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The Jacksonville Jaguars looked like they moved away from pursuing Liam Coen. Especially after firing Trent Baalke as general manager. But a new plot twist emerged Thursday involving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator.
Coen has re-entered the Jaguars’ chat for head coach, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. Turns out Coen “has been speaking” with the Jags according to Rapoport and fellow insider Tom Peliserro.
“Plot twist: Bucs OC Liam Coen has been speaking with the Jaguars in person for their HC job, and he is a key candidate to be the coach in Jacksonville, per me and Tom Pelissero. Days after agreeing to a massive extension in Tampa, he may find a HC job he could not refuse,” Rapoport shared on X.
Coen agreed to the Bucs’ extension Wednesday. The Jaguars got suggested to pursue Kellen Moore instead. Moore is currently leading the Philadelphia Eagles offense ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship game. Moore’s name also surfaced as a suggestion after the Jags lost out on Ben Johnson. The Chicago Bears hired the now former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator.
But Coen clearly isn’t officially out of the Jaguars’ running. The team even brought in franchise legend Tony Boselli to aid the Jaguars’ search. Looks like Jacksonville hasn’t stopped targeting Coen.
Coen has risen inside NFL coaching circles. He turned the Bucs into a top five offensive unit this past season. Tampa Bay took fifth in multiple offensive categories including scoring and total offense.
The 39-year-old is also part of the famed Sean McVay coaching tree. Coen served as McVay’s offensive coordinator during the 2022 season. He was also the quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams in the 2020 season and served as assistant wide receivers coach from 2018 to 2019.
He left the Rams for the University of Kentucky in 2023 — taking the OC and quarterbacks coach job there. But he hopped back to the NFL in joining Todd Bowles’ staff. Coen and Bowles delivered one more NFC South title out of their partnership. Now, Coen has a chance to trek a shorter distance north for his next potential NFL gig.
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