Analyzing the Jaguars' Hiring of Liam Coen

The Jacksonville Jaguars went through an interesting hiring process to land Liam Coen. It was the talk of the early offseason.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a press conference at Miller Electric Center Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars had arguably the most notable head coaching search in recent National Football League history. After losing out on Ben Johnson, the Jaguars quickly pivoted to Liam Coen, the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the time.

After receiving initial interest from the Jaguars, Coen reportedly turned down an in-person interview with owner Shad Khan. Doing so sparked a change in Khan's stance on then-general manager Trent Baalke. The Jaguars fired Baalke and hired Coen, cementing a new beginning.

Although the Jaguars got the coach they coveted, it did not come without red flags.

Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports recently analyzed the coaching situation of every team in the National Football League. Daughterty believes the Jaguars landed a solid coach in Coen, even if his approach to accepting the job was not ideal.

"Do I love that Liam Coen was practically hanging out the bathroom window, hiding from the Bucs as he accepted the Jags job? Not really. Was he the best hire after they missed out on Ben Johnson? Probably. Coen’s hiring featured an unusual amount of intrigue for a 39-year-old with one year of NFL play-calling experience — Google “Trent Baalke fired jags” — but I suppose the Jags’ dramatic problem called for a dramatic solution," Daugherty said.

"Only one thing matters for this organization right now: fixing Trevor Lawrence. Coen didn’t exactly fix Baker Mayfield in Tampa — that would be Dave Canales, or the player himself — though he further enhanced what was already one of the league’s more surprising quarterback renaissances. Jacksonville is a situation that called for the head coach to essentially operate as the QBs coach, and that’s what Coen will be."

Daugherty noted a few of the challenges ahead for Coen, Lawrence, and the Jaguars moving forward.

"We have no idea if it will work because both coach and quarterback enter 2025 with an uncomfortable amount of variance. One or both could be just not good. The same is true for the opposite. Coen took a winding, wincing path to get here. Lawrence, 25, has already experienced the highest highs and lowest lows. Whatever they produce together is going to be spectacular. Now it’s time to find out if that means success or failure," Daugherty said.

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