The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms with Liam Coen as their new head coach on Friday, two days after he reportedly withdrew his name from consideration for the job.
Coen initially was set to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a new contract that reportedly would make him one of the league’s highest-paid coordinators.
The Jaguars parted ways with general manager Trent Baalke on Wednesday, and several hours later, Coen left his job as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator to take the top post in Jacksonville.
“To repeat my message earlier this week, I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said. “I also believe in being judged by actions, not words. That’s why I took swift and decisive 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. I know our players feel the same.”
Coen, 39, will take the post previously held by Doug Pederson, who was fired on Jan. 6 following a 4-13 season. The Jaguars finished 22-29 in three seasons under Pederson, reaching the playoffs just once, when they went 1-1 following the 2022 campaign.
“Becoming the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars is an opportunity of a lifetime, and one that I am going to run with to instill a championship culture and winning tradition here in Duval,” Coen said. “This doesn’t happen without the support and opportunities that my family and I have been afforded throughout my career, especially during this past season in Tampa Bay. We thank (Bucs head coach) Todd Bowles for his continued support and the entire Buccaneers organization for the experience, and know they will have success ahead.
“Most of all, we are grateful to Shad Khan for his belief in what we will bring to the Jaguars. We will work tirelessly to reward his confidence. 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. Shad and Jaguars fans should expect nothing less, and that’s what we plan to deliver and more.”
Coen just finished his first season overseeing the Tampa Bay offense.
In Coen’s second stint as an NFL offensive coordinator, Tampa Bay averaged 29.5 points per game, fourth in the league in 2024. The Buccaneers ranked third in total offense with 399.5 yards per game, third at 250.4 passing yards and fourth at 149.2 rushing yards. They led the league by making 50.9 percent of their third-down attempts (110 of 216). Their total of 395 first downs was second in the league.
Leading that offense, Baker Mayfield set career highs with 41 touchdown passes, 4,500 passing yards and a 71.4 percent completion percentage under Coen’s watch.
Coen in recent years has bounced between the NFL and the University of Kentucky, where he was offensive coordinator in 2023 and 2021. He was the Los Angeles Rams’ OC in 2022, and he worked under head coach Sean McVay as the Rams’ assistant wide receivers coach (2018-19) and assistant quarterbacks coach (2020).
–Field Level Media
