Liam Coen Texted Baker Mayfield That He Was Staying with Buccaneers as OC, Then Flipped to Jaguars Head Coach
Liam Coen, the highly acclaimed offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sent a text to head coach Baker Mayfield on Tuesday saying he would be staying with the team. However, just days later, Coen withdrew from consideration for the head coaching position and instead took the role with the Jacksonville Jaguars. According to ESPN, Coen also texted head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht on Tuesday that he would be staying with the Bucs.
Despite initially committing to the Buccaneers, Coen later parted ways with the team, citing the Jacksonville Jaguars’ interest in him. The Jaguars had recently parted ways with their general manager, Trent Baalke, and owner Shad Khan directly reached out to Coen to discuss the head coaching position. Coen flew to Jacksonville for an in-person interview and was eventually hired by the team.
The Bucs were initially prepared to make Coen the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL, but were left in the dark as they couldn’t get in touch with him due to his interview with the Jaguars. The team had been waiting for him to sign a new contract and were surprised by his change of heart.
As a member of the Bucs, Coen worked with quarterback Baker Mayfield, helping the team to average 29.5 points per game in the regular season. Mayfield threw a career-high 41 touchdowns under Coen’s guidance, leading the team to the NFC South division title. The Jaguars, on the other hand, had a dismal 4-13 record last season and will be looking to Coen to help quarterback Trevor Lawrence have a career year.
