The story behind how the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Liam Coen is an incredible tale with a bunch of sneaky maneuvers and mistakes being corrected. After a tumultuous start to the Jaguars offseason, there were a lot of questions regarding the Jaguar’s ownership and leadership. Now that Shad Khan and the Jaguars hired Coen, the narratives have completely swung around in a positive direction. How the Jaguars hired Coen is a wild story, starting all of the way back at the beginning of the offseason with the firing of Doug Pederson.
The Wild Story Of How The Jaguars Hired Liam Coen
Â
After a disastrous 2024 season marred with injuries to key players, the Jaguars came out of week 18 knowing they would need to make some changes. From adding players on offense and defense to changing coaches and front office personnel, the Jaguars had a lot on the table that needed to be addressed. The Monday following week 18 is often called “Black Monday” as it’s the day most head coaches and front office personnel get fired. The Jaguars were one of those teams active on Black Monday. That activity is what kickstarted the journey of how the Jaguars hired Coen.
Part One: Coach and Front Office Decisions
The Jaguars’ offseason began with major question marks. The team fired Pederson but kept general manager Trent Baalke. That decision was immediately followed by confusion from fans, the media, and NFL personnel alike. Baalke has a terrible track record as a general manager, but he somehow managed to survive another head coach’s firing.
General managers often survive their head coaches getting fired, but only in situations where the roster is good but the coaching is holding the team back. It’s uncommon, but can happen. In the Jaguars’ case, there was no rhyme or reason why Baalke stayed while Pederson left. Baalke wasn’t a good drafter, and constantly had a roster with depth issues, especially at edge. Despite hitting on Cam Little, Brian Thomas Jr., and Jarrian Jones in the 2024 NFL Draft, Baalke’s mistakes outweighed his wins.
Khan keeping Baalke was the talk of the league and Jaguars fandom. Questions were raised about why he was kept and worry from Jaguars fans that they’d once again waste another season with Baalke at the helm. With strong draft capital, the Jaguars can’t afford to have him potentially ruin the 2o25 draft, as it’s imperative to capitalize on Trevor Lawrence‘s younger years while they can.
With all of the concern surrounding Baalke remaining in Jacksonville, the NFL world had one thing on their minds: Would him staying in Jacksonville turn the top head-coaching candidates away from Jacksonville? Rumors were swirling for days over whether that was true or not, and that Baalke could be fired if a prospective head coach wanted him gone. Those concerns came to fruition following the Divisional round of the playoffs.
Part Two: Losing Out Due To Baalke
After the Detroit Lions lost to the Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional round, the top Jaguars head coaching candidates made a decision. Ben Johnson decided to go to the division rival Chicago Bears over the Jaguars. The Jaguars’ head coaching search focused most of its efforts on an offensive-minded head coach, and Johnson was their favorite candidate. With a good quarterback in Lawrence and a rookie offensive weapon in Thomas, the Jaguars’ job was an intriguing one. However, Johnson’s decision was more than just choosing the Bears over the Jaguars.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, “The Jacksonville Jaguars were also interested in Ben Johnson but I’m told the setup wasn’t in line with what he was looking for in his first head coaching job.” If there was one glaring issue with the. Jaguars’ head coaching job in comparison to the Bears’ job, it’s the presence of Baalke. He presented an obstacle for Johnson or any head coaching candidate. From the outside looking in, it seemed like the Jaguars owner loved Baalke, and was willing to keep him through thick and thin.
A general manager being favored over the head coach is rare, and in the case of the Jaguars, that decision is bizarre with how poorly constructed the Jaguars’ rosters have been for the past few years under Baalke. Johnson, seeing the Jaguars keep Baalke, clearly felt less inclined to take the job as the Jaguars’ new head coach. After Johnson decided to go elsewhere, things in Jacksonville felt bleak, but there was one glimmer of hope remaining.
That last glimmer of hope was Coen, who only took an interview with the Jaguars. Jacksonville believed they’d get to print the headline “Jaguars hired Coen” shortly, but things took a nosedive only two days later.
Part Three: The Jaguars Crash-out
In a brutal move for the Jaguars head coaching search, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Coen verbally agreed to a new deal to keep him in Tampa for the foreseeable future, giving him money equivalent to the highest-paid coordinators around the NFL. This news began hitting social media and the airwaves around 10:30 in the morning of January 20th, only two days since the Jaguars lost their other top option to be their head coach.
Coen was the Jaguars’ last chance to get someone who truly felt like could come to the Jaguars, as many other candidates either had other ideas in mind, like Aaron Glenn who went to the New York Jets on January 20th at roughly 1:40 p.m. Losing out on Johnson was tolerable with Coen and Glenn still on the board, but in the span of a few hours, both were seemingly off the table.
Despite the Jaguars’ strong situation, no coach wanted the job. With Patrick Graham and Robert Saleh coming to Jacksonville for in-person interviews on Thursday, January 23rd, the Jaguars were looking to be in dire straits in their head coaching search. The common denominator was one person; Baalke. After losing out on both their top two offensive choices, as well as the best defensive-minded head coaching candidate, Shad Khan finally bit the bullet.
The Jaguars fired Trent Baalke in a stunning move, after losing out on multiple top candidates. Khan fired the general manager who was helping to find a new head coach, after deciding two weeks before to keep him in-house despite clearly needing to move on. This move came at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday and was clearly in reaction to losing out on the top candidates.
