Shad Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars were prepared to twist the knife firmly into the guts of their tortured fanbase, seemingly choosing to keep Trent Baalke as general manager at the cost of hiring their top head coaching target in Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
The last 24 hours have sent the Jaguars' fanbase on a roller coaster of emotions. After Coen's initial rejection and Baalke's subsequent firing after being unable to close the deal, it appeared as though their top choice was gone for good after agreeing to stay with the Bucs as OC thanks to a pay bump.
That all changed on Thursday night, as Coen reportedly did not respond to any phone calls from the Bucs and met with the Jaguars once again. Things went so well that not only has Coen seemingly agreed to terms with Jacksonville to be their next head coach, but he will reportedly earn "Ben Johnson level money" in this deal.
With Baalke gone, Coen will get the authority to help pick the next general manager. This could set a precedent for the rest of the league, as even someone as young as Coen can unseat a general manager if they are a desirable enough candidate.
Jaguars change the NFL hiring game with Liam Coen news
It's clear to see why Coen is getting the hype he has been. After studying at the bosom of Sean McVay, Coen helped the Buccaneers put up numbers not dissimilar to what Ben Johnson amassed in Detroit. Baker Mayfield is a good quarterback, but getting him to throw 41 touchdowns was masterful.
Coen will come to a team that has their quarterback in Trevor Lawrence locked in, an owner that is always willing to spend money in free agency, and a division that is very weak. If Coen clicks with Lawrence, the Jaguars could end up bouncing back relatively soon.
Other top assistants in the league now have the ability to demand a ton from prospective teams as they try to find their first head coaching job. Coen had two nonconsecutive years as an NFL OC, calling plays in only one of them, and he won a power struggle against the GM of a team he wasn't even employed by.
The ramifications of deals like what Coen just agreed to could reverberate for the next few cycles. The power could be switching from the owners to the coaches themselves, and Coen could give those seeking a hefty gift basket from NFL teams in exchange for their services even more of a springboard if he has some immediate success in Jacksonville.