Oct 19, 2025; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen looks on during warmups before a NFL International Series game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Why Liam Coen Could Be the Next Sean McVay

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Jan 17, 2026 9:00 AM ET

In the 2025 NFL season, Liam Coen surpassed all of his expectations with the Jacksonville Jaguars. As a first-time head coach, he was tasked with taking over a rebuilding team, one that had promising pieces on the roster, but hadn't made the playoffs in two years. Coen spoke openly about how he had no real goals for the Jags this season aside from coaxing out tangible signs of improvement from training camp to the end of the campaign.

Well, they certainly accomplished that. In just his first year, he took Jacksonville back to the postseason and even gave them the opportunity to host a playoff game. Unfortunately, that was as far as the Jaguars got, as they were bested by the Buffalo Bills, 27-24, in the Wild Card Round. Now, Coen will enter his second season with much higher expectations. This franchise should be highly confident that he can surpass those, too.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Liam Coen could be the next Sean McVay

Ahead of the 2017 NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams took a major swing. A franchise that was mired in mediocrity, having just made the move from St. Louis to Hollywood, and was required to rebuild its fanbase practically from the ground up, went out on a limb and hired a 30-year-old with just one year's experience as a play-caller in the big leagues.

Since then, Sean McVay has led the Rams to a 92-57 record in nine seasons, a winning rate of 62 percent, seven playoff berths, two Super Bowl appearances, and a championship. He's currently on the quest to add to that postseason resume, as LA is gearing up to take on the Chicago Bears in the Divisional Round.

Three years ago, I asked then-Rams OC Liam Coen how he and Sean McVay had gotten so close. He told me spent three seasons drawing plays for McVay.

That interview led me down a rabbit hole to learn how the job is done and why the time-consuming role is so beneficial. pic.twitter.com/eznr5eFjdi
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) November 10, 2025

The Jacksonville Jaguars took a similar leap last year, hiring Liam Coen as a first-time head coach after just two seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator. Before his work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he worked with the Rams, first as a wide receivers coach, then with the quarterbacks, before ultimately getting promoted to OC in 2022. Because of that, his career will always be intrinsically tied to Sean McVay's.

The connections go beyond even that, though. In McVay's first year at the helm, he took the Rams from four wins in the previous season to an 11-5 record, won them the NFC West, and led them to a Wild Card defeat. Sounds pretty familiar, right? McVay and the Rams would go on to make the Super Bowl the following year. Now, it's on Liam Coen to continue to match McVay's career arc.

This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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