Jaguars to hire Coen as head coach

The Jacksonville Jaguars are hiring Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as their head coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Coen reportedly agreed to a contract extension with the Buccaneers and withdrew his name from the Jaguars’ search earlier this week. The new deal would’ve made him the league’s highest-paid coordinator, per Schefter.

Jacksonville contacted Coen to see if he would reconsider after firing general manager Trent Baalke. The franchise’s ownership said it would let him pick his GM and pay him Ben Johnson-level money with a multi-year contract, sources told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Jacksonville is the only team that scheduled an interview with Coen during this year’s coaching cycle. The 38-year-old was previously the offensive coordinator at Kentucky and with the Los Angeles Rams.

Coen joined Todd Bowles’ staff in Tampa Bay last year and thrived in his first season with the Buccaneers. He led an offense that ranked third in yards per game and fifth in scoring while helping the club secure its fourth straight NFC South division title. The offense also finished third in success rate and fifth in EPA/play, according to Ben Baldwin’s database.

Jacksonville fired Doug Pederson one day after its final regular-season game. Pederson went 22-29 in three seasons with the franchise, which struggled on both sides of the ball this campaign, ranking 26th in points and 27th in points allowed en route to a 4-13 record in 2024.

The Jaguars are yet to enjoy the success they hoped for after selecting Trevor Lawrence first overall in the 2021 draft. He has a 22-38 record in 60 career regular-season starts and only one playoff victory. Lawrence missed the final five games of this season due to a shoulder injury and concussion.

Jacksonville owner Shad Khan has a 64-148 record since his first season as the Jaguars’ principal owner in 2012.

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