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Jacksonville Jaguars' Liam Coen calls job opportunity of a lifetime, taking challenge head-on
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- Jacksonville Jaguars' Liam Coen calls job opportunity of a lifetime, taking challenge head-on
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen walked into the team meeting room as if he'd already been there before.
Joined by his wife Ashley, sons Jackson and Callahan, father Tim, mother-in-law Edna and his agent former Jaguars NFL offensive lineman Jacques McClendon , Coen exhibited the enthusiasm you want to see in a head coach, especially one that is expected to take the team to new heights.
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Multiple players, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence , running back Tank Bigsby , receiver Gabe Davis , linebacker Foye Oluokun and receiver Christian Kirk , were also in attendance.
And Jaguars owner Shad Khan didn't mince words when introducing the team's eighth head coach in franchise history.
LAWRENCE-CENTRIC: Jaguars coach Liam Coen's focus on offense will be centered around QB Trevor Lawrence
"When we interviewed 10 remarkable candidates for the positions, two things became clear to me. No. 1, that this wasn't a moment of regret for the Jacksonville Jaguars — this was a moment of progress, optimism and confidence that we will achieve the ultimate goal as long as we have the right man;" said Khan.
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"And, No. 2, that man was Liam Coen. Why? Liam's outstanding body of work speaks for itself."
Coen's introduction went smoothly, but the lead-up still drew plenty of questions and intrigue from the viewing audience.
After initially opting to return to Tampa, Coen reversed course, opting to take the Jacksonville gig. Coen said the decision and non-decision came down to the opportunity of a lifetime.
"The opportunity to coach in Tampa was a phenomenal one to get my feet wet in the NFL as the offensive coordinator, and I thank them so much for that opportunity. As you start doing research and gaining more information as you go, it started to become more clear with every hour that this was opportunity that you just can't pass up, for so many different reasons," said Coen.
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"You ultimately want to do truly what's best for you and your family, and that's what this came down to."
Coen added that the team firing general manager Trent Baalke was not a factor in his reversal. It was about working for Khan and around the players. Coen later mentioned the team's facility and joining the community as things that excite him.
Being part of change and having the ability to impact and influence people are part of his goals. His ultimate goal is to improve and win.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence listens to Liam Coen, not shown, speak after being introduced as the new head coach during a press conference Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
"Winning cures a lot. Winning cures a lot. And that's the goal," he said.
Coen, 39, is the youngest head coach hired by the Jaguars. Though Coen hasn't been a head coach before, he's worked around plenty of credible names including Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops.
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His resume as a play-caller is also limited, but it shouldn't be dismissed.
In 2024, the Buccaneers averaged 29.5 points per game and 6.2 yards per play, they also moved from dead last in rushing the previous two seasons to fourth in 2024 under Coen's guidance. Buccaneers rookie running back Bucky Irving became the first Tampa Bay player to rush for 1,000 or more yards.
"His outstanding reputation preceded our first interview on video, and everything we heard about him from top people throughout football — solicited and otherwise — was confirmed when we met Liam here last week. Liam was bright, prepared, ambitious and he inspired us. I knew then that Liam was our man, and we got our man," Khan added.
Coen was equally as excited, saying that being named head coach of the Jaguars is a "moment of a lifetime" before diving head first into what he wants to see from the team under his leadership.
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"It takes complementary football at all three phases to be great — offense, defense and special teams. How do we want to play the game? And that's fast, fundamentally sound, attacking, situational masters and tough, both mentally and physically," Coen said.
"You see players in the room right here, guys that I've had conversations with already. It will always be about you. Always. It is players over plays, how do we make this as much about the players and making this about bringing out the best in you. That's what this is about."
Liam Coen to call plays in Jacksonville
Liam Coen answers media questions after speaking and being introduced as the new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach during a press conference Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Though the team will be player-centric, the Jaguars will need someone to call plays.
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Much like his predecessor, Doug Pederson, Coen confirmed Monday that he will call plays in Jacksonville.
"Yes, I'll absolutely be calling football plays," said Coen.
Lawrence will be playing for his fifth play-caller in the NFL and sixth since 2020, his last season at Clemson.
Coen doesn't seem concerned about that, though and understands he must make Lawrence the focal point of the process.
"How do we make Trevor Lawrence and this offense as dynamic and explosive as we can be? We've got to build it around him as well," said Coen.
"We've got to make every part of this about improvement, and he will be a part of that process. He's earned that right. I cannot respect his toughness and mentality and work ethic more than I do already from afar. This will all be about Trevor right now."
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Coen has already shown an ability to do that, too.
Last year with the Buccaneers, Coen helped orchestrate the Bucs into one of the NFL's top offenses. But, it was his work with quarterback Baker Mayfield that stands out the most.
Mayfield set career-highs in completion percentage (71.4%), passing yards (4,500) and touchdowns (41) last season under Coen's guidance.
For reference, before 2024, Mayfield had not passed for more than 28 touchdowns in a single season. Lawrence's career-high is just 21.
Coen's ability to get the most out of Lawrence will likely dictate how his tenure as the team's eighth head football coach will go.
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Liam Coen wants to get Jaguars back to winning, not finding ways to lose
New Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, Liam Coen, right, hugs Jaguars owner Shad Khan after speaking and being introduced during a press conference Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
The Jaguars spent the 2024 season losing games they ought to have won. The team went 3-10 in one-score games last year and found ways to lose more often than not.
Coen earmarked that as one of his priorities to correct with the team moving forward, he added that the team wasn't a four-win team last year, not when it comes to who they have rostered and what they had to go through.
"I mentioned this to the guys, this isn't a four-win team. Yes, that is the record, but this is not a four-win team. How do we go from winning games to not losing them? I think that's something we've got to address," Coen said.
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"That has got to be in our veins, in our DNA: the culture of winning. I've learned it from the Los Angeles Rams and from a ton of other great organizations on how to go win football games. I think that's something that we have to start as a team, as a group and show how we're going to go do it."
Coen recalled his experience with the Rams in 2022 as the team's offensive coordinator. The Rams went 5-12, missing the playoffs after winning the Super Bowl the year prior.
"That formed us. That changed us. We've talked about that year and how difficult that was, but we're better from it. So those experiences, that ultimately helps mold who you are, what you're made of, and I hope to be able to bring that here as well," Coen said.
One way Coen believes the team will form is through communication.
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"It starts with the alignment and communication at every level. Building, first and foremost, the best staff we can build because, like I mentioned, it's about these guys. So how do we put the best coaches in place to help these players reach their full abilities?" Coen asked.
"Now, with the front office, how do we continue to build there and get this thing fully in alignment so that then when we go into the offseason program, we're all on the same page, we all understand the vision and the goal?
"When I walked into the Los Angeles Rams building in 2018, I had never felt anything like that before in my life. It was a different introduction to coaching, and you saw a building, every single person that was in that building and a part of that thing was in alignment. I think that's the key."
Now, Coen heads into a new frontier with the Jaguars. The franchise will turn its attention to filling out the coaching staff as Coen has been interviewing defensive coordinator candidates throughout the day.
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Soon, the team will turn its attention to the general manager search, something Khan said will need to be done by Feb. 28, during the NFL Scouting Combine.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Liam Coen introduced, excited for challenge with Jacksonville
