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Two days of untamed reviews and unbelievable rumors led to the coach’s hiring.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a brand new head coach. Liam Coen, offensive coordinator of the Buccaneers, is leaving Tampa Bay to turn into the tenth coach in Jags’ historical past. It ought to have been a comparatively simple rent, a easy step up for one of many NFL’s most promising coordinators. As a substitute we’re left with one of the vital dramatic, twisting and turning tales in years — stuffed with harm emotions, drama, and an unbelievable 48-span that noticed Coen go from pulling his identify out of consideration in Jacksonville, to now taking on the franchise.
It’s left one fanbase shouting for pleasure at touchdown a brand new head coach and one other cursing his identify after shedding offensive coordinators to move teaching jobs in back-to-back seasons (together with Dave Canales taking on the Panthers), whereas questioning in the event that they’ll have the worst coach of the three groups when the mud settles.
There’s info we all know, particulars we don’t, and a few components solely aware about the events concerned. So, let’s minimize by the drama, separate what we all know from what we don’t and dive into how all this went down.
Liam Coen interviews with the Jaguars
That is the only component of this story. Jacksonville was all in favour of Coen at the start of their teaching search, however needed to wait with the Buccaneers making the playoffs. When Tampa Bay was eradicated they introduced Coen in, the place he met with possession, and (on the time) GM Trent Baalke.
Coen left with out a deal, although was extensively thought-about because the front-runner for the job. Contemplate this the calm earlier than the storm.
Coen removes his identify from consideration
On Wednesday morning reviews emerged that Coen had knowledgeable the Jaguars he was eradicating his identify from consideration for the top teaching job, and was not all in favour of taking a second interview with the crew.
Hypothesis (accurately) was {that a} blocker for Coen taking the job was Baalke. One of many least-talented, most-reviled common managers within the NFL, Baalke had someway been retained after the firing of Doug Pederson, a lot to the chagrin of Jaguars’ followers, and to the shock of the NFL world.
Recognized for his robust (usually incorrect) opinions about soccer, Baalke was a blocker to any promising coach taking the job. Taking Travon Walker over Aidan Hutchinson within the 2022 NFL Draft is only one of Baalke’s quite a few missteps, and behind the scenes he has a fame for being troublesome to work with.
Jaguars fireplace Trent Baalke
Coen rejecting a second interview was seemingly the straw that broke the camel’s again for Jaguars’ proprietor Shad Khan. Seeing the harm retaining Baalke as GM was having on his head teaching search, the Jaguars softened his leaving of the crew, referring to it as a “mutual separation” in a press release by Khan.
“Following several discussions with Trent Baalke this week, we both arrived at the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interests to respectfully separate, effective immediately.”
This was the transfer Jaguars followers had needed, however it was seemingly too little, too late — because it was extensively accepted Coen was now out of their grasp.
In the meantime in Tampa Bay …
It’s right here the drama will get taken up a dozen notches. When the Jaguars’ fired Baalke it prompted the Buccaneers to react. Realizing this was in response to Coen withdrawing his identify, the crew reportedly supplied their offensive coordinator a brand new contract, one that will make him the highest-paid coordinator within the NFL.
It got here with a caveat: If he agreed to the contract Coen wouldn’t be allowed to take a second interview with the Jaguars.
Coen reportedly agreed to the deal that will maintain him in Tampa Bay, however crucially by no means signed the brand new contract.
Jags make a proposal Liam Coen can’t refuse
With the largest stumbling block out of the best way, the Jaguars made one other pitch to Liam Coen. With Baalke gone the job grew to become 1000 occasions extra interesting, with a stable roster and weapons opening issues up for an offensive coach.
As well as, the Jaguars reportedly supplied Coen severe energy to form the franchise as he noticed match.
So what modified for Liam Coen? He acquired on the airplane to Jacksonville after Jags’ possession referred to as him instantly and defined they are going to let him decide the final supervisor and would pay him “Ben Johnson” stage cash together with a number of years, per sources.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 24, 2025
Basically it was too good a proposal to move up. Coen agreed to satisfy with the Jaguars once more, this time with the expectation he would conform to turn into the crew’s new head coach. The twists aren’t performed but.
In the meantime in Tampa Bay … (once more)
The Buccaneers had been left within the chilly. Their prized offensive coordinator had agreed to stick with the crew, however rumors had been swirling that the Jaguars’ firing Baalke opened up a door for Coen to take the job.
Tampa Bay tried to achieve Coen all through the day on Thursday, determined to get assurance he was staying with the group. That by no means got here, with Coen seemingly ghosting the Buccaneers all through the day.
The Buccaneers’s makes an attempt to achieve Liam Coen went unreturned till about an hour in the past, a supply tells @NFLonCBS. Yesterday the Bucs agreed to phrases to make Coen among the many top-paid OCs within the league. Now he is nearing a take care of Jacksonville
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) January 23, 2025
The fact was that Coen was together with his household for a lot of Thursday. Actually, he was within the hospital together with his son who has an auto-immune illness. That is being talked about as a result of Buccaneers followers have claimed this was faux, and an excuse utilized by Coen to dodge Tampa Bay.
Ashley Coen, Liam’s spouse, cleared this up on Friday morning.
I hate that I even must say this, however when persons are damaging about my youngsters, I cannot be silent. Our son is sick, we had been on the hospital yesterday seeing a specialist for his autoimmune illness. Please don’t unfold misinformation and assume since you heard one aspect.
— Ashley Coen (@ashleyfordcoen) January 24, 2025
Coen goes to Jacksonville, agrees to turn into the subsequent head coach
No announcement has been made official right now, and we seemingly know why. Albert Breer reviews that Jacksonville had requested Coen to maintain all the pieces underneath wraps as a result of they weren’t but compliant with the “Rooney Rule,” having solely interviewed one minority candidate.
“The secrecy over the visit did serve two theoretical purposes. One, obviously, it would preserve the Tampa offer for Coen, which, again, was contingent on the OC not visiting Jacksonville. Two, it allowed the Jaguars to satisfy the Rooney Rule. Going into Thursday, the Jags only had one minority candidate in for an in-person interview—Saleh’s first was in-person. They needed two to comply, so Graham was slated to come Thursday for the other. But the Jags didn’t want word of their plans getting out, which could cause Graham to cancel.”
Nonetheless, the cat is out of the bag now. There have been too many shifting items to maintain this underneath wraps, and the Jaguars will seemingly face a tremendous or another type of punishment from the NFL for breaching the Rooney Rule.
As for Coen, you completely can’t fault the person. NFL head teaching jobs are few and much between, and it was seemingly a tricky choice to reject one within the first place as a result of he didn’t see a working relationship with Trent Baalke. The character of the Jaguars’ supply modified, so did Coen’s response.
If the Buccaneers are mad they misplaced their assumed coach in ready, they shouldn’t have left him being a coach in ready. Anything is simply bitter grapes.