The Bucs’ worst fears got here true as offensive coordinator Liam Coen is not going to be returning to Tampa Bay. After verbally agreeing to a three-year deal that may have made him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in NFL historical past on Wednesday, Coen accepted the Jaguars head teaching place per a number of experiences in a shocking flip of occasions.
Pewter Report can verify that Liam Coen has notified the Bucs that he’ll be accepting the Jaguars head teaching job.
He can be getting an enormous pay increase as Jacksonville’s head coach and he’ll assist choose the Jags new GM.
Unimaginable flip of occasions in Tampa Bay.
Bucs OC Liam Coen, QB Baker Mayfield and HC Todd Bowles – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
As a substitute of signing his new contract with Tampa Bay on Thursday, Coen stealthily met with Jaguars proprietor Shad Khan in Jacksonville as a substitute – with out telling the Bucs. In actual fact, a number of members of the Bucs brass tried to succeed in Coen all through the day on Thursday and he lastly known as head coach Todd Bowles again earlier than 6:00 p.m. and stated that he had been to the hospital along with his sick youngster.
Coen briefly talked about that he is perhaps focused on assembly with the Jaguars throughout that decision – but he already met with Khan in Jacksonville.
The truth that Coen lied about his whereabouts and his renewed curiosity within the Jacksonville had many throughout the Bucs group furious on Thursday night. On Wednesday, Coen had advised Bowles, the Glazers, normal supervisor Jason Licht, quarterback Baker Mayfield and his workers of assistant coaches that he would keep in Tampa Bay and never go to Jacksonville.
Bucs are about to lose OC Liam Coen to Jacksonville. Unreal.
Tampa Bay may be very sad about how that is being dealt with. Bucs have had no dialogue with Coen at the moment regardless of repeated makes an attempt to contact him. https://t.co/c1ENWauI3N
With Liam Coen’s departure, the Bucs can be on the lookout for their fourth offensive coordinator in 4 seasons. The final two offensive play-callers the Bucs employed wound up as head coaches in Dave Canales with Carolina in 2024 and Coen in Jacksonville in 2025. With Bowles all of the sudden having the popularity for being a kingmaker, there needs to be loads of curiosity across the league about interviewing for Tampa Bay’s vacant offensive coordinator job.
Bowles additionally must discover a alternative for defensive position coach Kacy Rodgers, who left on Thursday to be the defensive position coach in Detroit. Bucs linebackers coach Larry Foote can also be anticipated to interview with the Lions for his or her vacant defensive coordinator function.
Liam Coen Gained’t Be Ready To Take His Bucs Assistants To Jacksonville
Bucs RBs coach Skip Peete, OC Liam Coen and TEs coach Justin Peelle – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Whereas Liam Coen has left the Bucs to turn into the Jaguars head coach the place he was additionally get to pick out the group’s subsequent normal supervisor, he received’t have the ability to take his offensive workers with him. In actual fact, Coen can solely take one offensive assistant with him to be the Jaguars offensive coordinator in title solely – as Coen can be calling performs. NFL guidelines prohibit assistant coaches from making lateral strikes, so meaning the overwhelming majority of the workers that Coen employed final 12 months will keep in Tampa Bay.
Of the offensive workers the most probably to go away can be assistant offensive line coach Brian Picucci, whom Coen introduced with him to Tampa Bay from Kentucky. Picucci has the longest reference to Coen as he was a coach at UMass whereas Coen was the group’s quarterback within the late 2000s.
Coen employed Picucci, offensive line coach Kevin Carberry, large receivers coach Bryan McClendon, tight ends coach Justin Peelle and cross recreation coordinator Josh Grizzard and inherited operating backs coach Skip Peete and quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis from Dave Canales’ workers.
Tampa Bay has misplaced a lot of vital figures this week. Assistant normal supervisor John Spytek has taken the job as normal supervisor of the Raiders, co-defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers has moved on to the Lions to be their defensive position coach, and fellow defensive coordinator Larry Foote is interviewing with the Lions as properly for his or her defensive coordinator place.
It was thought that the Bucs may deal with these losses if it nonetheless meant that Coen was again operating the offense. However this can proceed to be a tough state of affairs now that Liam Coen is off to Jacksonville and the Bucs should discover one other offensive play-caller.
