Jaguars hire Liam Coen as head coach and usher in a new era for the franchise

There were several twists and turns along the way, but the Jacksonville Jaguars found a new head coach in Liam Coen. Just one day after he said he was returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he and the Jags worked diligently to get a deal done. They pulled it off.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN broke the news that Jacksonville and Coen verbally reached an agreement on a contract overnight. He says they're still going through the details, but "the deal is effectively done, barring a snag."

For his part, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media says the Jags are expected to announce the hire of Coen in the morning while the Bucs will begin the search for a new offensive coordinator.

Coen was the betting favorite to get the Jaguars job. He was one of several candidates who interviewed for the opening after Doug Pederson got hired. The team's brass was impressed with his knowledge of football beyond offense and his leadership skills. This is why they set a second meeting with him but that's when the first twist came.

Expected to interview with the Jags for the second time, he chose to return to Tampa Bay on a deal that would've paid him one of the highest-paid coordinators. At the time, it was believed that he bolted for the Bucs because he didn't want to work with general manager Trent Baalke.

Not wanting to lose another coaching candidate because of his general manager, Shad Khan did what he should've done a while back: Fire Trent Baalke.

Following Baalke's ousting, the Jaguars resumed conversations with Coen, and he's now set to become the next head coach.

What should the Jaguars expect from Liam Coen?

The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Doug Pederson in part because he wasn't getting the most out of his players. They'll want Liam Coen to change that, and he's got what it takes to make it happen.

Coen can rub people the wrong way because he's very demanding. However, that's a positive when you take into account that he's put his players in a position to succeed. Even though he only had to manage the offense in Tampa Bay, that should carry over to the defense in Jacksonville. That will be useful when you take into account how much they struggled on that side of the ball last year.

On the other hand, the Jaguars also needed someone who could get the most out of Trevor Lawrence. Leaving injuries aside, he was inconsistent last year. Coen can do what he did for Baker Mayfield last year and have him play like the top-10 quarterback that he is.

Moreover, Coen will put his stamp on the running game. As good as his predecessor, Dave Canales was, the Bucs running games were one of the worst in the league in 2023. Coen changed that last year and turned their rushing attack into one of the best in the NFL.

That could come in handy for a Jacksonville team that has a dynamic tandem in Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne but lacked the scheme in 2024 to help them succeed.

Add the fact that he played a role in getting general manager Trent Baalke dismissed, and Liam Coen is the head coach the Jacksonville Jaguars needed.

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