ClutchPoints
The Jacksonville Jaguars managed to outmaneuver fellow Floridian franchise the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the services of offensive-minded coach Liam Coen. After a strange and suspenseful 72 hours, the Jaguars got their man. And Coen got paid.
After luring Coen back to Jacksonville, the team reportedly made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. The Jaguars are believed to have signed Coen to a five-year deal worth approximately $12 million annually, according to a report by ESPN.
The Jaguars ultimately secured their new head coach after an eventful offseason culminated in what was either an unconscionable betrayal or simply the invisible hand of capitalism nudging Coen to Jacksonville.
After moving on from head coach Doug Pederson at the conclusion of the regular season the team retained general manager Trent Baalke. That decision led to Coen eschewing Jacksonville’s head coach vacancy as he instead agreed to remain the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. However, the Jaguars eventually realized they should probably fire Baalke if they want to attract a head coach. And, although the decision came very late in the cycle, it actually worked.
Coen threw himself back in the running for the Jaguars’ job, despite verbally agreeing to a new deal with the Bucs that specifically precluded him from meeting with Jacksonville about the head coaching gig – although that provision isn’t actually enforceable. Coen then went AWOL on the day he was supposed to sign his extension with Tampa Bay. As it turns out, he secretly went to Jacksonville for an interview. By the time the Bucs found out, it was too late. Coen was hired as the Jaguars’ new head coach.
Coen clearly emerges from all this unprecedented wackiness as the biggest winner – assuming he doesn’t mind being one of the most unpopular coaches in the league. Coen turned two seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator into a head coaching job that will pay him around $60 million over five years. His reported annual salary of $12 million ties him with Super Bowl champion John Harbaugh as the eighth-highest paid coach in the league.
Coen’s ability to transform himself into a highly-coveted coaching candidate is all the more impressive considering he oversaw the worst offense in the NFL during one of his two seasons as a coordinator. The 2022 Los Angeles Rams ranked 32nd in overall offense and sixth-worst in scoring.
Of course, the Rams suffered a number of injuries on offense that season, including losing Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp for eight games. After retreating back to the University of Kentucky for the 2023 season, Coen resurfaced in Tampa Bay. And he rebounded nicely, as the Buccaneers’ offense finished third overall and fourth in scoring in 2024 as Baker Mayfield had the best season of his eight-year career.
Now Coen will head to Jacksonville to work with another former first overall draft pick in Trevor Lawrence. While the fourth-year quarterback has shown flashes of the...
