The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as their new head coach.
The news was officially announced on Friday when Coen released the following statement to Peter Schrager at Fox Sports:
“Becoming the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars is an opportunity of a lifetime, and one that I am going to run with to instill a championship culture and winning tradition here in Duval. This doesn’t happen without the support and opportunities that my family and I have been afforded throughout my career, especially during this past season in Tampa Bay. We thank Todd Bowles for his continued support and the entire Buccaneers organization for the experience, and know they will have success ahead."
“Most of all, we are grateful to Shad Khan for his belief in what we will bring to the Jaguars. We will work tirelessly to reward his confidence. As head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, I will hire a first-class coaching staff, establish a distinctive and effective brand of football on both sides of the ball, and our players will live for the black and teal. Shad and Jaguars fans should expect nothing less, and that’s what we plan to deliver and more. My wife Ashley and our family are honored to be here and a part of the Jacksonville community. We are ready to get to work.”
For the second consecutive year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost their offensive coordinator to another team.
On Wednesday, Coen had taken himself out of the running for the head coaching job and agreed to a new contract with the Bucs. The new contract would have made him one of the highest-paid offensive coordinators in the NFL.
Later that same day, the Jags announced they were parting ways with GM Trenk Baalke.
Statement from Jaguars Owner Shad Khan. pic.twitter.com/YDjGHvdn2z
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 22, 2025
On Thursday, Adam Schefter reported Coen was back in Jacksonville discussing the coaching position.
Liam Coen was hired as offensive coordinator under Bucs head coach Todd Bowles less than one year ago. In his only season as offensive coordinator in Tampa, the Bucs were top five in both scoring and total yardage. Quarterback Baker Mayfield took his career to the next level under Coen and the revamped offense, with 4500 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes, and a 71.4% completion percentage — all career highs for Mayfield. Prior to his stint in Tampa, Coen served as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator in 2022 before leaving to be the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Kentucky in 2023.
This is familiar territory for Tampa Bay after Dave Canelas left the Buccaneers to be Carolina Panthers head coach after one season as offensive coordinator. Todd Bowles now faces the challenge of hiring his fourth offensive coordinator in his fourth season as Bucs head coach.
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