JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen has made his intentions known to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a surprising turn that included his initial Withdrew from the interview pool, but then reconsidered the following job, but then reconsidered the job. General manager Trent Baalke exits the team.
It all came together during a two-day stretch that began Wednesday with Coen, who declined an in-person interview, accepting a contract extension and a raise from the Buccaneers that would have made him the NFL's highest-paid coordinator. . Then, when the Jaguars and Baalke parted ways later that day, the team called Cohen and asked him to reconsider. Cohen agreed to come to Jacksonville Thursday afternoon.
Sources told ESPN that negotiations continued late into the night.
The anticipation for a new head coach is long. He'll take over a team that's 4-13 and consistently in the AFC South, underperforming in nearly every region.
The franchise is on its fourth head coach in six years and needs stability.
Taking a closer look, NFL Nation reporters Michael DiRocco and Jenna Laine answer four big questions about Coen's hiring, including what happens next. National reporter Dan Graziano has spoken out about what he heard about the hire, and draft analyst Matt Miller turned it to the draft.
Coen spent four seasons with Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams and credits McVay with his "improvement on the defense and the running game." dramatic” understanding. He bounced back and forth between the Rams and Kentucky as he wanted to rule as a playmaker but also wanted to coach in the NFL.
He helped quarterback Baker Mayfield, who he worked with briefly in Los Angeles, catch a career-best 41 touchdown passes in 2024 after throwing 28 the year before. The Buccaneers' offense is allowing 28.6 points per game, which is the third-highest mark in franchise history behind only Tom Brady in 2020 and 2021.
"Liam does an incredible job," Mayfield said. "The impact he has on all the guys, teaching the game of football... (He) teaches the details of why we do certain things, why we sound the alarm or the can. , whatever you want to call it, does a great job of that and then calling plays to his players’ advantage, that’s what a good (offensive coordinator) does and he does an unbelievable job.”
Cohen's philosophy is to make sure the quarterback is never handcuffed at the line of scrimmage and there is always a solution. He was able to adapt his scheme to the Bucs' personnel-based targets, but was also hurt by top receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. - Ryan
Hopefully Cohen can help Lawrence move past whatever has been plaguing him since the end of the 2023 season. Coen made a big impact against Mayfield in 2024 - career highs in attempts, completions, completion percentage, passes and TDS - but that shouldn't overshadow his run against the Bucs. What the game does.
He's helped the Bucs emerge from being the league's worst statistical rushing team, ranking fourth in 2023 with 88.8 yards per game and averaging 149.2 yards per game. Even with the same three starters on the offensive line, rookie center and rookie running back Bucky Irving complement Rachaad White. It also helped offset injuries to Godwin and Evans and played a role in Mayfield's performance.
The Jaguars haven't had any consistency in the running game the past two seasons, with the offense relying almost entirely on Lawrence. The Jaguars have averaged 99.3 rushing yards per game over the past two seasons -- ranking 28th in the NFL after averaging 124.5 yards per game in 2022.
The Jaguars need more balance in their offense, and the Bucs are the only team in the NFL with a top-five pick in 2024 and a crack at the top five. Cohen should be a welcome shock. - Diloch
Belk's presence was one of several reasons Cohen initially declined an in-person interview in Jacksonville, league sources said, but it wasn't the main reason. Coen's decision to join the Jaguars, which was initially awkward, was the final push for Khan and Baalke to separate.
Khan retained Baalke when he fired Pederson on Jan. 6, saying it would be "suicidal" to do a complete organizational overhaul that afternoon. He said if any coaching candidates express reservations about the Jaguars' organizational structure or working with Baalke, he would be willing to address the topic.
Sources said that through this process, Khan would rather hire a young, offensive-minded head coach to work with Lawrence.
Once former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson accepts the Chicago Bears head coaching job on Monday, Cohen appears to be the front-runner for the job. - Diloch
2:08
McAfee wonders if Trent Baalke is hindering Jags' coaching search
Pat McAfee reacts to the news that Trent Baalke will no longer be the Jacksonville Jaguars' general manager.
If he's going to make a call as a head coach - and that's a hypothetical - his first order of business should be to hire his offensive line coach. The unit has struggled in the running game the past two seasons, especially down the middle. In the ESPN study, the Jaguars ranked 31st in average first contact (2.15) (2.15) (2.15) (2.15) (2.15) and average yards per 30th before first contact in 2023-24 (1,867). , according to ESPN research.
In Coen's lone season in Tampa Bay, the Bucs averaged 3.0 yards per carry (sixth in the NFL) before first contact and seventh in first contact. No. 6), totaling 1,448 yards before first contact. Before first contact in 2024, the Bucs have almost as many fewer rushing yards than the Jaguars have in the past two seasons, with 384.
Coen can't line up the Bucs as he is, so he'll need someone who can turn the Jaguars' athleticism-focused unit into a more straight-forward power group. - Diloch
If only for the way it went down, it was wild. People I talked to were shocked that Jaguar finally went ahead and fired GM Trent Baalke, and they apparently did so because they believed Coen wouldn't be there otherwise. This is the second recruiting cycle in Jacksonville and we've heard from candidates who don't want to go there because of Baalke. The Jaguars last ended up with Doug Pederson, who was fine with the idea of teaming up with Baalke. But this time, they apparently felt he was too big for them to find their own guy.
As for Cohen, the league has a lot of respect for what he did in his one season in the Tampa Bay offense. His background with McVay's Rams is a big selling point. But he's bounced around a lot in recent years between jobs - Rams in 2018-20, Kentucky in 2021, back to the Rams in 2022, back to Kentucky in 2023, and then to the Bucs in 2024 . There are some oddities on the side, and the information about how he deceived the Buccaneers on Wednesday and Thursday after Balk's shooting doesn't make him look great.
However, the Jags aren't the only team interested. Once again, Cohen is respected around the league for his offensive scheme and coaching ability. He was part of getting Mayfield's career back on track when the veteran QB finished the 2022 season with the Rams (and then of course he moved on to Dave Canales in 2023 The success he had with Mayfield when he arrived in Tampa Bay last season, so maybe he's the right guy to get Lawrence back on track. - Graziano
With the No. 5 pick in the first round, the Jaguars will give Cohen options as he looks to develop a better offense. The former regime hit Brian Thomas Jr. wide, and the return of a healthy Lawrence will go a long way in improving the team's scoring prowess. But if that's not enough, the fifth pick is a great place to invest in offensive help.
There's one shot Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter could still be on the board, and he would immediately improve Lawrence's passing game catching passes (while also helping the Jags of Defence’s Jags). If Hunter is gone, 6-foot-5 Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona) would be a great complement to Thomas' deep crisis with his ability to attack the ball in 50-50 innings.
The offensive line seems set to bookend Tackles Walker Little and Anton Harrison, but the interior could link up with Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas) or Will Campbell (LSU) move in to round out the defense. The fifth pick is rich at linebacker, though, and I expect Jacksonville to address that position in a later round.
Yes, defensive playmakers will also be on the board for Jacksonville, and the team has big needs in the secondary. However, with Coen taking the head coaching job and a new general manager, the team may ultimately favor the offense. In this case, Macmillan was the move. - Miller