The Jacksonville Jaguars experienced several unexpected twists during their search for a new head coach. And for a brief moment, it looked like they were going to lose out on Liam Coen. However, he chose them despite the fact that he had agreed to stay as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fast forward to his introductory press conference, and Coen made a handful of remarks that won't sit well with Bucs fans.
After his introductory press conference, Coen talked to Shaaz Peerani of First Coast News and mentioned honesty as a word that describes him well.
"I would say that if you were to really put one word on it, I think that you would say honest," Coen said when Shaaz Peerani asked him what word defines him best. "I mean, that's that's really what is going to come down to, is honesty."
Coen continued, "I want to surround ourselves with people that are going to be able to tell you hard truths, be able to show you your blind spots, because that's really like I mentioned, where growth occurs when you can truly be yourself and be honest with looking in the mirror, knowing that process to get you there was clean. And there was right and the results will speak for themselves."
This could come across as a bit odd when you take into account that his departure from the Buccaneers might have lacked transparency. Then again, the whole situation wasn't nearly as bad as it appeared to be.
Coen talked to the Jags early in their coaching search and nailed the interview with his knowledge of football and his leadership skills. Slated to meet with Jacksonville a second time, he instead was offered to return to Tampa Bay on a deal that would've made him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the league.
Not wanting to miss out on Coen, the Jags fired embattled general manager Trent Baalke and sweetened their offer. The opportunity was too good to pass up, and he resumed conversations with Jacksonville to become its head coach.
During the process, Coen didn't stay in touch with Tampa Bay, which gave the impression that he went behind their back. That said, his wife Ashley set the record straight, clarifying that they had spent the day at their doctor's office.
That was the reason he hadn't talked to the Buccaneers' brass about becoming the Jaguars head coach until he was about to strike a deal. Below is Coen's exchange with Shaaz Peerani.
Honesty is the best policy...
— Shaaz Peerani (@ShaazyP) January 28, 2025
"I want to surround ourselves with people that are going to be able to tell you hard truths. Be able to show you your blind spots. Because that's really where growth occurs." -- New Jaguars head coach Liam Coen#DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/RBe7ClTIwm
Buccaneers fans aren't thrilled Liam Coen left them for the Jaguars job
Based on how things unfolded, most Buccaneers fans aren't angry at Liam Coen for taking the Jacksonville Jaguars job. Instead, they're not thrilled to see them leave after turning the Tampa Bay offense into a juggernaut last year.
Moreover, some fans saw Coen as a potential successor for head coach Todd Bowles. You can ask most of them, and they would pick the former over the latter, and it's easy to see why.
Under Coen, the Buccaneer's running game went from 32nd in 2023 to fourth last year. Similarly, Baker Mayfield had a career year. Rightly, fans wanted him and his unit to build off of last season. Now, Mayfield will have to play for the ninth offensive coordinator in his career while Tampa Bay could experience a regression.
This is to say, that you cannot blame fans for seeing Coen leave. Then again, he did what nearly everyone in his situation would do: Pick what's best for him.