Liam Coen is out as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator. In a wild move, he has decided to take the head coaching job for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars pinned Coen as their favorite option early in the process but he withdrew his name from the position on Wednesday.
After Coen removed his name from consideration, the Jaguars fired GM Trent Baalke. There is speculation that Baalke was preventing candidates from accepting their open head coaching position. While this was occurring, Coen agreed in principle to an extension with the Buccaneers making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. Part of that extension meant that he was not allowed to have any more interviews with Jacksonville.
While Bucs fans take a collective sigh of relief, the Jacksonville Jaguars had other plans in mind. On Thursday, Liam Coen went to Jacksonville to interview again for the head coaching position. According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Buccaneers were trying to contact Coen throughout that day and did not receive a response from him.
When the information started to surface on social media, it created a big stir from the fanbase. Bucs fans were not upset that Liam Coen accepted a head coaching job, one of 32 in the world, it was how he did it. Fans were upset that he told the team brass that he was staying, just to decide to go back to Jacksonville.
Social media posts started to attack his credibility and loyalty as a coach and a person. This included fans questioning Coen’s statements about his son being sick and having to go to a specialist. Liam Coen’s wife had to take to social media to confirm their son’s sickness. There have been multiple social media posts attacking his character as well as news that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are upset with the way that Liam Coen handled this entire situation.
Liam Coen released a statement to Peter Schrager of NFL Network and FOX about his excitement to become the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach. He also thanked the Buccaneers for the opportunity that he received this past season. He hasn’t personally spoken about his decision-making in this situation, but most can agree that there hasn’t been anything to happen like this in the NFL before.
There are lots of opinions on who is to blame for Coen’s decision. However, it is important to note that becoming a head coach in the NFL is one of the biggest career accomplishments you can have in coaching. In most situations, people are thrilled for coordinators who get an opportunity to run an NFL franchise.
This scenario is no different. It is a great opportunity for Coen, and anyone who has coached with him or played for him is happy for him to receive this honor. That being said, it is safe to say that the way he decided to ignore calls and inform the Bucs that he was in Jacksonville after he had been there for hours, can harm his future opportunities and will cause others to form some bad opinions.
In Coen’s defense, Bobby Slowik was in a similar situation last year as the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans. He decided to stay with Houston and was fired this offseason as the offensive coordinator. Examples like this show that the NFL is a business league and no one is safe in any position that they are in. It is a good idea to take most opportunities that you may receive. But having complete communication with all involved, including previous employers is the safest way to be respected by teams.
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