Sports The Jacksonville Jaguars are hiring Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as their next head coach in spite of every little thing.
Coen has instructed the Buccaneers that he is taking the job with the Jaguars, ESPN reported Thursday evening.
The Jags’ courtship of Coen took a couple of twists and turns. After beforehand interviewing with the crew, Coen removed his title from consideration for the job earlier in the week. He then permitted a profitable extension from the Buccaneers.
Later that very same day, the Jaguars presented the firing of traditional supervisor Trent Baalke after they didn’t land 2d interviews with three of their high coaching candidates, collectively with Coen. Coen in the starting build declined an in-person interview with the Jaguars on fable of Baalke, who has a much less-than-excellent recognition in league circles.
In some unspecified time in the future later, Coen, who had now not signed his extension with the Buccaneers, went north to Jacksonville to fulfill with ownership about its head-coaching vacancy in secret.
Irrespective of waiting a couple of weeks to portion methods with Baalke, Jaguars proprietor Shad Khan bought a deal carried out with Coen, his current candidate. One in all the causes Coen changed his tips, in holding with The Athletic, is that he would agree with a hand in picking Baalke’s change.
Khan talked about earlier this month that he wanted any individual accountable who might presumably carry some creativity to Jacksonville, pronouncing “being unpredictable is I narrate standard football, and we need so that you just might per chance show conceal that on the subject.”
The 39-yr-frail Coen became once the architect of one in every of Tampa Bay’s most productive offenses in its historical past in 2024. The Buccaneers ranked third in the NFL in yards (399.6 per game) and fourth in components (29.5).
Coen had much less success at some level of his first NFL season, in 2022 with the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams ranked final in the league in yards while taking half in half the season without quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp. Coen returned to the college ranks (Kentucky) following that yr.
Nevertheless he became once so impressive this season with quarterback Baker Mayfield and rookie working help Bucky Irving that even some Bucs fans speculated about the crew moving on from 61-yr-frail head coach Todd Bowles and handing the reins to Coen.
As a change, Coen will rob over for Doug Pederson, who became once fired in January after a 2d straight disappointing season in Jacksonville. The Jaguars carried out the season in third subject in the AFC South with a portray of 4-13.
Coen inherits a roster stuffed with doable, led by 2021 No. 1 overall draft opt Trevor Lawrence. In his fourth season, Lawrence became once restricted to 10 video games as a result of ruin and carried out with 2,045 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, 119 speeding yards, three speeding touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The starting QB signed a five-yr, $275 million contract extension in June 2024.
To boot to Lawrence, the crew additionally has an up-and-coming superstar receiver in Brian Thomas Jr. , a couple of foundational items on defense (cornerback Tyson Campbell and pass rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker ), a planned $1.4 billion stadium renovation and around $50 million in salary cap space for 2025. Jacksonville will additionally agree with the fifth overall draft opt in April.
Next up, the crew will flip its attention to hiring a fresh traditional supervisor now that Coen is officially on board as its head coach.
The Associated Press contributed to this portray.
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