The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off of an abysmal 4-13 season. After back-to-back 9-8 seasons, including a playoff appearance and win in 2022, Jacksonville looked like a shell of their former selves. However, they have now hired a new coach as they enter a new era.
Jacksonville Jaguars Hire New Head Coach
The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen to be their new head coach. Coen was previously expected to stay in Tampa Bay until the Jaguars fired their general manager Trent Baalke. Coen did not want to work for Baalke, and therefore was set to return to the Buccaneers, until Jaguars fired Baalke a few days ago.
This set up the path for Coen to join the Jaguars. Jacksonville was previously led by Doug Pederson, from 2022-2024. Pederson led the franchise to two 9-8 seasons in his first two seasons as head coach.
In his first season, the Jaguars had an incredible 27-0 comeback over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. This win led many to believe Pederson was the guy to change the culture in Jacksonville. However, the next two years faltered, and Coen is the Jaguars new head coach.
Coen’s Track Record
Liam Coen has a ton of offensive coaching experience. He has been working with offenses since 2010, when he was first hired as Brown University’s quarterbacks coach. From there, Coen worked his way through the collegiate ranks, eventually landing the Los Angeles Rams wide receivers coach position in 2018.
Coen became the Rams quarterbacks coach in 2020 before becoming the offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky in 2021. He then returned to the Rams as their offensive coordinator in 2022, before going back to Kentucky as their OC and quarterbacks coach in 2023. Coen then went to Tampa Bay in 2024, where he was the offensive coordinator of the Buccaneers elite offense. He has seen success on the offensive side of the ball at many different levels.
The Fit in Jacksonville
The Jacksonville Jaguars wanted an offensive minded coach to pair with franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence and they got just that with the hiring of Coen. Coen has worked with some elite offenses and shown his ability to bring the best out in quarterbacks. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had the best season of his career this season with Coen as his offensive coordinator. Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense could very well see the same success with Coen taking over as head coach.
The Future for Coen and the Jaguars
The Jaguars have the fifth overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. With their quarterback already set in Trevor Lawrence, the franchise can look to improve their roster in other areas. Jacksonville’s defense was atrocious this season, giving up the second most yards per game and fifth most points per game. With Coen having an offensive background, the Jaguars may want to look for some defensive help early in the draft.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have enough talent to become a top 10 offense. Rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was a revelation after Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis suffered season ending injuries. Thomas recorded 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns in his rookie campaign. With Kirk and Davis set to come back, the Jaguars have a bit of a three headed monster at receiver. If Liam Coen can bring out the best in Trevor Lawrence, this could be a lethal offensive attack.
Main Photo Courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel – USA Today Sports – Imagn Images
