The Jacksonville Jaguars have experienced a dramatic 24 hours of upheaval.
On Wednesday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen withdrew his name from consideration for the Jaguars’ head coaching position, with reports indicating he would remain with the Bucs.
Following Coen’s interview withdrawal, the Jaguars fired general manager Trent Baalke. The move came as a surprise, as owner Shad Khan had previously stated it would be “suicidal” to dismiss the GM when the team announced head coach Doug Pederson’s firing. Under Baalke’s four-season tenure as Jacksonville’s GM, the Jaguars posted a disappointing 25-43 record, reaching the playoffs just once. The Jaguars were heavily criticized for initially keeping on Baalke before deciding to let him go.
Now, with Baalke gone, an unexpected twist emerged.
Related: Timing of Jacksonville Jaguars owner firing GM Trent Baalke ripped as ‘epic disaster’ by NFL insider
Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Liam Coen reengages with Jacksonville Jaguars
With Baalke’s dismissal, Coen has reversed course and reengaged in discussions with the Jaguars about their head coaching vacancy.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reports that Coen is currently at the Jacksonville facility working to finalize a deal. However, the situation has created confusion in Tampa Bay, where the Buccaneers have been unable to contact their offensive coordinator.
Liam Coen said he reached out to Bucs HC Todd Bowles to inform him of his interest in interviewing for the Jaguars head coaching job. https://t.co/b5ceyz2NJ9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 23, 2025
“The Buccaneers have had no contact Thursday with Coen or his representation, sources told Schefter. The team has made multiple efforts to reach him. Coen, however, did reach out to Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles on Thursday evening to inform him that he was interviewing with Jacksonville, sources told ESPN,” ESPN.com reports.
This development represents a dramatic shift after it appeared the Jaguars were starting their coaching search from scratch. The team had parted ways with Pederson after three seasons, during which he compiled a 22-29 record and one playoff appearance.
The next head coach will be Jacksonville’s fifth in six seasons, highlighting the organization’s recent instability.
Related: Jacksonville Jaguars’ coaching search takes an odd twist