Whispers emerged shortly after the Jacksonville Jaguars parted ways with normal supervisor Trent Baalke this week that Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen may rethink changing into Jacksonville’s subsequent head coach. This was regardless of Coen having agreed to a brand new contract with the Buccaneers that, per Albert Breer of Sports activities Illustrated, would’ve made Coen “the highest-paid coordinator in NFL historical past, and by a wholesome margin.”
Later Thursday night time, it was discovered that Coen would take the Jacksonville job. The Buccaneers appear to have strongly reacted to this defection.
“Liam Coen has his ideas and the Buccaneers have their ideas,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter mentioned on “The Pat McAfee Present” on Friday, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. “And you’ll consider no matter you need. I can let you know there’s two totally different faculties of thought. I’d simply say this: In 20 years, this century, for the reason that flip of the century — I don’t bear in mind the final time I’ve heard one workforce this sizzling and bothered by a coach taking one other deal.”
Breer detailed how Coen averted signing his new Buccaneers contract from Wednesday afternoon by way of Thursday morning earlier than “Coen’s agent acquired again to the Bucs and knowledgeable them that his shopper was tending to a private matter.” Particularly, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Occasions reported Wednesday night that “Coen contacted head coach Todd Bowles round 5 p.m. Thursday” and “mentioned he had been with one among his children, who had taken ailing, at a physician’s workplace.”
Breer added that Coen additionally informed Bowles “that issues had materially modified in Jacksonville and that he was going to journey there to discover the opening.”
Breer continued: “Inside an hour of that cellphone name, a Bucs staffer acquired tipped off by somebody within the Jaguars’ facility that Coen was already within the constructing.”
The remaining, because the saying goes, is historical past.
Understandably, Bowles and Co. may really feel betrayed, however former NFL participant and present analyst Ross Tucker is amongst those that have defended Coen:
“There are loads of totally different variations of what’s happening,” Schefter added in regards to the Coen scenario. “I can simply let you know that, I don’t bear in mind when was the final time I heard a workforce that irate over a training choice.”
The Buccaneers and Jaguars are not set to play one another subsequent season. Maybe the NFL may change that earlier than the 2025 schedule is launched this spring.
