Jaguars hire Coen as head coach
The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as their head coach, the team announced Friday.
Coen had previously agreed to a contract extension with the Buccaneers and withdrew his name from the Jaguars' search earlier this week, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The new deal reportedly would've made him the league's highest-paid coordinator.
Jacksonville contacted Coen to see if he would reconsider after firing general manager Trent Baalke. The franchise's ownership said it would let him pick his GM and pay him Ben Johnson-level money with a multi-year contract, sources told The Athletic's Dianna Russini.
Coen signed a five-year deal with the Jaguars, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports.
"Becoming the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars is an opportunity of a lifetime and one that I'm going to run with to instill a championship culture and winning tradition here in Duval," Coen said in a statement, according to Fox Sports' Peter Schrager.
He added: "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."
Coen joined Todd Bowles' staff in Tampa Bay last year and thrived in his first season with the Buccaneers. He led an offense that ranked third in yards per game and fifth in scoring while helping the club secure its fourth straight NFC South division title. The offense also finished third in success rate and fifth in EPA/play, according to Ben Baldwin's database.
Jacksonville is the only team that scheduled an interview with Coen during this year's coaching cycle. The 38-year-old was previously the offensive coordinator at Kentucky and with the Los Angeles Rams.
"I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. "I also believe in being judged by my actions, not words. That's why I took swift action this week to hire Liam Coen as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"I am pumped that Liam is accepting the challenge and opportunity to build the winner that Jaguars fans and partners fully deserve."
Khan has a 64-148 record since his first season as the Jaguars' principal owner in 2012.
Jacksonville fired Doug Pederson one day after its final regular-season game. Pederson went 22-29 in three seasons with the franchise, which struggled on both sides of the ball this campaign, ranking 26th in points and 27th in points allowed en route to a 4-13 record in 2024.
The Jaguars are yet to enjoy the success they hoped for after selecting Trevor Lawrence first overall in the 2021 draft. He has a 22-38 record in 60 career regular-season starts and only one playoff victory. Lawrence missed the final five games of this season due to a shoulder injury and concussion.
Lawrence said earlier in January that he'd prefer Jacksonville hire "a young offensive coach" with a system the team can build on for years to come. Coen will be the youngest head coach in franchise history, according to team reporter John Oehser.