Jacksonville officially has its new head coach.
Two days after reportedly withdrawing his name from consideration, Liam Coen has been hired to lead the Jaguars, the team announced on Friday.
“To repeat my message earlier this week, I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville. I also believe in being judged by actions, not words. That’s why I took swift and decisive action this week to hire Liam Coen as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars,” team owner Shad Khan said in a statement released by the team. “I am pumped that Liam is accepting the challenge and opportunity to build the winner that Jaguars fans and partners fully deserve. I know our players feel the same.”
Coen initially was set to remain with the Buccaneers on a new contract that made him one of the league’s highest-paid coordinators. But then the Jaguars fired General Manager Trent Baalke, which opened the door for Coen to revisit his candidacy.
“Becoming the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars is an opportunity of a lifetime, and one that I am going to run with to instill a championship culture and winning tradition here in Duval,” Coen said in a statement to Peter Schrager of NFL Media. “This doesn’t happen without the support and opportunities that my family and I have been afforded throughout my career, especially during this past season in Tampa Bay. We thank Todd Bowles for his continued support and the entire Buccaneers organization for the experience, and know they will have success ahead. Most of all, we are grateful to Shad Khan for his belief in what we will bring to the Jaguars.
“We will work tirelessly to reward his confidence. As head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, I will hire a first-class coaching staff, establish a distinctive and effective brand of football on both sides of the ball, and our players will live for the black and teal. Shad and Jaguars fans should expect nothing less, and that’s what we plan to deliver and more. My wife Ashley and our family are honored to be here and a part of the Jacksonville community. We are ready to get to work.”
While Tampa Bay will need another new offensive coordinator, Jacksonville has found a head coach who will be tasked with getting the most out of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick completed just 60.6 percent of his passes for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games last season.
In his one season with the Bucs, Coen led the team’s offense to finish No. 3 in total yards and No. 4 in points scored. Quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns — all of which were career highs.
