How Liam Coen Convinced His Players That He Was Different

Some of the Jacksonville Jaguars have seen several different coaches come and go, but they knew Liam Coen was different early on.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington (11) walks off the field after a hit as head coach Liam Coen looks on during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 41-7, capturing the AFC South title. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In his first year with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Head Coach Liam Coen brought this team to greater heights than they've seen in a long time. They won more games in the 2025 NFL regular season than in any other campaign in franchise history aside from 1999, back in the days of Tom Coughlin, Mark Brunell, and Jimmy Smith.

He wasn't the only new piece on the team. Far from it. Not only did the Jaguars practically overhaul their entire staff, but they also changed about 50 percent of the roster. Some of the acquisitions they brought in played major roles in getting Jacksonville to where it is today, but most of the key players are holdovers from the previous era.

Dec 14, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen stands with quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the second quarter against the New York Jets at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Liam Coen had to convince his team

Liam Coen was so successful in his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars that it's easy to forget he was far from a slam-dunk hire. This past year was his inaugural campaign as an NFL head coach. Before arriving in Duval, he had just two seasons of experience as a play-caller at this level, one of which didn't go all that well in 2022 with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Jaguars have seen several coaches come and go in the modern era. Urban Meyer obviously wasn't the right voice to build a winning culture for this franchise. Doug Pederson brought a lot of optimism due to his Super Bowl experience with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he quickly flamed out, too.

Coen had to convince his veteran players that things were going to be different with him on the sideline. Speaking with ESPN's Peter Schrager, he outlined that he did so by connecting with them and bonding over their shared frustrations with this team:

"When we first got together, you know, in February, March, those early months, I spent a lot of time with individuals in one-on-one conversations with a lot of guys that you know were here, that had been here for a number of different years like Josh Hines-Allen, obviously, Trevor [Lawrence], Foye [Oluokun], Devin Lloyd, Travon Walker, a lot of guys that have been here, right?"

"The chip on their shoulder of the guys that were here that I had a lot of conversations with… the messaging was very much in alignment with kind of how I am, and how I’d like to see things done, and how we wanted to build it. There was like a pissed-off feeling of a lot of the players."

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