Why Liam Coen Brings Positive Vibes to Duval

It's hard to be optimistic when a season of hope turns into a depot of depression. But after a 4-13 season of tumult, key injuries and one-score losses, the Khan Family cleaned house in key leadership positions in Jacksonille.

Gone is Trent Baalke. Departed is a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Doug Pederson. General Manager James Gladstone is making his lists and checking it ad nauseum. But the big chair is now being occupied by Liam Coen. The vibe from all reaches of the team's facility is electric, and it's largely due to Coen.

SI Beat Writer John Shipley, on the latest edition of the Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast, presened three things to be optimistic about when it comes to Jaguars Football in 2025. The first of them was the inevitable improvement by a team that lost 10 one-score games in 2025. The second is the hiring and noticeable culture change being introduced by the new man in charge in Northern Florida.

"But for as important as I think [GM James] Gladstone and [WR/CB Travis] Hunter and EVP Tony Boselli and that free agency class, and so many other people are, I think Liam Cohen is right there with Trevor Lawrence as the most important people in this franchise today as it pertains to who will determine whether or not they will have success moving forward on the football field," Shipley said.

"I think with Liam Coen, obviously, he has to prove some things. You know, it’s his first year as a head coach. He has to prove that he can lead a locker room. He has to prove that he can lead a team when it faces adversity, game management, all those things. But simply put, landing Liam Coen - the offensive mind, Liam Coen - the play caller, was a massive boom for the Jaguars," said Shipley on the show.

"He’s only been an offensive coordinator for two seasons at the NFL level. He did it for two at the college level, but he’s the real reason that Will Levis' name ever got floated as a potential first-round pick. He’s the reason that Baker Mayfield, in my opinion, is now seen as a top 12-to-15 quarterback instead of just being another guy," the Jaguars SI Beat Writer explained.

"He took a Tampa Bay offense that was okay the year before and made it arguably elite. If Liam Coen is the offensive mind that the Jaguars think he is, he legitimately could be the next Sean McVay-level play caller. And he did so many things at Tampa, in my opinion, with the running game, Mayfield, with the skill players, and how he’s kind of schemed up production for them".

"That should give you hope and optimism heading into the season that he can do the same for the Jaguars. That he can do the same for Trevor Lawrence. That he can do the same for the offensive line, and or their skill players. I believe that Liam Coen has the potential and the capacity to be one of the best offensive minds and offensive play callers, really in football, and in general. And that is based on, you know, the success that he’s had at Kentucky, Tampa Bay, his time with Sean McVay. I think he’s the real deal as an offensive mind, as a play caller, and I think he has to be one of the biggest reasons to be optimistic".

Liam Coen may not have been in the game long as an OC and a play caller, but the quality over the quantity, could help the Jaguars and the new Head Coach be suceeding at this level for a whole lot longer.

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