The Jaguars’ decision to move on from Baalke was seemingly too little, too late. Their top head coaching candidates are all off the board, and the head coaching search is now even further behind than it should be. Or, that’s the way it seemed before a shocking twist was announced where the Jaguars hired Coen.
Part Four: A Shocking Twist
A complete surprise hit the NFL world on Thursday afternoon, as multiple reporters came out and stated that not only was Coen interested in being the Jaguars head coach, but there was a real chance it would happen. This is the beginning of how the Jaguars hired Coen, and it’s an incredible twist on an expected outcome. There are a lot of details that came to light on Thursday regarding Coen and the Jaguars meeting in person, with each one more wild than the last.
Firstly, the Jaguars made multiple calls to try and convince him to reconsider taking his name out of the Jaguars head coaching search. Khan and the Jaguars got through and managed to get Coen to come to Jacksonville for a meeting on Thursday afternoon. Outside of Coen and the Jaguars, no one expected that he would be meeting in Jacksonville.
Rick Stroud, a Buccaneers beat writer for the Tampa Bay Times, reported that since Coen had verbally agreed to return to the Buccaneers, the two sides hadn’t been in contact. The Buccaneers tried to reach out multiple times to him and were still trying to reach out while Coen was in Jacksonville. It was a secret meeting between the two sides and done behind the back of the Buccaneers. As opposed to signing the contract to remain in Tampa, he had gone to Jacksonville to discuss the Jaguars head coach opening.
The Buccaneers had no idea Coen was in Jacksonville and were left on read or unanswered despite plenty of calls trying to reach him. A secret meeting to try and become the new head coach is a wild situation for the NFL, and once more came out about this unprecedented situation, the secrecy of the meeting came to light. According to Albert Breer, the Buccaneers, and Coen’s contract extension and raise were contingent on him not taking a second interview with the Jaguars for their head coaching opening.
As the night went on, more and more discussion was made over the debacle and spectacle of how the Jaguars hired Coen. While it wasn’t official, the tea leaves were fairly easy to read. Coen wasn’t going to return to Tampa Bay, especially not after he went behind their backs to interview with the Jaguars in secret. Diana Russini provided some clarity on why Coen decided to change his mind: “… He got on the plane to Jacksonville after Jags’ ownership called him directly and explained they will let him pick the general manager and would pay him “Ben Johnson” level money along with multiple years, per sources.”
Hearing an offer that was hard to refuse, Coen made the trip to iron out a deal. The biggest difference from just a day prior? The absence of general manager Baalke. The Jaguars hired Coen, all because the Jaguars fired Baalke. The Jaguars hired Coen on a five-year deal, paying him top-end money to lead the Jaguars into the future.
From a disastrous coaching search with Baalke still attached to the team to getting one of their top two candidates, and even getting rid of him, the Jaguars head coaching search took a drastic turnaround once the Jaguars hired Liam Coen.
Part Five: The Aftermath Following A Chaotic Week
In a move that came as a surprise to the entire NFL world, the Jaguars hired Coen to be their new head coach. Coen led the Tampa Bay offense to another great season with Baker Mayfield. Tampa ranked third in total yards per game, fourth in rushing yards per game, third in passing yards per game, first in third down conversion rate, fourth in NFL red-zone rate, and fourth in time of possession. According to Pro Football Focus, the Buccaneers offense was rated an 82.6, good for fourth in the NFL.
Coen’s offense is a huge asset for the Jaguars to bring in, especially after a disappointing 2024 season offensively. With Thomas and Lawrence, along with Evan Engram, Travis Etienne Jr., and Tank Bigsby, the Jaguars offense should be a lot better than it was under Pederson and Press Taylor.
The Jaguars hired Coen to fix the offensive issues, and with the 2025 season on the horizon, things are looking up in Jacksonville. In the coming days, the Jaguars, led by Coen, will look for a new general manager, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator. Massive changes are coming for Jacksonville, and it’s all because the Jaguars hired Coen to take the lead.
One move rarely makes a huge difference, but with the Commanders, getting a new owner, head coach, and quarterback can be enough to reach the doorstep of the Super Bowl in one season. The future is bright in Jacksonville, and it’s possible because the Jaguars hired Coen to change the culture and bring a spark to the offense.
The Jaguars hired Coen to change the future of the organization for good, and if nothing else, getting the Jaguars to move off of Baalke is already a step in the right direction for Coen. Offensively, Lawrence and Thomas have a chance to replicate the success that Mayfield and Mike Evans had in Tampa in 2024. Once the Jaguars hired Coen, the ceiling of the offense was raised drastically. If the right moves are made in the offseason, and pieces are added on offense and defense, the future of the Jaguars is bright. It’s all because the Jaguars hired Coen, someone who is already having a positive impact on the organization.
Now that the Jaguars hired Coen, the sky is the limit for the Jaguars in the AFC South. The main takeaway after the Jaguars hired Coen is that the light at the end of the tunnel for “bad team purgatory” is within view. A palpable vibe shift is underway in Jacksonville, and it’s all because the Jaguars hired Coen to be their new head coach for the 2025 season and beyond.
Main Image: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
