Why the Jaguars' AFC Window Just Flew Open

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars had a great 2025. They have a chance to have an even better 2026.

Yes, the Jaguars set a high bar in the first year of the Liam Coen era. The Jaguars went 13-4 and won the AFC South before a 27-24 heartbreaker vs. the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round. But a lot has changed in the AFC since the loss a week ago.

AFC Landscape Changes

The entire landscape of the AFC has changed over the last two weeks, with three of the most consistently winning franchises making changes at head coach: the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now the Bills.

Just eight days after the Bills beat the Jaguars, the Bills have fired head coach Sean McDermott following their Divisional Round loss to the Denver Broncos. McDermott now joins John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin as coaches who have departed three of the AFC's best franchises.

Sean McDermott win % in Buffalo: .662
Mike Tomlin win % in Pittsburgh: .628
John Harbaugh win % in Baltimore: .614

Tenure becoming a thing of the past
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 19, 2026

Andy Reid is still around as the last of the old guard, but the Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a down season and saw Patrick Mahomes suffer an ACL injury at the end of the season. Otherwise, it appears the AFC is as wide open as it has been in years, if not the last few decades.

All of these teams can hire good head coaches who continue their traditions of winning. But for now, the AFC is without some important names and it will be up to Coen to make sure the Jaguars are able to replace them.

liam coe — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, center left, greets Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott after the game of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I was extremely proud of a lot of things that we were able to accomplish, very proud of their response to adversity and to that 1-0 message and that next-play mentality and now the real work is here to where we have to go and reload it," Coen said last week. "We're not going to just stand here and say, man, we're just going to re-do it all with all the same, same, same, same because that got us 13 wins and knocked out of the playoffs this the first round.

"Clearly it was not good enough for the full end of the season standard, but 31 other teams are having a similar conversation and they will have the similar conversation. So that's the beautiful part about this profession and the challenge that it brings. Every year is a new year. Every team is a new team. That's what this offseason will be able to provide. That's what the offseason will be for, getting to know this new team, what it looks like with the message being, hey, we got to continue to go 1-0 each week and play the next play."

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Jaguars when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW.

Follow us on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and make sure you like our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.