Report: Jacksonville Jaguars expected to hire Liam Coen as new head coach in unprecedented move

The Jacksonville Jaguars are finalizing a deal to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as their next head coach, per The Athletic’s Diana Russini. The move comes after Coen agreed to an extension with the Buccaneers and removed himself from consideration for the Jaguars’ head coaching vacancy.

According to Russini, the deal is pending final negotiations, and Coen is headed to back Tampa for the time being while his representatives finalize his deal with the Jaguars.

Coen met with the Jaguars on Thursday to discuss the vacancy despite the news of his return to Tampa, which would have made him the highest-paid coordinator in NFL history. Jacksonville reportedly reached out to Coen after the team fired GM Trent Baalke to see if he would reconsider the offer and after their talks, it appears that Jacksonville has their guy.

Liam Coen is replacing Doug Pederson, fired after being with the team for the last three seasons. During his time in Jacksonville, Pederson posted a 22-29 record, won the AFC South in 2022 and won a playoff game that season.

The Jaguars are hoping the hiring of Coen will bring stability and consistency to the franchise. Since Jacksonville began playing in the NFL in 1995, it has reached the playoffs eight times and has never played in a Super Bowl. Of those eight playoff appearances, four came under Tom Coughlin who was with the team from 1995 to 2002.

“As much as Doug and I both wish his experience here in Jacksonville would have ended better,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said, per ESPN. “I have an obligation first and foremost to serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new leadership is now.”

Trevor Lawrence talks about the Jaguars hiring a new head coach

Now that the Jaguars have a new head coach, the next step is getting him and quarterback Trevor Lawrence on the same page. The Jaguars are heavily invested in the 25-year-old, signing him to a five-year, $275 million contract extension in June of last year. Due to multiple injuries in 2024, Lawrence played in just 10 games and posted a 2-8 record.

Before the Jaguars hired their new head coach, Lawrence said what that person needed to be for the team to succeed. “You want the right guy who’s going to be the right leader and voice of your team,” he said, per the Jaguars’ official website.

Lawrence also talked about the impact Pederson made on his career. “I’m very grateful for coach and what he’s done here and done for me,” Lawrence said. “My rookie year was really tough and a lot of chaos and turmoil and just a really crazy situation and for him to come in and provide stability and to kind of revive our team a little bit and be that consistent and voice for us … I don’t want that to be overshadowed by a tough and disappointing finish.”