When the Jacksonville Jaguars dismissed Doug Pederson, their priority in their search for a new head coach was finding someone who could get the most out of Trevor Lawrence. While they appeared to be interested in Ben Johnson, they ultimately ended up hiring Liam Coen, who was coming off a successful season leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense.
In Jacksonville, Coen will get tasked with having Lawrence play like a top-10 quarterback. His mentor, Sean McVay, thinks he's up to the challenge.
McVay met with the press corps in the 2025 NFL Owners Meeting and said that Coen will have success coaching Lawrence, bringing up his prior sucess with quarterback Baker Mayfield and Will Levis.
"Relatability at that quarterback spot," McVay responded when asked what makes Coen a successful coach. "He and Kevin, Zach Robinson. That's kind of been the model for us. Guys that have done it, they played the position at a high level. It's so difficult to understand exactly what that entails. I just think there's an ability to demonstrate, how can I make the post the proposition as easy as possible? How can I have an understanding of exactly what they're going through?"
McVay continued, "I think that's why you saw Baker play at such a high level. You saw Will Levis, when he was coaching in Kentucky, play at such a high level. And I expect to do the same thing with Trevor."
Since being hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, McVay has been at the forefront of offensive innovations in the NFL. Moreover, many of his assistants have gone on to become head coaches, including Coen, Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor, Kevin O'Conell, and Raheem Morris.
Coen served two different stints under McVay with the Rams. He was first their assistant quarterbacks coach in 2021 and returned in 2023 as their offensive coordinator after spending one season as the head coach at Kentucky.
During his lone season with the Bucs, Coen helped Mayfield post career numbers and turned the running game from the worst in the NFL to one of the top 5 .
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Liam Coen has wait it takes to get the most out of the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence
Liam Coen is a very demanding coach, and his intensity could rub a few players the wrong way. Having said that, he's gotten the most out of his teams anywhere he's gone, and you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who publicly has a strong opinion of him. And that's the thing, he knows the right balance between being demanding, as McVay suggests. That's what makes him the right coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence.
Already, Coen is focused on fixing Lawrence's footwork. Furthermore, he'll put a renewed emphasis on the running game to take some pressure off his quarterback. That said, he's far from the only Jaguar who will benefit from Coen. Precisely because he will establish the run, Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne should find success next season.
On the other hand, Brian Thomas Jr. should find more success in Year 2. Aside from getting help in the form of free-agent acquisition Dyami Brown Liam will game plan around the 2024 Offensive Player of the Year. Similarly, players who've previously flashed, such as wide receiver Parker Washington and tight end Brenton Strange, should put it all together under Coen.
The bottom line is that Liam Coen may not have experience on the job, but he certainly has the track record to make you think he'll ultimately have success with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sean McVay knows it. Otherwise, he wouldn't be endorsing his protegee.