Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Cohen reportedly agreed to a contract extension with the Buccaneers on Wednesday that includes a pay raise that would make him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the league. Cohen had been a strong candidate in the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coaching search, but Cohen reportedly dropped out of the race in order to stay in Tampa.

A day later, Cohen changed his mind.

Cohen, 39, reportedly informed the Buccaneers that he will now take over the Jaguars' top coaching job ESPN's Adam Schefter. Although Cohen and the Buccaneers agreed to a contract extension, the agreement was not signed and Cohen traveled to Jacksonville to make a deal to become the team's potential new head coach.

The fact that Cohen's renewed interest in the Jacksonville job comes one day after Jaguars owner Shad Khan fired general manager Trent Buck is probably no coincidence. The Jaguars initially elected to keep Buck, who compiled a 25-43 record in four seasons as general manager, but changed course this week.

early Thursday, multiple reports said the Buccaneers have had no contact with Cohen or his representatives despite multiple attempts to contact him.

Complicating matters are conflicting reports on whether Cohen told Tampa Bay he was heading to Jacksonville. The Buccaneers reportedly claimed Cohen didn't tell them about his plans, while Cohen reportedly said he did notify Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles of his intention to interview for the job.

Cohen joined the Buccaneers last season and was immediately recognized for his work with Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield. He helped the Buccaneers rank third in the league in offense this season. Tampa Bay advanced to the playoffs but lost to the Washington Commanders in a thrilling wild-card matchup.

The Jaguars have had a rough offseason so far, firing head coach Doug Pederson earlier this month after a 4-13 record. Buck's situation ensues.

In addition to Cohen, the Jaguars' other leading candidate is former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who will now reportedly return to San Francisco as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator.

The move marks a transition from the failed Pederson era and is the Jaguars' fourth head coach since selecting quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft.

Lawrence played his rookie season during Urban Meyer's disastrous tenure, which lasted just 13 games before the Jaguars fired the first-year NFL coach. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell served as head coach on an interim basis to end the season, but gave way to Pederson, who joined the Jaguars in the 2022 offseason.

Pederson joined the Jaguars with great fanfare as a risk-taking former Eagles coach and led Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl title after the 2017 season. Pederson, a former NFL backup quarterback and offensive quarterback, is tasked with developing Lawrence and turning the Jaguars into winners.

He did neither. Lawrence improved in his first season under Pederson while earning his first Pro Bowl berth and leading the Jaguars to the playoffs, winning a wild-card game against the Chargers. But Lawrence regressed in the 2023 collapse, and the Jaguars fell from a 6-2 start to the playoffs.

Lawrence failed to make any progress during the 2024 season that was sidelined by injury, throwing for 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games, eight of which the Jaguars lost. Pederson was fired after a 4-13 season.

Enter Cohen, whose job — much like Pederson’s — is to develop Lawrence and turn the Jaguars into winners.