Buccaneers’ latest struggles keep proving Jaguars landed a steal in Liam Coen

After finishing 4-13 in 2024, the Jacksonville Jaguars ousted Doug Pederson. For a brief moment, it looked like they were going to zero in on Ben Johnson, the hottest head-coaching candidate at the time. However, the Jags instead turned their attention to then Tampa Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Looking back, you could categorize their pursuit as rocky, even tumultuous. But it was worthed.

Nearly one year after his hiring, Coen has turned Jacksonville into a playoff team, leading a turnaround on and off the field. Meanwhile, the Bucs are on the brink of being eliminated from postseason contention, and their once juggernaut offense has lost it's juicy. And in case you needed proof, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles just confirmed it with his latest comments.

The Buccanners can't get their offensive going without Liam Coen

Following the Bucs' loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 16, Todd Bowles was asked why his team didn't take more shots downfield rather than run the ball 30+ times. He said that's what they wanted, noting that it worked last year.

"We have to get it. We wanted to. It was a formula for us that worked last year," Bowles told reporters. "Last year, we had 41 and 38 rushes against them. When you win the game, it's different. When you lose the game, we were right there. We did everything we wanted to do. We controlled every category except for the turnover battle at the end, and we lost the ball game."

Bowles continued, "So we try to get the ball to our stars, but at the same time, we try to establish a run game and make it balanced as well. "

Based on Bowles' comments, Tampa Bay is stuck in the past. Sure, the Buccaneers excelled at toting the rock last year, but just because it worked then doesn't mean they'll have success now.

And that's the thing, despite the fact that Tampa Bay has nearly the same players on offense, plus rookie Emeka Egbuka, they've plummeted in most offensive categories, going from fourth points scored in 2024 all the way to 18th. So what exactly are the Bucs missing? You guessed it: Liam Coen.

The Jaguars are surely thrilled they managed to poach Liam Coen from the Buccaneers

Back when the Jaguars interviewed Liam Coen for their opening, they came away impressed with his leadership skills and his knowledge of Xs and Os. Of course, Tampa Bay also knew just how valuable he was, so it offered him to be the highest-paid coordinator in the whole NFL.

Nevertheless, the Jags were determined to get their guy, so the team sweetened the deal by kicking general manager Trent Baalke and probably promising Coen that they would hire a general manager whose vision aligned with his. For the sake of transparency, it's hard to tell exactly what Jacksonville offered to Coen, but it worked.

One year later, the Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in the NFL while the Buccaneers are struggling to win games. In their defense, they made an effort to retain Coen, and saying that they should've fired Todd Bowles to keep him from leaving is revisionist history.

In the end, the Jaguars are surely thrilled they've made several strides after dealing with adversity in recent years. And there's no doubt that hiring Liam Coen was a catalyst for the turnaround.