After firing head coach Doug Pederson early in 2025, the Jacksonville Jaguars conducted an extensive search to find his replacement. In the end, they settled on Liam Coen. The hiring raised eyebrows because Coen had never held the job at the NFL level. Moreover, his history of jumping from one team to another cast doubts on his ability to be a head coach. But the Jags didn't care, and they ended up making the right call.
In Coen's first season at the helm, Jacksonville went 13-4. Moreover, Trevor Lawrence got back on track and played like a top-10 quarterback to finish the year. Now, the Jaguars are ready to take the next step, and they have one thing going in their favor that nobody is talking about.
The Jaguars will have continuity in Year 2 of the Liam Coen era
Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports came up with one word for every AFC team's biggest offseason improvement. He chose continuity for the Jaguars, pointing out that they'll benefit from Liam Coen's experience at the helm.
"The Jaguars had to navigate some iffy cap waters and didn't make many outside additions," Pereles wrote. "What they're hoping for, though, is that the second year of Liam Coen leads to a lot of jumps, the same jumps we saw over the second half of last season."
It's easy to forget it now, but Jacksonville was ridiculed for hiring Coen. Heck, he became a meme for his Duval chant in his introductory press conference. However, he revealed a few months later that he was trying to draw attention away from his players and put it on himself.
In the end, Coen was able to get the most out of his players, routinely finding ways to motivate them. In fact, one of the reasons the Jags liked him during their interview was that he showed strong leadership skills.
On the other hand, Pereles argues that the biggest jump most come from sophomore Travis Hunter, pointing out that he had just broken out before suffering a season-ending injury.
"The biggest jump,though, has to come from Hunter, last year's No. 2 pick. Hunter missed the second half of the year after a knee injury. He was just starting to show out as a wide receiver before the injury. His exact role remains TBD, but we can count a healthy Hunter as the most improtant addition this offseason," Pereles said.
The truth is that Jacksonville has made it clear that Hunter will play more cornerback because of how the roster is constructed. Having said that, he'll continue to get snaps at receiver. The former Heisman Trophy winner may see a drop-off in targets, but that's because the Jags are stacked at the position, with Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Parker Washington in the fold.
Nevertheless, expect Hunter to continue playing two ways. In fact, he should be able to pick up where he left off last year because he (and the coaching staff) now know how to best navigate the rigours of the NFL. Granted, No. 12 is still recovering from the LCL injury he sustained in 2025 but should be a full go in training camp.
Having Liam Coen as the head coach gives the Jaguars an edge
Liam Coen isn't the kind of head coach who likes to rest on his laurels. He took the Jaguars to the playoffs in just his first season at the helm. Imagine what he can do in Year 2 if he puts his foot on the gas pedal.
Last season, he managed to get Trevor Lawrence, Brenton Strange, and Parker Washington, to name a few players, to play at an absurdly high level. He should be able to do the same for a promising rookie class that's loaded with potential.
The Jaguars haven't had sustained success in a while. Liam Coen should have no trouble bucking the trend in 2026.
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