How insider's theory on Jaguars' messy Liam Coen hire relates to Vikings DC Brian Flores' lawsuit against the NFL 

Jaguars' hiring of Liam Coen could strengthen Brian Flores' lawsuit against the NFL

His experience with the Dolphins, along with going through the hiring cycle after he was fired, led to Flores suing the league for their hiring practices, explicitly naming the Dolphins in his lawsuit.

Flores was also interviewed this year for multiple jobs, including the Jacksonville Jaguars. That's important here, as they seemingly circumvented the Rooney Rule. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote about the odd process in which they brought in Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen for a second interview.

"The Jaguars had emphasized to Coen’s camp how important it was that the visit stay under wraps, which could explain why the coordinator kept his plans from the Buccaneers. In the wake of firing Baalke, and in addition to a healthy financial offer, the Jags offered Coen a chance to effectively pick his general manager — an opportunity exceedingly rare for a first-time head coach. In fact, one colleague told Coen that Kyle Shanahan’s hire in San Francisco was the only such offer for a first-timer he could remember like the one Coen had in front of him.

"The secrecy over the visit did serve two theoretical purposes. One, obviously, it would preserve the Tampa offer for Coen, which, again, was contingent on the OC not visiting Jacksonville. Two, it allowed the Jaguars to satisfy the Rooney Rule. Going into Thursday, the Jags only had one minority candidate in for an in-person interview—Saleh’s first was in-person. They needed two to comply, so Graham was slated to come Thursday for the other. But the Jags didn’t want word of their plans getting out, which could cause Graham to cancel."

This is an important report. Sneaking in Coen so they could satisfy the Rooney Rule with Graham shows again why Flores is fighting this battle.