Liam Coen Regrets Leaving the Rams for Kentucky

May 23, 2022; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay (left), offensive coordinator Liam Coen (center) and quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during organized team activities at California Lutheran University. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Liam Coen Regrets Leaving the Rams for Kentucky

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Parrish Jr. | Last updated Aug 17, 2026 9:20 PM ET

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In 2023, Liam Coen had an opportunity that fed his ego and, by his own account, came with a little more money.

Three years later, Coen, now the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, reflects on that decision with regret.

Coen had been the Kentucky Wildcats’ offensive coordinator for 14 months before the Los Angeles Rams hired him away for the same role. Things didn’t go as expected. The Rams endured a frustrating 2022, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and finishing 5-12, just one year removed from winning the Super Bowl.

Although Coen was the offensive coordinator, head coach Sean McVay called the plays. After the season, Kentucky reached out to Coen to gauge his interest in his old position, which he would call the plays himself.

The Rams, however, fixed whatever issues were going on and returned to winning, finishing with 10 wins and a trip back to the playoffs in 2023. Things also worked out for Coen in the long run. He eventually left Kentucky to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator before becoming the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coach in 2025 and leading the organization to its first playoff appearance since 2022.

Still, Coen thinks about his tenure with the Rams. If he could go back, he says he would have made a different decision about leaving McVay, considered by most to the best head coach in the NFL, because of the missed opportunity to learn more from him.

Liam Coen opens up on leaving Rams for Kentucky

“Kentucky called back, and we had just loved it there, Coen said while appearing on The Pivot podcast. “It was beautiful, it was amazing, we had our first child there. Kind of chased some money a little bit,” Coen said while appearing on The Pivot. “And also, an ego decision, I think, I wasn’t calling plays in L.A. I knew what I was getting into, but I did miss that. And not just calling plays, but leading, like leading your way.

“And that was my biggest regret, going back to Kentucky in ’23. Because, you know what, I thought it was an opportunity. Hadn’t lost a lot in my career – I didn’t have a ton of losing seasons or been on a ton of bad teams. I’d been on some. I thought it was just a great opportunity to stick something out with a friend and an organization that gave me my first opportunity – that I missed, that I walked away from when it was hard, and went to a familiar place where I’d had success.

“Looking at it, immediately got back in that spring, and yeah, I had some regret. I didn’t feel great about myself, about the decision I made. At the end of the day, I probably wouldn’t have gotten Tampa if I hadn’t gone there. It did work out in the end, but it was my biggest regret of moves in my career.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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