For the third straight year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing in the playoffs with uncertainty surrounding their offensive coordinator situation. Byron Leftwich was fired after a Wild Card loss to the Cowboys, Dave Canales left for a head coaching job after making it to the NFC Divisional Round, and Liam Coen could do the same this offseason.
Coen has been a top head coaching candidate for the better part of the year thanks to the way he's turned the Bucs' offense around. It's more than just what he's evolved from Canales; it's the fact that he did what neither of his predecessors have done and and fixed the league's worst rushing attack.
Everybody wants a piece of Coen, which isn't entirely surprising given how much interest there's been, and we're starting to see that in action as the head coaching cycle starts to pick up steam. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars have requested an interview with Coen, but that's certainly going to change in the coming weeks.
It's not a matter of if Coen is going to interview for other jobs, it's when that will start to happen.
When can other teams start interviewing Liam Coen for head coaching jobs
Because the Buccaneers made the playoffs, different rules apply when it comes to teams hoping to interview Coen versus other potential candidates. Interviews with Coen can't begin until three days after the Wild Card game on Sunday through January 19th, but that's assuming the Buccaneers win.
If Tampa Bay loses, then the three day rule still applies but there's no deadline to when teams have to put a pause on their talks. All interviews have to be virtual until January 20th, but that's not unique to the Buccaneers; no candidate can do in-person interviews before that date.
None of this really impacts whether or not Coen will interview, which is what fans are dreading. The wave that built behind Canales after doing interviews last year has given everyone anxiety that Coen -- a better candidate in every way -- will get poached by another team.
That's not a foregone conclusion, though. It still feels like the best case scenario for Coen is to return to Tampa Bay in 2025, which gives everyone a ton of options that aren't present now. If he comes back, there's a chance that a line of succession is set up where Todd Bowles steps down the same way Bruce Arians did and hands the keys to Coen, which would satiate fans who are clamoring for that to happen now.
He could also go the Ben Johnson route by returning and boosting his stock with another great year with Baker Mayfield. Just like Johnson, the Bucs offense is set to go even higher next year if Coen comes back and a refreshed field of potential openings could offer something more fruitful.
Right now is seems like the Jacksonville job is the best on the market for Coen, but Johnson is a stealth candidate to fill it. If that happens, no other team has shown interest outside of the rumor mill for Coen, although that's expected to change.
When it does, though, teams will hopefully be forced to abide by league rules and navigate around a deep playoff run by the Buccaneers.
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