Jaguars' Liam Coen Ranks Above Several Other First-Timers

This past winter, Jacksonville interviewed four individuals who wound up becoming head coaches. The Jaguars landed the second-best coach in that group, CBS Sports said this week.

Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn and Kellen Moore each spurned the Jaguars, choosing other teams instead. But the outlet on Monday ranked Liam Coen as the NFL’s No. 26 head coach, ahead of Glenn (28), Moore (29) and another rookie head coach, the Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer (31). Johnson came in at No. 24.

Shad Khan’s delayed decision to fire general manager Trent Baalke in order to hire Coen – who backed out of his agreement on a contract extension as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator -- hit like a turbulent landing at Jacksonville International Airport. But that decision will carry a teal lining if Liam Coen outshines those other rookies and becomes Coach of the Year.

Of course, Coen and the Jaguars also could finish his first year as poorly as his first attempt at a Duval chant.

“His Jacksonville introduction was quirky, but the real concern is he's bounced between six different jobs over the last six years,” Cody Benjamin wrote on Monday. “Still, he's got a vision for aiding Trevor Lawrence, which is priority No. 1 as the mercurial quarterback enters another prove-it season.”

Four of the past eight individuals to win Coach of the Year were rookies that authored surprise playoff berths: The Rams’ Sean McVay (2017), Chicago’s Matt Nagy (2018), Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski (2022) and the Giants’ Brian Daboll (2022). And after McVay won it in 2017, his coaching tree produced its first winner in 2024, Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell.

Coen is another member of that tree, but he’s only served as an offensive play-caller for one NFL season. That lone campaign as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator was impressive, helping Baker Mayfield reach career highs in passing yards (4,500) and touchdown passes (41). Tampa Bay was the only team to rank among the league’s top five in both rushing and passing offense.

But Mayfield also led the NFL with 16 interceptions, and the Buccaneers might’ve advanced farther in the postseason had they not finished with a minus-five turnover margin. The Bucs also brandished one of the league’s best offensive lines, including left tackle Tristan Wirfs.

What’ll be fascinating this season is to compare on a weekly basis the progress made by Johnson and Coen – along with their respective starting quarterbacks, former No. 1-overall selections Caleb Williams (2024) and Lawrence (2021).

But regardless of where the Jaguars finish in Coen’s first NFL season, he can’t fall shorter than Urban Meyer’s disastrous first year at the Jacksonville helm in 2021.

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