Former Rams OC embroiled in strangest coaching story of the year

After turning the Jaguars down, Liam Coen is back in Jacksonville and favorite for the job

Two days after turning them down and one day after the Jaguars fired GM Trent Baalke, former Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen is still in Jacksonville to talk about being their next head coach. Coen, who was the Rams OC for one year in 2022, was believed to have signed an extension to remain in Tampa Bay after it was assumed that he would leave the Bucs for the Jags.

Then the Jaguars fired Baalke. Now Ian Rapoport and others are reporting that Coen has not left Jacksonville, that he has been ignoring the Bucs this week, and is the presumptive favorite to be the Jags next head coach.

Though Coen’s time with the Rams was a disaster, he may have not been at fault. Sean McVay called plays that season with the exception of a game against the Chiefs, but it’s not like Coen was given a fair opportunity that day: The Rams starting quarterback that day was Bryce Perkins.

It was enough for the Rams to make Coen a scapegoat for the season that the team essentially funneled through an article at The Athletic.

Coen went back to his previous job at the University of Kentucky in 2023, then returned to the NFL in 2024 when the Bucs re-signed Baker Mayfield and lost offensive coordinator Dave Canales to the Panthers. Under Coen’s play calling, the Bucs went from 32nd in rushing the previous two seasons to fourth.

Now it appears that the Jaguars are going as far as firing Baalke — which they should have done a long time ago anyway — to make sure that they don’t lose this opportunity to have him.

Whether those instincts are right or wrong, there’s clearly a much different take on Coen around other parts of the league than when he left the Rams as the scapegoat.