Each new detail we learn about just how messy Liam Coen's divorce with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was makes the whole thing seem even more like an episode of reality television.
By now, almost everyone knows the main details: Coen told the Bucs he was coming back on a record-breaking new contract, didn't show up to sign it, and instead secretly met with the Jacksonville Jaguars to work out a deal to become the team's next head coach.
There's nothing inherently wrong with the fact that Coen had a change of heart, it's the fact that in the process he ghosted the team and refused to answer their calls, didn't tell the team about his intentions until after he had secured the Jaguars job, and seems to have only told anyone because he got busted by a staffer in Jacksonville.
Executives at Bravo! couldn't have written better drama than this.
All of the craziness combined to create one of the most bizarre moments in NFL history, but the tea is still spilling all over the place as we learn more details about what happened.
Liam Coen reportedly texted Baker Mayfield he was coming back before taking the Jagaurs' job
Two more key details have come out about how things went down, and neither of them seem to paint Coen in a great light. Adam Schefter reported that Coen's camp felt they were "strong-armed" into accepting a record-breaking contract to remain in Tampa Bay, but it sounds like he was in control the entire time.
ESPN's Michael DiRocco and Jenna Laine, who cover the Jaguars and Buccaneers, reported that it was Coen who gave Tampa Bay a list of demands that he'd need in order to stay and the team met every single one of them.
"Coen came back with a number: between $4 million to $5 million per year, which would have made him the highest-paid coordinator in the league, according to multiple sources. Bucs ownership agreed to the number -- contingent upon him not taking the in-person interview in Jacksonville," DiRocco and Laine reported.
That doesn't sound like a guy who was forced into signing a deal. The report did say that the Bucs wanted an answer by Tuesday night, which could be where Coen perhaps felt pressured but to frame it as though he was forced to take the deal felt weak when Schefter reported it and it has only continued to age poorly.
Something else that has aged poorly is Coen's communication, which was already a sticking point. We all know how he ghosted the team after agreeing to the deal, but he got everyone's hopes up in the worst possible way.
According to DiRocco and Laine, Coen texted Baker Mayfield that he was staying in Tampa Bay next season before going radio silent for the next 36 hours.
That tidbit really hammers home why so many folks in Tampa are upset by how this played out. Nobody has ever been mad about Coen taking another job, it's how he led everyone on and went about it and shut out the people he supposedly respected.
It's a tough way for things to end, as Coen helped transform the Buccaneers' offense into one of the best in the league and Baker benefited greatly. He turned in the best season of his career, which is why hearing that Coen was coming back was such exciting news and is why there's so much animosity about the way he decided to ultimately leave.
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