Like a villain at the end of an 80s action movie, the Jacksonville Jaguars might come roaring back to life one last time to try and steal away Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen. On Wednesday, the Jags were informed that their top head coaching candidate was dropping out of the running to take the job despite reports that Jacksonville was ready to make him an offer.
It was a stunning turn of events as all signs pointed toward Coen leaving Tampa Bay, but he instead reportedly agreed to a new contract that would make him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the league. Buccaneers fans rightfully celebrated the news, but it turns out that the story isn't quite over yet.
Not long after Coen cancelled his in-person interview with the Jagaurs, the team fired general manager Trent Baalke. Most folks assumed he'd have been fired when the team let go of Doug Pederson as Baalke presented a potential roadblock when it came to the Jaguars landing the candidate they wanted.
Ben Johnson choosing to go to Chicago and Coen deciding to return to Tampa Bay seemingly confirmed this. Shad Khan firing Baalke came a little late, but perhaps not too late to potentially change Coen's mind.
Jaguars might make a desperate last-minute effort to hire Liam Coen
Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud noted that while Coen had agreed to a new deal with the Bucs, the contract wasn't yet signed. That creates an opening that CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones thinks Jacksonville might try to exploit, given recent developments.
"With Baalke out and knowing how interested the franchise has been in Liam Coen, it would not be shocking to see the Jaguars make another run at the Buccaneers offensive coordinator. They make him tell them no twice," Jones reported late Wednesday afternoon.
Nothing is certain, but it seems as though we're much closer to Coen returning to the Bucs next year than ditching them at the 11th hour. Part of the excitement about his return was that Coen seems tohave fostered fanastic relationships in the building even after having only been in Tampa Bay for one year. He'd risk burning every single one of the bridges he's built if he spurns the Bucs after such fanfare surrounded his decision to run things back.
As if optics weren't enough, all of the same logic from before applies now when considering a return to Tampa Bay is in Coen's best interest. Ben Johnson just got his pick of the litter after returning to Detroit for one more season, and Coen has a chance to further boost his stock by running things back.
Another thing to consider beyond the verbal commitment is the financial one, which is rather substantial. The exact figures aren't yet known, but Stroud noted that it could be in the range of $4.5 million based on other top deals in the league. Coen would be passing on that for perhaps not much more AAV but with so much more risk.
Not for nothing, but the Jaguars aren't exactly telegraphing that they know what they're doing by firing Baalke so late in the process. While a major hurdle seems to have been removed, there's a ton of risk involved if Coen decides to cash in his chips now and do so for a job with such uncertainty around it.
There's also a potentially cleaner and easier route to getting his wish, as Coen would be positioned to take over for Todd Bowles next year in Tampa Bay. He tried to calm rumors that he was rushing into a job while speaking about his future at the end of the season, and it seems, based on his decision to return, that he's true to his word.
Nothing is official until he puts pen to paper on his new contract, but this might end up being nothing more than one final burts of anxiety before everything works out just fine.
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