Liam Coen Confirms Only One Head Coach Interview Request
January 9th, 2025
So the Bucs’ hot offensive coordinator may not be such a hot commodity across the NFL.
Exhale, Bucs fan, but don’t get too comfortable.
A report of Liam Coen planning to interview wiht the Jacksonville Jaguars for their open head coach gig was confirmed today by Coen at One Buc Palace. He also said he is unaware of any other teams interested in him for a head coach opening. That jibes with reports across the NFL landscape.
An assistant coach on a team playing in the postseason (like Coen is) may interview for a head coaching job only after the first week of postseason games, per NFL rules, and it can only be via a streaming conference call. So expect Coen to interview with the Jags next week.
Joe is nervous and Joe considers any thought of the Jaguars being an unattractive job to be ludicrous. Jacksonville has a talented young quarterback under contract, two good offensive tackles, a superstar rookie receiver and a solid young tight end, in addition to a young double-digit edge rusher.
The Jags also have an owner with a history of giving head coaches a ton of rope.
Heck, Jags owner Shad Khan gave brutal Gus Bradley four seasons, and he gave Doug Marrone a fourth season (2020) after his team imploded in 2019.
The Jaguars also have plenty of salary cap room and play in a weak division.
Joe also listened to Hall of Fame tackle Tony Boselli on Jacksonville media yesterday talk about how Khan intentionally has a head-coach-driven operation — meaning the general manager doesn’t wield most of the power.
Regardless, Coen is here and doesn’t have a lot of options. For now.
January 9th, 2025 at 1:39 pm
So much Coen HC talk, why are we so worried about the future when were in the dance right now? Last time I checked, Coen is the Bucs OC for the rest of the playoffs.
Isnt there a big game this Sunday?
Save the Coen future talk for the offseason.
January 9th, 2025 at 1:46 pm
Of course because why wouldn’t any successful human beings think about their future
January 9th, 2025 at 1:48 pm
Tbbbucs3 I understand how you personally want to focus on the playoffs, but this is a Bucs news site and its journalistic responsibility is to report all Bucs news. Liam Coen’s potential future is extremely important to this franchise and these articles are important.
Thank you for the updates, Joe!
I agree Joe that the Jags’ job is a decent one, but you failed to mention their awful GM Trent Baalke. This guy keeps making boneheaded decisions and somehow keeps his job. If I were a HC I would not want to work with him. If I were Liam I would use the Jags job as leverage with the Bucs for a significant pay raise, and wait until next year to further consider my options.
GO BUCS!
January 9th, 2025 at 1:54 pm
I live in Jax and it all sounds good but the majority of fans are sold on Trevor Lawrence even more since he got paid it all starts with the qb.
January 9th, 2025 at 1:56 pm
Bucs are in the playoffs because of Liam Coen and the offensive side of the ball. The Bucs head coach has been below average as a defensive coordinator and has done a poor job with clock management and in game decision making. If the Bucs loose Coen to another franchise it will be a terrible mistake in my opinion.
January 9th, 2025 at 1:56 pm
It all depends on what the Glazers can counter with, if he’s offered. I think the Jags are bad enough that Coen can be swayed.
Successful orgs have a GM and HC that can work well together. Jags have a GM with a tough history w/ head coaches.
Toss the guy a bag and make him consider what his Bucs future could be.
January 9th, 2025 at 2:02 pm
We dont want to lose Coen. However it wont be the end of the world. Bucs have an elite Oline, thats not changing if Coen is gone. Bucky Irving behind that line is carrying a lot of our offense. What Bucky is doing on the field has virtually nothing to do with Coen. Otton has emerged as above average, McMillan is proving to finally be the next legit WR weapon since Godwin. Mannny of the improvements to our offense are to do with player personnel. Coen has a good offensive philosophy which can be replicated, and his play calls honestly have been inconsitent anyway. Basically I think our current offensive roster is probably more to credit than Coen.
January 9th, 2025 at 2:03 pm
Sign him as assistant coach, give him a big raise and promise him the Bucs head coaching gig when Bowles retires or is fired. I have little confidence in Bowles. Feel the same way about Bowles as I did about Lovie Smith, Mike Smith and Schiano. They are all inflexible when it comes to their system and the only reason Bowles will likely survive is because of Liam’s stellar offense. Do not lose the best offensive coordinator we have ever had.
