According to Adam Schefter, Buccaneers OC Liam Coen is withdrawing from the Jaguars coaching search.
Schefter adds Coen will get a new contract to stay in Tampa Bay that will compensate him as one of the best coordinators in the NFL after an outstanding 2024 season.
It’s a huge win for the Buccaneers, who won’t have to replace a play-caller for the fourth straight year.
Meanwhile, it’s another big blow for the Jaguars who have lost out on yet another promising offensive candidate. Lions OC Ben Johnson wasn’t interested in the Jacksonville vacancy citing the team’s organizational structure.
Jacksonville opted to retain GM Trent Baalke to the surprise of many around the league. Jaguars owner Shad Khan later said he didn’t think Baalke’s presence would impact their ability to lure a top coaching candidate, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Coen was supposed to be their Plan B and seemed like the frontrunner, with his second interview scheduled for today. Instead, he’ll remain put and the Jaguars will pivot to other candidates like former Jets HC Robert Saleh and Raiders DC Patrick Graham.
Coen, 39, got his start in college coaching at Brown in 2010 working with quarterbacks. He had stints at Rhode Island, UMass, Maine, and Brown again before making the jump to the NFL as an assistant WR coach with the Rams in 2018.
He moved to assistant QB coach in 2020, then was hired away by Kentucky as their offensive coordinator in 2021. The Rams hired him as offensive coordinator for the 2023 season but he opted to return to Kentucky as their offensive coordinator/QBs coach.
He made his return to the NFL in 2024 when the Buccaneers hired him as their offensive coordinator.
In 2024, the Buccaneers’ offense ranked No. 3 in total yards per game, No. 4 in points scored per game, No. 4 in rushing yards per game, and No. 3 in passing yards per game.
We’ll have more on the Jaguars’ coaching search as the news is available.
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