John Romano: The last audible Liam Coen called for the Bucs may haunt him one day

John Romano, Tampa Bay Times on Jan 24, 2025

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

TAMPA, Fla. — In time, the anger will fade. Today’s insults will feel like tomorrow’s regrets.

In another year or two, we’ll have more information and a greater perspective on this messy Liam Coen business.

And that’s when we can decide if Coen was an opportunist or a genius for turning his back on Tampa Bay while risking his reputation and career in Jacksonville.

You’re starting to see that already, right? Now that the hysteria has subsided on social media, the entire episode felt like a series of calculated gambles by all the parties involved.

The Bucs desperately wanted Coen to remain in Tampa Bay, and they were willing to sacrifice somewhere between $4 and $5 million annually to make him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL.

The Jaguars desperately wanted Coen to take over their offense and rescue quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and they were willing to sacrifice general manager Trent Baalke to make the job more attractive.

Coen desperately wanted the biggest paycheck and the best opportunity he could find, and was willing to sacrifice his good name by ghosting the Bucs for nearly 24 hours while covertly negotiating behind his employer’s back.

The risk was monumental for all involved.

The Bucs, with the No. 4 offense in the NFL under Coen, were looking like a potential Super Bowl contender next season. If they stumble, you can bet there will be grumbling that the team should have nudged Todd Bowles aside to offer Coen the top job.

And if the Jaguars do not pull themselves out of the AFC South abyss, owner Shad Khan will be ridiculed for letting a guy with a skimpy resume have a huge say in picking the team’s next general manager.

This is bigger than the Raiders hiring Pete Carroll or the Bears nabbing Ben Johnson. You see those type of moves in every NFL offseason. This felt more like a double-blind scam with Doogie Howser pulling the strings.

It’s one thing for a job candidate to change his mind, but it’s quite another to leave your bosses twisting in the wind. Particularly when you’re talking about the organization that stuck its neck out to give you your big break as an NFL coordinator.

Coen had every right to engage with the Jags when they first called. And when he told the Bucs what it would take to keep him in Tampa Bay, they quickly agreed with the only stipulation being that Coen cease negotiating with Jacksonville.

If Coen had second thoughts, that’s not a crime. It’s not even unseemly. But it was absolutely shady for Coen to reopen talks with the Jaguars without informing the Bucs, and then ignoring their calls when he failed to show up to sign his new contract.

Was it unprecedented? Not entirely. Bigger names than Coen have shimmied their way out of handshake deals.

The difference is a Bill Parcells or a Bill Belichick had a little more gravitas. Their reputations could survive the hit. If Coen fails to deliver in Jacksonville, he will be remembered as the guy who torpedoed his own career while playing a shell game.

As for the Bucs, this is bad news but it’s not devastating. From the time the season ended, general manager Jason Licht was prepared for the possibility that Coen would be a hot commodity on the head coaching circuit. It just feels worse because of the sudden reversal.

Compared to where the franchise was two years ago when the offense did not have as many weapons and Bowles looked like he might be on the hot seat, the Bucs will be operating from a position of strength.

Back then, the Bucs had little choice but to hire an offensive coordinator (Dave Canales) who had never called plays in the NFL or college. With quarterback Baker Mayfield on board after 2023, the Bucs were able to lure Coen back to the NFL after a year of calling plays at the University of Kentucky. Now, Tampa Bay has had back-to-back offensive coordinators get head coaching jobs, and the Bucs have a top-five offense with almost all of the pieces returning.

“We feel confident in this search, we feel confident in Todd,” Licht said. “Baker has been one constant in this whole thing, along with our head coach and front office. Liam did a very, very, very good job for us last year, there’s no denying that. Ultimate respect for the work he did.

“But at the end of the day, he is one person. There were a lot of people involved in this offense, including players and other coaches.”