January 9th, 2025 at 2:09 pm
only 1 so far
1 is better than 2
it would be nice if he can get another season with Baker and our young offensive skill players
I am sure Jax is looking at several candidates so maybe we’ll have a chance to retain Coen for more time
January 9th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
Let’s see if Byron Leftwich gets a HC job with New England lol
January 9th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
Shhhhh
Nobody tell Them!!!!
January 9th, 2025 at 2:40 pm
Only takes one team
January 9th, 2025 at 2:42 pm
I’ve had Trevor Lawrence on my fantasy football dynasty team for three years, so I’ve watched him a lot. He’s got a ton of talent, but it still hasn’t all clicked for him yet, and I imagine some people are wondering when it will. He’ll make some fantastic plays, but when you really need it on 4th and 7 at the end of a game, he’ll outright miss an open receiver.
He may be a Hall of Famer one day, but right now Baker Mayfield is a way better NFL QB.
January 9th, 2025 at 2:45 pm
Joe – at some point are you willing to go on record and say what your stance is if the only way to keep Coen is to fire Todd?
January 9th, 2025 at 2:58 pm
Pepsi thats 100% facts ! Dave canales was a good oc we still
Improved after he left nobody thought much of Liam before he came here! If he was smart he would stay build a relationship with the players and become head coach of a team he helped built after Todd retires
January 9th, 2025 at 3:01 pm
TLaw may be talented in theory but he has not shown much in his 4 years, I wouldn’t gamble my future on him, I called him the most overrated prospect of the decade when he came out of college and it appears that my assumption was correct. I see him as a mediocre/decent at best qb.
Their GM is absolute trash and they appear unable to get out of their own way on the field as an organization. last thing I would want as a new HC is to have my future tied to the hope that Trevor finally reaches his once perceived potential
January 9th, 2025 at 3:19 pm
Thin resume. Good management would never hire someone after one good year.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:21 pm
With the Bucs ?
😉
January 9th, 2025 at 3:29 pm
Coen isn’t going anywhere. There are more proven candidates out there, and the guy isn’t exactly Mr. Charisma. He will def get more attention in the future, by which time Bowles will be on his way out so it should work out nicely.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:29 pm
pepsi Says:
January 9th, 2025 at 2:02 pm
We dont want to lose Coen. However it wont be the end of the world. Bucs have an elite Oline, thats not changing if Coen is gone.
—–
You sure about that?
We went from NFL historically bad running game for years on end to top 5 in one year and… checkes notes… we replaced 2 offensive linemen one a journeyman and one a rookie who is good but not near elite. Coen came in and sculpted his system to the players strengths.
Our offense has carried all season. If they don’t dominate we lose. The defense carried 1 win when our RT was out vs the best EDGE in football. Bowles is the defensive coach. He’s always been mediocre in that regard except for a few flashes in games. Never has he coached a dominant defense. Bowles is worse as a head coach.
So everybody is cool with possibly losing an offensive mind on par with Sean Payton or Andy Reid in order to not lose a poor head coach and mediocre defensive coach. I don’t get it. The last two years are peak Bowles. If he has an offense to carry the team 10 wins and zero or 1 playoff wins are it.
I don’t have anything against Bowles the man but he’s not the right man for the job especially if the trade-off is we lose the one coaching bright spot.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:32 pm
Don’t know why they don’t wait till that team (that has a playoff game) is done for the season or hits the SB? Can you say DISTRACTED???? Coaches, players and fans alike.!!°°!!
January 9th, 2025 at 3:41 pm
Just remember historically there is a 1 in 3 chance that ANY new Bucs HC will be a winner! For the mathmatically challenged that means changing from BOWLes has a 2 out of 3 chance of producing a coach that loses for the Bucs just like the other 2/3 rds historically.
Coen has done a great job for sure but Saints game obviously exposed him as Burns ate his lunch and again it’s BAKER who has to bail out his OC just like with Canales. Nobody’s perfect though and so I’m not saying Coen is not valuable just not perhaps the absolute certainty that many believe.
And Tommy Boy may have stepped in it temporarily at least. One NFL “expert” analyzing the most attractive HC openings at the moment has the Raiders near the very bottom. No QB and this wag made an excellent point for those who wish to subscribe to the “weak”/”strong” division theory.
