Liam Coen expected to be named next Jaguars head coach one day after removing his name from searches: sources

Liam Coen is expected to be the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, pending final negotiations, according to league sources. The impending deal comes after talks about the role resumed a day after Coen withdrew his name from the opening.

Liam Coen is expected to be named the Jaguars’ next head coach, pending final negotiations, according to sources.

He now returns home to Tampa while his representatives finalize details with Jacksonville. pic.twitter.com/UPkSEm3a3D

– Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 24, 2025

After withdrawing his name, Coen was set to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a new contract, according to a league source. The two sides re-engaged just a day after Jacksonville and general manager Trent Baalke parted ways, and the Jaguars made a continuing effort to convince Coen to reconsider his decision.

On Thursday evening, Coen informed the Buccaneers that he would take the Jaguars head coaching job, according to league sources.

What changed for Coen? The Jaguars’ owners called Coen and told him they would let him pick the general manager and pay him money at the “Ben Johnson” level over several years, according to a league source.

Coen’s stock rose this season after leading a Tampa Bay offense that ranked third in total offense, second in passing offense and fourth in rushing offense and points per game. The team’s 502 points mark only the second time in franchise history that Tampa Bay has totaled more than 500 points and is just nine points away from tying the franchise’s best mark of 511 points in 2021 .

Tampa Bay won six of its last seven games to win the NFC South for a fourth straight year and reached the playoffs for a fifth straight season.

Under Coen’s tutelage, quarterback Baker Mayfield had a career year – posting career highs in completion percentage (71.4), passing touchdowns (41), pass attempts (570 ), success rate (53.9) and quarterback rating (106.8). With Coen’s imminent departure, Mayfield will have his eighth offensive coordinator in eight seasons.

Coen was one of three candidates selected by the Jaguars for second-round interviews this week. Jacksonville also announced plans to interview former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Saleh was scheduled to travel to Jacksonville Thursday night for an interview Friday, his second with Jacksonville. However, when the Coen news broke, he canceled that flight.

Jacksonville is 4-13 this season and holds the fifth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has missed seven games due to injury, including the last five games. Rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. emerged on the scene as a hot target with 87 receptions for 1,282 yards (third most in the league) and 10 touchdowns (tied for sixth in the league).

Before joining Tampa Bay, Coen worked two stints under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams and spent a decade in college football. He joined the Rams staff in 2018 and spent two years as an assistant wide receivers coach before one season as an assistant quarterbacks coach (2020). Coen returned to the Rams in 2022 as the team’s offensive coordinator after Kevin O’Connell took the head coaching job with the Minnesota Vikings.

After one season as the Rams OC – where he didn’t call the plays – Coen returned to the college ranks. Sandwiched around his stints with the Rams, Coen served two separate one-year stints – 2021 and 2023 – as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Kentucky. In 2021, Coen played a key role in the Wildcats winning 10 times (which were later vacated due to NCAA penalties) and a Citrus Bowl win over the University of Iowa.

During his first stint at Kentucky, Coen helped develop quarterback Will Levis, who became a 2023 second-round draft pick by the Tennessee Titans. Devin Leary, who was Coen’s QB in 2023, was drafted in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2024.

Coen’s college career began at several schools in the New England area. The Rhode Island native had two stints at Brown University (2010, 2012-13) as quarterbacks coach, and coached at the University of Rhode Island (2011) and the University of Massachusetts (2014-15) as passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach. . He also served as offensive coordinator for two seasons (2016-17) at the University of Maine.

Coen played football at the University of Massachusetts and holds the program records for completions (830), attempts (1,302), completion percentage (63.7), passing yards (11,031 ), yards per attempt (8.5), passing touchdowns (90) and passer rating (150.7). He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2022.

— Michael Silver contributed reporting to this story.

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(Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)