Jaguars' Liam Coen Gets Seriously Snubbed in Recent Poll

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are no strangers to getting snubbed, but this one makes little sense.

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has revitalized the Jaguars as a franchise, taking last year's four-win team to an 11-4 record and a playoff spot in Year One. Despite that, Coen still appears to be a likely snub when it comes to this year's Coach of the Year race.

Coach of the Year Snub

There are plenty of coaches who deserve consideration for coach of the year, but it is hard to wrap one's mind around how far Coen is lagging behind the field in a recent poll.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero recently polled "high-ranking executives from 30 NFL teams, including 21 general managers." on various awards such as MVP, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski talk during the second quarter during an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite Coen and the Jaguars picking up several signature wins, such as road wins against the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, Coen was seemingly an afterthought in the Coach of the Year's poll results.

Coen finished with four votes, trailing New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel's 13 votes and Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson's six votes.

Dec 14, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen during the first quarter against the New York Jets at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

"Despite a strong list of candidates, Vrabel (13 votes) more than doubled the vote total of the second-place finisher, Bears coach Ben Johnson (six)," Pelissero said.

"It has been an instant turnaround in New England, where the Patriots are 12-3, playoff-bound and in the mix for the AFC's No. 1 seed after winning eight games over the previous two years combined. No surprise, considering Vrabel, the 2021 AP Coach of the Year, engineered a similarly speedy turnaround in his first head coaching job in Tennessee."

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn greet after the game of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Jets 48-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Liam Coen, who has led the Jaguars to an 11-4 mark and a playoff spot in his first season behind improving play from quarterback Trevor Lawrence, received four votes. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan got 3.5 votes for his work pulling an injury-ravaged 49ers roster to the playoffs at 11-4. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, whose team has the NFC's best record at 12-3 and the NFL's second-ranked scoring defense (18.6 points per game) in his second season, received 2.5 votes. Broncos coach Sean Payton got one."

Is there an argument to make for Vrabel or even Johnson over Coen? Sure, just like there is an argument for Coen over each of them. But there is no real scenario where it makes sense for Vrabel and the Patriots' cakewalk schedule to run away with this award, even if that seems like the most likely scenario.

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