Whomever gets the Raiders gig will face a coach/qb combo that is stout six times a year. Andy Reid/Mahomes Harbaugh/Herbert and Payton/Nix at least six times a year and do so without a QB of their own.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:48 pm
Also recall it took firing Dungy after multiple playoff appearances when he reached the cieling to get Gruden and a Super Bowl win.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:56 pm
I remember his own words were that there wasn’t anything out there that he was interested in, now there are a few more openings but if he wasn’t interested in Caleb Williams I wouldn’t jump on Trevor for a couple of reasons, one he was pretty awesome in college but what has he really done ?? Baker has shown that he is pretty elite but he’s still learning some of the offense and growing. I’m with giving him the money that it may take Mr. Glaser… Let’s Go Bucs!!!!
January 9th, 2025 at 4:19 pm
If Coen got to Jags Godwin is going with him. I guarentee it!
January 9th, 2025 at 4:30 pm
OC has a bright future right here in thumpa bay, if he’s a smart man…and i think he is…
#SmallMarketTopFlightOrganization
even greenberg will have to think twice…no three times, before he bounces back to nyc
January 9th, 2025 at 4:31 pm
Companies have succession plans all the time. Need to assure Coen that he is going to be Bowles successor and give him a big raise to prove it. Case closed. Now on to Sunday night. Will need strong middle push from Kancey and Vea and a spy behind them in the middle of the field to keep Daniels in check. I vote for Winfield. Time he earned his $20mil/yr.
January 9th, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Yup I would love Coen to stay ,,, he has been awesome !!!!! I believe make him assistant HC w promise to take over in 2026 and it’s a deal!!!
That said ,, his plays have been great ,, that and Baler escaping about 50 sacks ,, so if Trevor can do that , and take some punishment along the way , I think Coen can do good in Jax
January 9th, 2025 at 4:46 pm
The best thing to keep Coen is to keep winning. Teams want to name the head coach and get a jump start on the season. Most teams don’t want to wait another 2 to 3 weeks.
January 9th, 2025 at 5:57 pm
The Bowles apologists are on the verge of incoherence. While the Coen supporters continue to bring the heat.
Wait for it…wait for it…..”Bowles led them to the playoffs.”
That one is always good for a laugh.
Secure Coen 2025.
January 9th, 2025 at 5:57 pm
We have an offense that can win a Super Bowl and a money field goal kicker. We just can’t depend on our defense. Depending how far we go in the playoffs if we make it to the NFC Championship game then he might want to stay to win a Super Bowl title and then be primed to run a better team than Jacksonville like maybe us
January 9th, 2025 at 6:47 pm
TB3 is Bowles’ lil buddy. Scared of Coen moving to HC here.
My guess is that there has been a clear message sent out about Coen’s future in Tampa by his agent or the Bucs. Teams know.
Maybe no interest = Coen wants to stay in Tampa and might have a deal on the table with the Glazers
January 9th, 2025 at 7:44 pm
BDS on prominent display.
Let’s compare the BDS “Wait for it…wait for it…..”Bowles led them to the playoffs.”
FACT. You could have added two more and pointed out that BOWLes supporters say he led them to THREE playoffs also a FACT!!!
“That one is always good for a laugh.”
An opinion which is not based in fact and we know what they say about opinions.
January 9th, 2025 at 8:27 pm
yes its one of 32 HC jobs, but jacksonville is a dumpster fire. trash owner, horrible GM, QB that has majorly regressed, and only a couple bright spots on the roster. But the contracts are guaranteed, so get that money.
January 9th, 2025 at 8:39 pm
Jeebs is absolutely right! Trent Baalke is a terrible GM and will be the key factor for Coen to get the job in Jacksonville. Have these men ever crossed paths, except when the Bucs went to Jacksonville for joint practices and a pre-season game? I would imagine that Baalke will have the final say and will want to be comfortable with Coen. Is Trevor Lawrence the type of QB that Coen can mold?
January 9th, 2025 at 11:32 pm
I think this year has been the “perfect storm.” 1) Baker getting more comfortable and confident, 2) the O-line getting more experience and more talent, 3)a great draft featuring Bucky and Barton and 4) the addition of Coen.
Each, individually, is good. And each get better because of the others. And I don’t think any would be as successful without the others.
My opinion is that Coen is a good coach that would benefit from staying put.