Liam Coen Addresses Awkward Transition From Tampa Bay to Jaguars

Liam Coen knows he hurt a lot of feelings during his awkward, clandestine transition from Tampa Bay to Jacksonville. In the wake of a deeply disappointing wild-card loss to Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, the Buccaneers’ sliver of positivity was Coen agreeing to a new contract to return as their offensive coordinator.

Until they were blindsided.

“Ultimately, it came down to new information,” the Jaguars’ head coach said on Wednesday’s edition of Pardon My Take. “New information became available.”

That information -- whether Shad Khan’s 180-degree decision to fire general manager Trent Baalke and an offer to hand-select Baalke’s replacement, a staggering amount of salary, or all of the above – ultimately landed Coen on the other side of the peninsula looking for a new house.

And Coen, who said he now shares a Jacksonville realtor with former Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, used the home-hunting analogy to describe what happened.

“It was like when you're going to buy a house and you figure out it’s either not as good or better than you thought,” Coen explained, noting his Jan. 15 virtual interview was his only formal discussion with the Jaguars until Khan fired Baalke on Jan. 22. “And some of the people that ultimately have kind of helped me throughout this journey have said, ‘At the end of the day, you're allowed to change your mind.’ And that's kind of life.”

Life for the Buccaneers is returning to normal. Coen said he’s mended fences with Todd Bowles, Baker Mayfield and even his former Tampa Bay neighbors he left in the dark on that dramatic Jan. 23 when news broke that he was in contact discussions to become the Jaguars’ next head coach. Part of that forgiveness process was helping those Buccaneers stakeholders understand the situation from Coen’s perspective.

“It was the most gut-wrenching week in my life. It was. That's genuine,” Coen said. “…I just go hug Todd Bowles and those guys, like, ‘It's all good. It's all good.’”

What wasn’t all good, Coen said, was the officials’ ruling on Myles Jack’s incredible play in the 2017 AFC Championship Game at New England. A die-hard Patriots fan growing up in Rhode Island, Coen told the Barstool hosts he sides with Jack and the Jaguars; officials blew a premature whistle that kept the Jaguars from reaching their first Super Bowl.

“That shouldn't have been called down,” Coen said. “I'm going Jack. I'm going Jack. Jack should've been in the Super Bowl. There's loyalties now.”

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.