Coen has informed ESPN’s Jenna Laine that he is taking the Jaguars’ head coaching job.
Coen began his coaching career in the college ranks way back in 2010 when he was the quarterbacks coach at Brown. He then had stints at Rhode Island and UMass before becoming a full-fledged offensive coordinator for Maine in 2016-17.
In 2018, Coen entered the NFL fraternity as an assistant wide receivers coach for the Los Angeles Rams. But he didn’t stay long, as he had two years coordinating the offense at Kentucky sandwiched around one year as offensive coordinator for the Rams in 2022.
This past season, he was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the numbers were fantastic:
- 2nd in completion rate at 71.4%
- 6th in yards per attempt at 7.9
- 3rd in passing yards with 4,505
- 2nd in passing touchdowns with 41
- 4th in quarterback rating at at 106.8
- 3rd in first downs
- 5th in 20+ yard passes
- 4th in rushing yards with 2,536
- 3rd in yards per carry at 5.2
- 5th in rushing first down %
The road has not been smooth getting here, though.
Coen was identified as the Jaguars’ top choice to be the next head coach, but he withdrew his name from consideration. Tampa Bay then offered an extension to make him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the NFL.
On Wednesday, Jacksonville fired general manager Trent Baalke and then reached out to Coen to reconsider. Now the two sides are finalizing a deal.
The Jaguars have talent on offense with Trevor Lawrence at quarterback, Travis Etienne Jr. at running back, a stud at wide receiver in Brian Thomas Jr. and Brenton Strange at tight end. They also have the fifth pick in the upcoming draft.
The offensive line wasn’t great, as PFF ranked them 21st at the end of the season, but they lost their starting left tackle and starting quarterback mid-season. Shoring up the offensive line in the offseason along with a proven offensive mind could allow the Jaguars offense to flourish. How much, though, is the question?
