Buccaneers Oc Liam Coen reportedly accepts Jaguars head coaching offer and reverses course from Tampa Bay Extension

On Wednesday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen reportedly agreed to a major extension with the Bucs, including a raise that would make him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the league. Coen had been a strong contender in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coaching search, but reportedly withdrew from the race to stay in Tampa.

A day later, Coen changed his mind.

Coen, 39, informed the Bucs that he is now taking the Jaguars’ top coaching job, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine and Adam Schefter. While Coen and the Buccaneers had agreed to the extension, the deal was not signed and Coen traveled to Jacksonville to close a deal to become the team’s potential new head coach.

The fact that Cohen’s renewed interest in the Jacksonville job came a day after Jaguars owner Shad Khan fired general manager Trent Baalke may not be a coincidence. The Jags initially opted to keep Baalke, who went 25-43 in four seasons as GM before changing course this week.

Earlier Thursday, More reports Stated the Bucs had had no contact with Coen or his representation despite multiple attempts to reach him.

Conflicting reports about whether Coen informed Tampa Bay of his trip to Jacksonville further complicated matters. Buccaneers reportedly claimed that Coen did not tell them of his plans, while Coen reportedly Said he informed Bucs head coach Todd Bowles of his intention to interview for the job.

Coen joined the Buccaneers this past season and gained immediate recognition for his work with Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield. He helped lead the Bucs into the No. 1 overall offense. 3 in the league this season. Tampa Bay advanced to the playoffs, but lost to the Washington Chiefs in a thrilling wild-card matchup.

The Jaguars have had a rough season so far, firing head coach Doug Pederson earlier this month after finishing 4-13. And the Baalke situation followed it.

Aside from Coen, the other major candidate for the Jaguars was former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who is now reportedly headed back to San Francisco as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator instead.

The move marks a transition from the failed Pederson era and the fourth Jaguars head coach when they drafted quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Lawrence played his rookie season during the disastrous Urban Meyer stint that lasted just 13 games before the Jaguars fired the first-year NFL head coach. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell finished the season as head coach on an interim basis, but made way for Pederson, who joined the Jaguars for the 2022 season.

Pederson joined the Jaguars with much fanfare as the risk-taking former Eagles head coach who led Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl championship after the 2017 season. A former backup NFL quarterback and offensive quarterback, Pederson was tasked with developing Lawrence and transforming the Jaguars to a winner.

He didn’t either. Lawrence made strides in his first season under Pederson, earning his first Pro Bowl berth and leading the Jaguars into the playoffs, where they won a wild-card game against the Chargers. But Lawrence regressed amid a 2023 collapse that saw the Jaguars fall from a 6-2 start to the playoffs.

Lawrence showed no progress in an injury-shortened 2024 campaign as he threw 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games, eight of which the Jaguars lost. Pederson was fired after a 4-13 season.

Enter Coen, whose job — like Pederson’s was — is to develop Lawrence and make the Jaguars a winner.