Liam Coen is Prepared for Consequences of His Own Success

At his exit interview, the fire within Liam Coen shone through. It was evident that he was still mourning the Jacksonville Jaguars' loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round. Despite falling short in the playoffs, Coen exceeded all expectations in his first season as an NFL head coach.

He inherited a four-win team and transformed it into what looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender in one year. Now, he and the rest of the Jaguars' brass have to find a way to get over the hump. Jumping from four wins to 13 is no easy task. Turning a Wild Card exit into a championship might be ever harder. And he might not have his lieutenants by his side for this next campaign.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Tennessee Titans, Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski, Head Coach Liam Coen — Jan 4, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and head coach Liam Coen during the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Liam Coen is preparing for the worst

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't used to this. This franchise has historically been the place where coaches go to die. Gus Bradley, Doug Marrone, Urban Meyer, Doug Pederson, etc. Nary has there been a sideline schemer from Duval who went on to live their big city dreams. That might be changing this year.

Less than a week after the Jaguars were eliminated from the playoffs, Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski has scheduled an interview with the Cleveland Browns for Saturday, January 14. Parts of the fanbase are already enthralled with the idea of landing the next Liam Coen. Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile is set to audition for the Miami Dolphins' job. Coen was asked about the prospect of losing both of his top consiglieres this offseason:

"Interviewing Grant was like interviewing a guy who could build a car from scratch for a job at a car wash."

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell on Jaguars OC (and former Vikings offensive assistant coach) Grant Udinski.

Udinski is interviewing with CLE this week.#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/9ImFh7NM6y
— SleeperBrowns (@SleeperBrowns) January 13, 2026

"I mean, both those guys did a great job this year and were in their first years doing those roles and responsibilities, and so any time you have success, you're going to have people come and call and knock on the door. Those guys have earned some of those interviews and opportunities. Whether those happen this year, down the line, I think both those guys are future head coaches at some point. That just comes along with the territory. It comes with it. It's the bittersweetness of our profession."

"You want to continue to give people opportunities to grow while also protecting your product and what you do here and how you operate, so it's definitely a fine line that you walk, but it's opportunity, and they've earned those opportunities to interview for those positions, and you try to help them along that process as much as possible. Do I anticipate losing those guys or many coaches from this staff? Not sure. I'm not sure what that looks like. That ultimately isn't my decision, and we have to be prepared. We have to think about what are the next steps if those things were to happen. Those are conversations that we're having right now."

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