The buzz only continues to grow on Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen in NFL head coaching circles, and the latest news shows there’s more than just rumors to it.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on January 7 the Jacksonville Jaguars have formally requested an interview with Coen, and the Jaguars confirmed that on their official X account as well.
“The #Jaguars have just put in a request to interview #Bucs OC Liam Coen, source said, his first known request for this cycle,” Rapoport wrote on X.
Coen, who is 39 years old, was 1 of 8 candidates the Jaguars requested interviews with after firing head coach Doug Pederson was fired after 3 seasons and a 4-13 record in 2024.
Pederson, who won a Super Bowl as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles following the 2017 season, was 22-29 in his time in Jacksonville and led the Jaguars to an AFC South Division title in his first season.
Coen’s Ascent to NFL Head Coaching Candidate
Coen was a star prep quarterback playing for his father, Tim, at La Salle Academy in Providence, Rhode Island, before a record-setting career at UMass, where he was a 4-year starter from 2004 to 2008.
Coen spent most of the next decade as an assistant coach at colleges on the East Coast, including 2 seasons as the offensive coordinator at the University of Maine before he was hired as the wide receivers coach by the Los Angeles Rams in 2018.
That kicked off a 6-year stretch in which Coen went back and forth between the Rams and the University of Kentucky, with 2 stints as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator, including spending 2022 as the Rams’ offensive coordinator before going back to Kentucky in 2023.
In his 1 season with the Buccaneers, he’s made a big impression by not only revamping a running game that went from being the worst in the NFL to 1 of the best and overseeing a career year for quarterback Baker Mayfield, who had career highs in passing yards (4,500), passing touchdowns (41), rushing yards (378), rushing touchdowns (3) and yards per carry (6.3).
Most importantly, Tampa Bay went 10-7 and made the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, clinching a playoff spot and a fourth consecutive NFC South Division title with a Week 18 win over the New Orleans Saints.
The Buccaneers will host the Washington Commanders in the NFC Wild Card Round on January 12 — Coen can’t formally talk with the Jaguars until after the Wild Card Game.
Bucs On Hot Streak With Offensive Coordinators
If Coen does land a head coaching job in 2025, it will be the second straight season the Buccaneers have lost their offensive coordinator to become another team’s head coach after Dave Canales was hired as head coach of the Carolina Panthers following the 2023 season.
Coen could also be a candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders if they were to fire head coach Antonio Pierce after 1 season. He could also be a solid backup plan for the New England Patriots, who fired head coach and former Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo after 1 season in which he went 4-13 and now appear to have their sights set on another former Patriots linebacker with former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
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Struggling AFC South Franchise Requests Interview With Bucs’ OC