of his hands earlier was a big part of that.
Mayfield’s aDOT dropped from the fifth-deepest to the seventh-shortest (6.9 air yards). Could Trevor Lawrence be the next Mayfield? Lawrence has seen his QB+ grade decline in three consecutive seasons (79.5 in 2022, 67.1 in 2023, and 64.5 in 2024), failing to succeed despite an increased level of aggression.
- 2022: 7.4 air yards per throw
- 2023: 8.2 air yards per throw
- 2024: 9.4 air yards per throw
What helped Mayfield succeed this season? Under the watch of Coen, his aDOT was dialed back by 18.6%, and he thrived on those short passes (under 10 air yards):
- Short pass passer rating: 2nd (112.8, behind only Lamar Jackson)
- Short pass completion percentage: 2nd (79.5%, behind only Tua Tagovailoa)
- Short pass TD%: 2nd (6.8%, behind only Jackson)
Before working with Mayfield in Tampa, Coen did a terrific job developing Will Levis on the Kentucky Wildcats. Although Levis hasn’t worked out in the NFL, he took a huge step in 2021 under Coen’s tutelage.
After two seasons as a backup at Penn State, Levis transferred to Kentucky in 2021 and was responsible for 33 touchdowns (24 passing, nine rushing), fourth-most in the SEC that season. That season vaulted Levis into the first-round discussion.
And while he ultimately ended up being a second-round pick, Levis’ 2021 season stands out as an example of quarterback development under Coen’s watch.
Now, after one of the weirder coaching-cycle sagas in NFL history, all eyes will be on Coen to see if he’s worth the drama in Jacksonville.