Jaguars decision to fire Trent Baalke actually works with positive Liam Coen twist

The Jacksonville Jaguars appeared to have botched their head coaching search. Instead of starting anew, the Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson and decided to stick with general manager Trent Baalke, a decision that left the NFL world baffled. Baalke was ultimately a deterrent in the coaching search, as they lost out on viable candidates like Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. But the final straw took place on Wednesday.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, a candidate for the head coaching job in Jacksonville, told the team he was removing himself from consideration. Instead, he would sign a new deal with the Buccaneers. Hours later, team owner Shad Khan announced that he was firing Baalke, leading to the team being ridiculed for not doing it sooner.

Well, it appears that Khan's last-ditch effort is paying off.

According to NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport, the Jaguars have been speaking with Coen for their head coaching job, and "is a key candidate to be the coach in Jacksonville."

Jaguars last second firing of Trent Baalke may have paid off with Liam Coen update

For those wondering if this is just going to be another ordinary interview, that doesn't appear to be the case.

ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter reported shortly after that the Jaguars and Coen are "discussing a deal" that would make the Buccaneers offensive coordinator their next head coach. FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports Coen was "content" about being the Buccaneers offensive coordinator, but the Jaguars "reached out repeatedly with the idea that Coen would need to say no, not once, but twice."

It appears that the Jaguars are doing whatever it takes to ensure that Coen does not go back to Tampa Bay and instead move over to Jacksonville to be their new sideline boss.

Coen bounced around from the NFL to college and back to the pros again. In 2022, Coen was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, before returning to Kentucky for another stint in 2023. Coen is just one season into his offensive coordinator gig in Tampa Bay, and really raised his stock as a future head coach due in part to the offense's production and quarterback Baker Mayfield further solidifying himself as a top player at his position..

This season, the Buccaneers offense averaged 399.5 yards (third in NFL) and 29.5 points (fourth in NFL) per game this season.

Given his recent track record, the Jaguars fanbase has to be salivating at what he could do to improve the offense and, most importantly, get the most out of star quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

There is not a done deal just yet, but the Jaguars and Khan might have saved themselves by moving on from Baalke. Better late than never.