JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen is no longer a candidate to be Jacksonville's next head coach.
Coen, who was scheduled for an in-person interview on Wednesday with Jaguars owner Shad Khan, general manager Trent Baalke and others, pulled his name out of consideration and will sign a new contract with the Buccaneers, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither side has disclosed the decision publicly.
The move upends Jacksonville's search, which had been narrowed to Coen, Las Vegas defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh. Graham and Saleh are scheduled for in-person interviews on Thursday and Friday.
Khan insisted after firing Doug Pederson earlier this month that he didn't believe Baalke's retention as GM would affect the coaching search.
The 60-year-old Baalke has a less than spotless reputation around the league, and three of the five coaches he's hired in San Francisco and Jacksonville have had one-and-done tenures. His draft picks have been spotty, at best, and last year's free-agent class turned out to be one of the worst in franchise history.
Keeping Baalke in place clearly has provided pause, at the very least, for candidates. Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Detroit defense coordinator Aaron Glenn were among the 10 who interviewed with Jacksonville initially, only to see Johnson sign with Chicago and Glenn scheduling second interviews with New Orleans and the New York Jets.
Jacksonville still could double back on Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Under NFL rules, the earliest they can interview again is next week because their teams are in conference title games.
But Coen is out, turning down the chance to become a head coach now to remain a coordinator. The 39-year-old was the architect of one of Tampa Bay's most productive offenses in team history. The Buccaneers ranked third in the NFL in yards (399.6 per game) and fourth in points (29.5).
Coen had less success during his first NFL season, in 2022 with the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams ranked last in the league in yards while playing half the season without quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp. Coen returned to the college ranks (Kentucky) following that year.
Staying in Tampa Bay could leave Coen in line to eventually replace coach 61-year-old head coach Todd Bowles.
The Jaguars (4-13), meanwhile, will move forward with one less candidate.
They have a young quarterback (Trevor Lawrence) with upside, a budding star at receiver (Brian Thomas Jr.), a few defensive building blocks (cornerback Tyson Campbell and pass rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker), a relatively new practice facility, a $1.4 billion stadium renovation upcoming and a hands-off owner with deep pockets.
They have the fifth overall draft pick in April and roughly $50 million in salary cap space for 2025, play in arguably the NFL’s weakest division (AFC South) and work in a state with plenty of sunshine and no income tax. They also went 3-10 in one-score games — an indication they could be a quick fix.
But Khan is committed to playing at least one home game annually in London — even though it may put the team at a competitive disadvantage — and will play home games in 2026 in front of a reduced capacity and play all of 2027 away from Jacksonville. The Jags also have several aging veterans and Baalke.
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Maaddi reported from Tampa.
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Mark Long And Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press
