Source – Bucs’ Liam Coen runs the other way around taking Jaguar’s job

Jacksonville, Fla. – Buccaneer’s offensive coordinator Liam Coen told the team on Thursday night he left to become coach of Jacksonville Jaguars, a source told ESPNS Jenna Laine.

The decision ended a two-day saga, with Coen withdrew from reflection on the Jaguars job, then agreed to a contract extension with Buccaneers who would have made him the NFL’s best-paid coordinator, and then changed his mind after Jacksonville reached out. To ask him to reconsider after it broke up with General Manager Trent Baalke on Wednesday afternoon.

Coen traveled to Jacksonville on Thursday afternoon and met with owner Shad Khan and temporary general manager Ethan Waugh. A source told Laine that Coen contacted Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles earlier Thursday night to tell him about his renewed interest in Jaguars ‘job, but Coen did not talk to anyone else in Bucs’ Front Office.

Jaguars had interviewed Las Vegas Raider’s defensive coordinator Patrick Graham earlier Thursday and was scheduled to have a personal interview with former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh on Friday.

A league source said they were hoping to get in touch with Coen again after Baalke’s exit – their GM since 2021 – but was ready to expand the search for next week if Coen refused.

An unwillingness to work with baalke instead of a GM of your choice was a factor – but not the most important – in Coen’s first decision to withdraw itself from consideration, the source said.

Coen was one of 10 candidates that Jaguars interviewed, and the pages first spoke almost 15 January. He will be the eighth head coach of the franchise story and replace Doug Pederson, whom Khan fired on January 6 after three seasons.

Coen, 39, becomes the fourth youngest active head coach in the NFL after only Seattle Seahawks’ Mike MacDonald (37), Chicago Bears’ Ben Johnson (38) and Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay (38).

Coen has spent 15 seasons as an assistant coach, 10 of them at the college level. He spent four seasons with Rams under McVay as assistant Wide Receiver coach (two years), assistant quarterback coach and offensive coordinator (2022), and then this last season with Buccaneers under Bowles.

Coen was hired by Tampa Bay to replace Dave Canales, who left Bucs to become coach of Carolina Panthers. The reunited Coen with Baker Mayfield – which Coen had trained with Rams in 2022 – and the two compiled one of the best attacks in BUC’s history.

Mayfield’s passport assessment of 106.8 was a franchise record, and BUCS was the only team in the NFL that ranked among the top five in the care yard per year. match (250.4) and Rushing Yards per. Fight (149.2). Bucs ranked among the top five in total attacks (399.6 yards per match), scoring (29.5 points per match), rushing, passes, third -down conversions (50.9 %) and efficiency in red zone ( 66.7 %).

In addition, Mayfield put career height in Passingyards (4,500), pass -touchdowns (41) and completion rate (71.4%) – ranking among the top three in the NFL in each of these categories.

Rams’ attacks fought in 2022 because Quarterback Matthew Stafford sat out in eight games due to concussion and spinal cord contusion. Los Angeles started four quarterbacks that season: Stafford (nine games), Mayfield (Fire), John Wolford (Three) and Bryce Perkins (one) and ended last in total offensive (280.5 yards per match) and 27 in scoring (18.1 points per game), rushing (97.7 yards per match) and passing (182.8 yards per match).

Coen spent 10 seasons as a college assistant, including two separate stints such as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator (2021, 2023).

This was a critical employment for Khan because he is trying to find long-term stability for franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence will be on its third full -time coach and fourth playcaller for five seasons in the NFL.

Jaguars won 4-13 in 2024, 10th time in Khan’s 13 seasons as owner his team has had double-digit losses.