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Perhaps no hiring was more dramatic during the ongoing cycle than the Jacksonville Jaguars’ decision to bring Liam Coen in as head coach, and he made it clear Monday he didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity ahead of him.
“The opportunity to coach in Tampa was a phenomenal one to get my feet wet in the NFL as the offensive coordinator and I thank them so much for that opportunity,” Coen told reporters during his introductory press conference.
“As you continue to do more research and gain more information as you go, it started to become more clear with every hour that this was an opportunity that you just can’t pass up, for so many different reasons. And you, ultimately, want to do truly what’s best for you and your family, and that’s what this came down to. I will always love and remember those guys in Tampa.”
Coen was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past season, and it appeared as if he may stay at one point this offseason.
Nick Shook of NFL.com detailed the entire ordeal, noting the new head coach initially pulled himself out of consideration in Jacksonville and agreed to remain with Tampa Bay with a pay raise. However, the Jaguars fired general manager Trent Baalke shortly after that, and Coen ended up reengaging in discussions with the AFC South team even as the Buccaneers tried to contact him.
The end result is a new head coach in Jacksonville for an organization attempting to bounce back from its 4-13 record in 2024.
Whether it will be able to do so or not largely depends on whether quarterback Trevor Lawrence can live up to expectations as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft. The 2022 Pro Bowler had 11 touchdown passes to seven interceptions and was 2-8 as a starter in 10 games in 2024, but working with Coen should help fully unleash his potential.
After all, Baker Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns this past season in Tampa Bay’s offense and could be something of a blueprint for the strides Lawrence can make under Coen.
And Monday’s comments made it seem as if the new head coach is fired up to work with his new quarterback.