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Jaguars coach Liam Coen after 13-4 season: 'Now the real work is here'
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- Jaguars coach Liam Coen after 13-4 season: 'Now the real work is here'
A magical season is over for the Jacksonville Jaguars .
Coach Liam Coen took the time to reflect during a news conference on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the Miller Electric Center on the rapid ascent of the team in his first season as an NFL head coach: going from a 4-13 record to 13-4 , the AFC South Championship and a play or two away from advancing to the final four in the AFC playoffs.
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Coen won the most games for a first-year Jaguars coach, posted the best regular-season record since the team went 14-2 in 1999 under Tom Coughlin and finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak. The Jaguars' offense was fifth in the NFL in total touchdowns and the defense led the league against the run and was second in turnovers.
Coen offered his thoughts on the season and a look ahead to 2026 during the news conference.
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla.
Liam Coen on the team's early potential
"I think you can point to a number of different times throughout training camp that you felt like the team was responding to the message. They were responding to challenges. They were practicing their a--- off. Every day that we kind of went out on the grass and competed, these guys continued to elevate and set new standards, and so you feel good about the way that they're responding."
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Liam Coen on the team's in-season progress
"You kind of always look to, when is the drop-off going to happen throughout training camp and early in the season? And you didn't really sense that. You didn't feel that too often. And so you feel like you've got a group that is at least on the right path, and what that equals and what that comes out to be from a win-loss standpoint.
"You're excited about working with the group and how they are going to continue to respond and play on Sundays. We're not afraid to go compete with the best. We're going to go play any place, anytime, anywhere, and see what those results are.
Liam Coen on the decline of WR Brian Thomas Jr.
"I think you point to wins and losses as really what it comes down to and when you're a part of a team that wins, typically, that wealth is shared. And so it's never truly going to be about one player. I continue to pour into every single one of these guys, as will [wide receivers coach] Edgar Bennett and as will [offensive coordinator] Grant [Udinski] and as will our entire staff to continue to pour into guys, to try to get the most out of them, to help our team win as many games as humanly possible, and BT [Brian Thomas] will 100 percent be a part of that."
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) is congratulated buy teammates after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter in an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
Liam Coen on not being satisfied going forward
"That was the message to the team on Monday. Was extremely proud of a lot of things that we were able to accomplish. Very proud of their response to adversity. Now the real work is here, where we have to go and reload it. We're not going to just stand here and say, 'Man, we're just going to redo it all with all the same I got us 13 wins.'
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"[We got] knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. So clearly, was not good enough for the full end of the season standard, but 31 other teams were having a similar conversation, and they will have a similar conversation. And so that's the beautiful part about this profession, and the challenge that it brings is that, you know, every year is a new year, every team is a new team, and that's what this offseason will be able to provide ... the message being, 'hey, we got to continue to go one and oh each week and play the next play.'"
Liam Coen on the growth of QB Trevor Lawrence
"I talked to him briefly about how much I appreciated his work this season, his trust, the growth that he did make, his openness to be coached and coached hard. I think he'd be one of the first ones to tell you there's a lot of work to continue to do and to be done, and so that's what we'll look at for these next few weeks, our coaching staff, when we get back into the building."
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks to handoff during the fourth quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Liam Coen on sustaining momentum
"I've got to look at what those, I guess you could call it bullet points would be to get that over the hump. I think that we had a lot of great energy towards the end of the season. I don't know if a lot of guys were just like, 'oh my gosh, let's get this season over' with the schedule, the routine, the support staff, the operation, the routine ... it felt like it was going in the right direction in terms of sustainability throughout maybe a few more weeks.
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"So looking at that. I think that it was on par with being able to continue moving forward. It was just some, some critical moments, obviously, and plays in a game that you got to be able to make and you know, those are things that you end up having to build upon and try to recreate in the offseason ... let's go put them back in that situation in the spring and continue to recreate moments, to create positivity, to have that muscle memory, to go and make those plays when the time comes."
Liam Coen on possibly losing coordinators
"Anytime you have success, you're going to have people come and call and knock on the door. And those guys [Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile ] have earned some of those interviews and opportunities. Whether those happen this year or down the line, I think both of those guys are future head coaches at some point, and so that just comes along with the territory.
"It's the bittersweetness of our profession. You want to continue to give people opportunities to grow while also protecting your product and what you do here and how you operate. So it's definitely a fine line that you walk, but it's an opportunity, and they've earned those opportunities to interview for those positions.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Liam Coen can't wait to build on successful first season
