ClutchPoints
During the roller coaster hiring process of Liam Coen as the new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, Jags owner Shad Khan felt “urgency” to close the deal due to fears that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Todd Bowles would swoop in with a game-changing offer.
According to a new report from ESPN, Jacksonville viewed Tampa as a “threat” because of certain promises that could have been made to their young offensive coordinator.
“The Jags thought the Bucs could seek to make Coen a head-coach-in-waiting, similar to how they positioned Bowles as the league’s highest-paid defensive coordinator under previous coach Bruce Arians,” the ESPN report noted. “They also saw what happened with Dirk Koetter being elevated to head coach after the dismissal of Lovie Smith after the 2015 season. They were worried about the Bucs making promises.”
The head-coach-in-waiting label was particularly worrisome for Jacksonville since Tampa hasn’t offered Bowles a new contract despite three consecutive playoff appearances.
The relationship between Bowles and Coen also concerned the Jaguars, as the coaches immediately clicked after former Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales left to become head coach of the Carolina Panthers at the end of last season.
“Me and Liam are very close — we have these types of conversations [as far as] what to expect from an interview and everything else,” Bowles said at his final news conference of the season. “At least you know you’re picking the right guy. We’ll see what happens going forward from there. If they’re not talking about your guys for interviews, then you’re probably not doing it right.”
After his initial virtual interview with Coen, Khan walked away so impressed that he immediately wanted to set up an in-person interview. Coen’s first year at the helm of Tampa’s offense was impeccable. The Bucs put up 28.6 points per game, third most in franchise history, and Coen’s guidance helped quarterback Baker Mayfield shatter his single-season touchdown mark with 41 touchdown passes in 2024.
Coen also revived the Tampa ground game, which went from a paltry 88.8 rushing yards per game in 2023 to a franchise record 149.2 YPG in 2024.
Jacksonville is desperate to unlock the potential of former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, who has regressed in nearly every statistical category over the past two seasons. While Coen won’t have Tampa’s Mike Evans to work with in Jacksonville, he will have breakout wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who exploded for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Jaguars in 2024 even with the inconsistencies at quarterback.
The post NFL rumors: The Todd Bowles reason why Jaguars felt ‘urgency’ to hire Liam Coen appeared first on ClutchPoints.
