It's no exaggeration to say that the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't on great terms after poaching offensive coordinator Liam Coen to be their head coach. The issue isn't that the Jags hired him but rather that Coen had already accepted to return to Tampa Bay on a new deal. Not surprisingly, the Bucs aren't been letting Jacksonville take another of their coaches with them.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Jacksonville wanted to interview assistant offensive line Brian Picucci for their offensive line coach position. However, the Buccaneers blocked the request.
No favors: Buccaneers blocked Jacksonville’s request to interview its assistant offensive line coach, Brian Picucci, who left Kentucky with Liam Coen to go to Tampa. Jags were able to hire Coen, but not Picucci.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2025
The news came just one day after the Jags also put in a request to meet with offensive line coach Kevin Carberry for their O-Line position only for it to be blocked.
The #Jaguars requested to interview #Bucs offensive line coach Kevin Carberry for a similar role but were blocked by Tampa Bay, per sources.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 30, 2025
New head coach Liam Coen, former Bucs OC, had success with Carberry last year and looked into bringing him along.
While it's understandable that Tampa Bay blocked the Jaguars from interviewing Carberry for a lateral move, it was odd to see them deny Picucci a promotion. Then again, they probably resent the fact that Coen didn't have the courtesy to tell them that he had resumed talks about becoming the Jaguars head coach just one day after telling them he was returning (and signing a new deal) to return as their offensive coordinator.
All things considered, you cannot blame Coen for taking the opportunity to be a head coach. He originally chose to return as the Tampa Bay offensive coordinator, but the Jags sweetened their offer and dismissed general manager Trent Baalke to make the opening more appealing.
Although the $4.5 million per year the Buccaneers were offering him is nothing to scuff at, Jacksonville gave him a deal that pays him an annual average of $12 million.
Moreover, there are only 32 such jobs, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a coordinator who'll pass on the chance to be a head coach. Sure, there are exceptions, but that's because they have options (Ben Johnson, Kliff Kingsbury) and they can wait until the perfect opportunity arises.
On the other hand, being an NFL head coach is an opportunity of a lifetime and many coordinators will only get one try. Furthermore, Coen didn't "ghost" the Buccaneers as it was reported early on. His wife Ashley set the record straight, pointing out that the same day he was talking to the Jaguars about their vacancy, their child was in need of medical care.
The drama between the Jaguars and the Buccaneers intensifies after the Liam Coen saga
You could make the case that Liam Coen should've done the honorable thing and told the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he was considering the Jacksonville Jaguars vacancy after declining a second interview. That said, teams always discard head coaches and players. And you won't often see people asking them to fulfill their obligations.
Simply put, coaches are disposable. Coen is aware of that reality and didn't know if he was going to get another offer given the fluid nature of the NFL. If anything, the Buccaneers come across as pity for blocking the Jaguars' request. Sure, they don't want to lose all their coaches in one offseason, but they could've easily allowed Brian Picucci to interview. What was the harm? If he left, they would've still had Kevin Carberry.
The truth is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to be sour about losing Liam Coen, but by not letting their two assistants interview, they come out looking like the bad guys of this story.