Coen’s Predecessors: Looking at Sean McVay Protégés as Head Coaches

Inside Liam Coen’s wallet is a something that could mean good things for the future of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s a card-carrying member of the Former Sean McVay Head Coaches Club.

Good things because the majority of coaches who’ve left McVay’s staff to take over their own programs have generally experienced positive results.

Coen spent four seasons over two stints with the Rams and McVay, who gave Coen his first NFL coaching job as assistant wide receivers coach from 2018-19.

After a year as Rams assistant quarterbacks coach (2020), Coen left for one season as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator before returning to the Rams as offensive coordinator in 2022, replacing Kevin O’Connell. Then, after one more year in Kentucky (2023), Coen returned to the NFL as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator in 2024.

Here’s a closer look at the five previous NFL head coaches who’ve taken their posts after serving at least one year under McVay with the Rams.

Matt LaFleur (Rams offensive coordinator 2017, Green Bay head coach 2019-present): After joining the Rams in their first season back in Los Angeles, LaFleur got his first opportunity as a play-caller the next year with the Titans. And since taking the Packers’ reins, LaFleur has led Green Bay to five playoff berths in six seasons while successfully transitioning from one franchise quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) to another (Jordan Love).

Raheem Morris (Rams defensive coordinator 2021-23, Atlanta head coach 2024-present): Morris engineered the Los Angeles defense that helped the Rams win a Super Bowl title in 2021, then helped with their transition to a draft-and-develop model. An important instrument in shaping one of the league’s top young defensive fronts, he left Los Angeles and nearly guided the Falcons to the postseason in a tumultuous first year. Atlanta benched big-money free agent Kirk Cousins late in the season and shifted to surprise first-round draft choice, Michael Penix.

Kevin O’Connell (Rams defensive coordinator 2020-21, Minnesota head coach 2022-present): O’Connell earned a Super Bowl ring with McVay in 2021 before establishing in Minnesota what’s widely considered the NFL’s best quarterback environment. That culture not only helped Sam Darnold to redirect his career and lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record, it also allowed the team to feel comfortable letting Darnold leave in free agency and commit to 2024 first-round selection J.J. McCarthy.

Brandon Staley (Rams defensive coordinator 2020, L.A. Chargers head coach 2021-23): One of few coaches that didn’t last after leaving McVay’s Rams, Staley’s first two Chargers seasons ended in heartbreak. In 2021, the Raiders beat him on a last-second overtime field goal in a win-or-go-home NFL regular-season finale. The following year ended when the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead in a wild-card playoff loss at Jacksonville. Los Angeles fired him in 2023 after a 63-21 primetime loss to the Raiders.

Zac Taylor (Rams assistant wide receivers coach 2017, quarterbacks coach 2018; Cincinnati head coach 2019-present): Taylor helped the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018, then went 6-25-1 over his painful first two years in Cincinnati. He rewarded the Bengals’ patience by taking them to the Super Bowl in 2021 – opposite McVay and the Rams. Taylor’s current passing offense is widely regarded as the most dangerous in the NFL.

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