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Liam Coen Issues Statement Following Flip From Buccaneers to Jaguars

In a wild turn of events, Coen was named the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach on Friday.

Mike Kadlick

Coen was officially named the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach on Friday.
Coen was officially named the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach on Friday. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
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It's been a whirlwind couple of days for Liam Coen, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

To make a long story short: The 39-year-old took himself out of the running for the Jaguars' head coaching job on Wednesday morning, and verbally agreed to return to Tampa Bay on a deal that would make him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. By Thursday evening—however—Jacksonville parted ways with their radioactive GM in Trent Baalke, Coen found his way to Duval County, and verbally agreed to become Jacksonville's next head coach.

Upon being officially hired on Friday, Coen released the following statement:

"Becoming the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars is an opportunity of a lifetime, and one that I am going to run with to instill a championship culture and winning tradition here in Duval. This doesn't happen without the support and opportunities that my family and I have been afforded throughout my career, especially during this past season in Tampa Bay. We thank Todd Bowles for his continued support and the entire Buccaneers organization for the experience, and know they will have success ahead."

He continued: "Most of all, we are grateful to Shad Khan for his belief in what we will bring to the Jaguars. We will work tirelessly to reward his confidence. As head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, I will hire a first-class coaching staff, establish a distinctive and effective brand of football on both sides of the ball, and our players will live for the black and teal. Shad and Jaguars fans should expect nothing less, and that's what we plan to deliver and more. My wife Ashley and our family are honored to be here and a part of the Jacksonville community. We are ready to get to work."

Coen takes over a Jaguars team that went 4-13 in 2024. An offensive guru, he'll have quarterback Trevor Lawrence to work with in that side of the football.

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Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

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