Getty Image / Kirby Lee - Imagn Images
A few days ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars had struck out on their search for a head coach. Their top two targets, at least according to reports, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, turned them down and they were back to square one.
Things changed in a hurry on Wednesday. A day after firing general manager Trent Baalke, Liam Coen suddenly reconsidered his decision, and is now set to be the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
For those of you that don’t know, Trent Baalke is not highly-thought-of around the NFL. He is credited with running off Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco, and the franchise tanked due to his decision making. His tenure in Jacksonville hasn’t been any good, either, outside of a stretch at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. Most around the league were stunned when he was initially retained after they fired head coach Doug Pederson following a disappointing 4-13 season. And, reports are that the general manager situation scared off Ben Johnson, who ultimately signed with the Bears, and Liam Coen.
Baalke was fired on Wednesday, as owner Shahad Khan realized that he was scaring away head coaching candidates. On Thursday, Liam Coen and the Buccaneers seriously reengaged on contract talks, and now it seems very likely they will come to a deal.
Liam Coen is expected to be named the next head coach of the Jaguars, pending final negotiations, per sources.
He’s now headed home to Tampa while his representatives finalize the details with Jacksonville. pic.twitter.com/UPkSEm3a3D
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 24, 2025
It’s safe to say that the problem with the coaching search in Jacksonville was Trent Baalke. Liam Coen wanted nothing to do with the job when Baalke was going to be his partner. Now that he can have some say in who the general manager is going to be, it’s a much more appealing job.
The problem all along was clearly Trent Baalke.