Report: NFL Insiders 'In Shock' About Jaguars Firing Trent Baalke, Hiring Liam Coen

The saga that resulted in Liam Coen reportedly leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to take the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job has left NFL observers stunned.

Dan Graziano of ESPN reported that sources are "in shock" that the Jaguars fired general manager Trent Baalke before hiring Coen. He added the Jaguars "apparently felt (Baalke) was too big an impediment" to hiring the best head coach:

" This one is wild, if only for the way it went down. People I'm talking to are in shock that the Jaguars finally went ahead and fired Baalke, and that they apparently did it because they believed Coen wouldn't go there otherwise. This is the second hiring cycle for Jacksonville in which we've heard chatter about candidates not wanting to go there because of Baalke. The Jaguars ended up with Pederson last time, who was fine with the idea of working with Baalke. But this time they apparently felt he was too big an impediment for them to get their guy."

ESPN's Adam Schefter also reported that someone in the NFL said they had "never seen anything like it in my life" in reference to the sequence of events that saw Coen drop from consideration from the job and reportedly agree to a contract become the NFL's highest-paid coordinator to Baalke's firing and Coen's eventual move to Jacksonville.

Coen spent one season as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator after Dave Canales left to become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. The Buccaneers saw excellent production offensively under Coen's tutelage, with a career season from quarterback Baker Mayfield being a major highlight.

Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 2024, exceeding his previous career highs. This helped the Buccaneers go 10-7, win the NFC South and clinch a playoff berth for the fifth consecutive season.

Jacksonville will hope Coen's influence can result in a similar jump for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Lawrence threw for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games in 2024, with the Jaguars eventually going 5-12.

This regression came after the Jaguars had consecutive 9-8 seasons in 2022 and 2023 and Lawrence exceeded 4,000 yards each year. Coen could be the influence that helps Lawrence and the Jaguars return to form.