Buccaneers OC 'Ghosts' Liam Coen Franchise Ahead of Second Interview With Jaguars

Just when things felt comfortable in Tampa Bay, the world turned upside down.
Following the team's defeat in the Wild Card round to the Washington Commanders, the franchise knew that there was a possibility that they would lose their offensive coordinator to a head coaching job for a second straight season after Liam Coen led the Bucs' offense to a top-five unit in the league in his first season as a play caller.
The story is confusing, as most would assume as Coen turned down a second interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars after receiving an offer from Tampa Bay to return as their OC, making him the highest-paid coordinator in NFL history. That was what the Bucs and their fans were under the assumption of until late Thursday afternoon when news broke that Coen was in Jacksonville to interview with the Jaguars without the Buccaneers having any indication.
Per multiple sources…I’m told that the Bucs front office had not heard from Liam Coen or his agent all day today. But Liam Coen did reach out to Todd Bowles to inform him that he was interviewing with Jacksonville. By the time he did reach out, Bowles already knew about it.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) January 23, 2025
Per Jenna Laine of ESPN, that fact is somewhat contradictory as Coen supposedly reached out to head coach Todd Bowles before the news broke. However, it does not seem as if Bowles relayed this information or there is something fishy about the truth of what is happening. Either way, what the kids call 'ghosting' isn't quite the right way to go about things.
While there is speculation on the reason for the noncommunication, it is obvious at this point that the situation was not handled correctly. What is also known is that Coen is expected to be hired as the Jaguars' head coach and even if not, there is a high probability that he will not be returning to Tampa Bay after the fallout from this mishandling.
There has yet to be a contract signed between the Jaguars and Coen as they still have to go through the interview process, but as mentioned prior, there is a high unlikelihood that Coen would return to the Bucs. Now that Coen is likely on his way out, the Buccaneers' offseason just got 10 times more difficult as they will not only be looking to improve their roster but also will have to replace a few coaches along the way to continue their upward trajectory.
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