How Jaguars' Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence Can Enter a Special Tier in 2026

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- In the history of the Jacksonville Jaguars as a franchise, the team has still yet to achomplish a few thing. There have been no MVPs, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Years, and not yet a Lombardi Trophy.

But the Jaguars can seemingly check off one box that has evaded them since their inception as early as 2026: the elite QB/HC duo.

Liam Coen Trevor Lawrence — Jan 4, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) celebrates with head coach Liam Coen (obscured) after the game against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

It is not as if the Jaguars have not had strong moments at both positions before, but Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen on their own might go down as the standouts in the entire history of the franchise in each role. With another step taken forward, they can enter a special tier in 2026.

The Elite HC/QB Tier

It is not as if the Jaguars have not had encouraging moments in the QB/HC department. The relationship between a team's leader on the sidelines and its leader on the field is always critical, and there is a reason the greatest dynasties in the history of the sport have been defined by those relationships.

The Jaguars have never quite had a duo reach that elite level. Tom Coughlin and Mark Brunell won a ton of games together during the franchise's Golden Era, but never the big one. Jack Del Rio and David Garrard were solid. Then the Jaguars had misses at both quarterback and head coach until drafting Trevor Lawrence in 2021 and then seemingly finding an answer with Doug Pederson in 2022.

The duo won the franchise's second-ever AFC South title with a 9-8 season in 2022, just one year after the Jaguars were the worst team in the NFL under the regime of all-time nightmare head coach Urban Meyer. Lawrence and Pederson led the Jaguars to a frantic Wild Card comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers before taking the Kansas City Chiefs to the brink in a loss the following week.

doug pederson trevor lawrenc — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson talks with quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the second quarter an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans 34-14. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Unio / USA TODAY NETWORK

2023 started off on a good note too, with the Jaguars getting out to an 8-3 start to make the duo 17-11 in their first 28 games together. Many hoped this would be a sign of things to come, but the Jaguars then went 1-5 down the final six weeks of the season and missed the playoffs.

Lawrence and Pederson never recovered as a duo, with Lawrence going 2-8 as a starter in 2024 as the Jaguars cratered. After starting 17-11, Lawrence and Pederson went 3-13 in their final 16 games together.

Dec 10, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) watched the video replay board during the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Pederson's firing after the 2024 season led to the Jaguars hiring Coen, who seemed to breathe new life into Lawrence's career. Lawrence got off to a slow start in 2025 as he adjusted to Coen's offense, but after a 5-4 start to the season the Jaguars won their final eight regular season games and finished 13-4 with the AFC South title.

Lawrence became an MVP finalist in the process, while Coen became a Coach of the Year finalist. The Jaguars didn't find playoff success, but they set the stage for what the 2026 season should be: a chance to join the NFL's top tier of HC/QB duos.

Lawrence's 2025 season saw him become a different quarterback entirely over the second-half ofthe season. He completed 341-of-560 passes for 4,007 yards and a career-high 29 passing touchdowns, the fifth most in the league. He also added nine rushing touchdowns, the second most in the NFL among quarterbacks, and his 38 total touchdowns set the franchise record for total touchdowns in a single season and were the third-most in the NFL

Coen got the best out of Lawrence last season. If he can do it again, then there is an argument to make for the Jaguars to go flying up the list of best duos at the top of a franchise. That list is currently led by a clear top-two in Super Bowl-winning duos in Sean McVay/Matthew Stafford and Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes.

Mike Macdonald/Sam Darnold and Nick Sirianni/Jalen Hurts also have Super Bowl wins. Kyle Shanahan/Brock Purdy, Zac Taylor/Joe Burrow, and Mike Vrabel/Drake Maye have all made it to the Super Bowl stage as well. That sets a clear precedent for Lawrence and Coen to try to hit, though it is not one that is necessarily required.

Coach	QB
Sean McVay	Matthew Stafford
Andy Reid	Patrick Mahomes
Jim Harbaugh	Justin Herbert
Matt LaFleur	Jordan Love
Mike Macdonald	Sam Darnold
Kyle Shanahan	Brock Purdy
DeMeco Ryans	C.J. Stroud
Zac Taylor	Joe Burrow
Sean Payton	Bo Nix
Mike Vrabel	Drake Maye
Ben Johnson	Caleb Williams
Dan Campbell	Jared Goff
Brian Schottenheimer	Dak Prescott
Dan Quinn	Jayden Daniels
Nick Sirianni	Jalen Hurts
Shane Steichen	Daniel Jones
Todd Bowles	Baker Mayfield
Kellen Moore	Tyler Shough
Dave Canales	Bryce Young

If Lawrence can effectively take another step and stack together back-to-back years of top-level quarterback play, coupled with another double-digit win season, then the only thing Coen and Lawrence would be missing is playoff success. That is not something that even some of the best duos in the NFL have, which shows just how difficult it is to accomplish.

Jacksonville took a massive leap a year ago. If they can follow that up with a strong second season -- something they have struggled to do in past years -- then there will not be many argumens to make against Coen/Lawrence as one of the NFL's top duos.

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