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Loyal like that, Baker Mayfield will admire yet one other original offensive coordinator.
On Wednesday, it looked like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had refrained from that destiny, with news that offensive coordinator Liam Coen — who elevated Tampa Bay’s offense to a high-five unit in 2024 — had agreed to phrases to a original deal that would maybe maybe well preserve him in Tampa after being courted by the Jacksonville Jaguars for his or her head teaching job. The three-one year extension would develop him one of the very ideal-paid coordinators within the league, reportedly at end to $4.5 million a one year.
Then Thursday got right here and went and the Bucs didn’t negate the tantalizing news of an extension. It all began to unravel Thursday night — the reason Coen hadn’t signed the paperwork was he was in Jacksonville, negotiating a original deal to alter into the Jaguars’ original head coach.
About 24 hours earlier, Coen was scheduled to admire his 2nd interview with the Jags but as a substitute withdrew his title from consideration as reports emerged he had agreed to a original tackle the Bucs. Later Wednesday, Jacksonville fired usual manager Trent Baalke and reportedly went encourage to Coen promising he also can encourage make a choice the original GM as phase of its push to raise him in.
This was all news to the Bucs, who anticipated Coen to be of their facility Thursday to develop the extension respectable. Per extra than one reports, they couldn’t reach him by phone or text unless spherical 5 p.m., when he reportedly talked to Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, who had lobbied for workforce possession to give him the giant elevate to preserve him in Tampa.
Nonetheless in accordance to the Tampa Bay Times, Coen informed Bowles that one of his young folks had fallen ill and he’d been on the doctor’s place of work, finest snappy declaring the Jaguars job and announcing he wished to revisit the possibility. By 10:forty five p.m., he had notified the workforce he was accepting the job with the Jaguars — that will reportedly pay as worthy as $13 million a one year.
Coen’s reversal took what had been a definite myth — conserving a coveted assistant for one other one year — and as a substitute added to a rising checklist of departures for the Bucs, who admire received four straight division titles. Assistant usual manager John Spytek on Wednesday agreed to alter into usual manager of the Raiders, who admire stale Bucs quarterback Tom Brady as a minority proprietor. Spytek reportedly signed a five-one year tackle the Raiders gradual Thursday.
Bowles’ high two defensive assistants would maybe maybe well be leaving as smartly — defensive line coach and flee game coordinator Kacy Rodgers, who has labored with Bowles for 17 seasons with four a variety of teams, is taking the identical job with the Lions, and Detroit shall be interviewing Bucs linebackers coach and journey game coordinator Larry Foote for its defensive coordinator job. It be also that you would possibly maybe be ready to deem that Coen will rob some Bucs offensive assistants with him by selling them to greater roles on his Jaguars workers.
Loyal two weeks within the past, Coen had been candid in talking in regards to the attract of becoming a head coach, but his relative persistence to be conscious that he didn’t admire to flee at any job, with a job he loved and the promise of extra success ahead.
“Yeah, that also can very smartly be a dream,” he stated. “Does which admire to happen after I’m 39 years mature and having potentially essentially the most stress-free of my existence teaching and working and being right here? No, that would now not imply that wishes to happen lawful now. Nonetheless yeah, that’s the aim. That is in point of fact the aim. Nonetheless like I stated earlier than, that aim can preserve off for a whereas right here and continue to carry out what we’re doing. That is liable to be fairly special.”
It be the 2nd one year in a row Bowles has misplaced a first-one year offensive coordinator to a head teaching job. A one year within the past, Dave Canales was hired to be the Panthers’ head coach, and with Coen going to Jacksonville, the Bucs are the first NFL workforce to lose offensive coordinators to head teaching jobs in encourage-to-encourage seasons since the 2013-14 Ravens, who misplaced Jim Caldwell to the Lions and then Gary Kubiak to the Broncos, where he would salvage a Natty Bowl championship the next season.
In theory, Tampa’s OC job is worthy better than it was a one year within the past — the Bucs had the worst rushing assault within the NFL in 2023, but they performed within the stop five in almost each category in 2024. The reach wasn’t appropriate Coen, but upgrades to the offensive line, including rookie middle Graham Barton, and the advent of rookie running encourage Bucky Irving, a consensus All-Rookie substitute after rushing for greater than 1,000 yards regardless of sharing the workload for a ways of the one year.
Coen’s contemporary job history suggests it must now not be exquisite that he moved on from Tampa after finest one season. Over the four years prior, he bounced from the Rams to the University of Kentucky encourage to the Rams and encourage to Kentucky, in phase on myth of he valued being ready to be a play-caller in his possess offense, as he was in Tampa. At 39, he becomes one of the NFL’s youngest head coaches, and he’ll ranking to work with a promising young quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, who is signed to a $275 million contract.
The Bucs, too, admire been jilted like this earlier than. Twice, the franchise conception it had a tackle Bill Parcells to alter into their head coach, in 1991 and 2002, but each times he changed his thoughts on the remaining minute. They almost finalized a tackle Chip Kelly in 2012, finest for him to preserve at Oregon.
Tampa Bay will now transfer snappy to ranking a original offensive coordinator, their fourth in four seasons, a lack of continuity that’s all too familiar for Mayfield, who threw for profession highs in touchdowns (41) and yards (4,500) with Coen in 2024. Mayfield has already labored with seven offensive coordinators in his seven years within the NFL, so the original rent shall be his eighth, a almost annual rite of studying original offenses and adjusting to original schemes.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, performed 4-13 this previous season, but they were 9-8 in each of the 2 earlier seasons, winning the AFC South and a wild-card playoff game in 2022. Discovering success with Lawrence, peaceable finest 25, shall be a precedence for Coen. The stale No. 1 overall pick was little to appropriate 10 games this previous season thanks to damage, throwing 11 touchdowns against seven interceptions whereas winning finest two of his begins.
If the Bucs develop the identical financial commitment they’d budgeted for Coen, they’re going to admire no shortage of worthy candidates to resolve between. They also can promote from within, giving Mayfield less of a transition to distress about, or explore externally to believe a rare opening for a playcalling offensive coordinator with a gifted team of gamers with sustained success in a in point of fact easy division.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He previously spent a decade overlaying the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You would possibly maybe well also follow him on Twitter at @gregauman .
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