Michael DiRocco
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Cohen announced to the team Thursday night that he is leaving his position to become coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, sources told ESPN’s Jenna Laine. I told you.
The decision comes after Cohen withdrew from consideration for the Jaguars job, agreed to a contract extension with the Buccaneers that would have made him the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL, and then changed his mind after hearing from Jacksonville. The two-day story came to an end. After falling out with general manager Trent Baalke on Wednesday afternoon, he asked him to reconsider.
Cohen visited Jacksonville on Thursday afternoon and met with owner Shad Khan and interim general manager Ethan Waugh. Sources told The Lane that Cohen reached out to Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles early Thursday night to inform him of his renewed interest in the Jaguars’ job, but Cohen is not in contact with anyone else in the Bucs’ front office. He said he did not speak to anyone.
Editor’s picks
2 Related
The Jaguars met with Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham earlier Thursday and were scheduled to meet with former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh on Friday.
League officials said they would like to renegotiate talks with Cohen after Baalke, who had been general manager since 2021, leaves, but if Cohen refuses, they are prepared to expand the search into next week.
Mr. Cohen’s reluctance to work with Mr. Baalke over his own choice of GM was a factor in his initial decision to withdraw from consideration, but was not the main factor, the person said.
Cohen was one of 10 candidates interviewed by the Jaguars, and the two teams met virtually for the first time on Jan. 15. He becomes the eighth head coach in franchise history and replaces Doug Pederson, whom Kern fired after three seasons on Jan. 6.
Cohen, 39, is the third player in the NFL after Mike McDonald of the Seattle Seahawks (37), Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears (38) and Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams (38). He becomes the fourth youngest active head coach.
Cohen spent 15 seasons as an assistant coach, 10 of them at the collegiate level. He spent four seasons with the Rams under McVay as assistant wide receivers coach (two years), assistant QB coach and offensive coordinator (2022), then played last season with the Buccaneers under Bowles.
Cohen was hired by Tampa Bay to replace Dave Canales, who left the Bucs to coach the Carolina Panthers. This reunited Cohen with Baker Mayfield, who Cohen coached with the Rams in 2022, and the two built one of the best offenses in Bucs history.
Mayfield’s passer rating of 106.8 was a franchise record, making the Bucs the only team in the NFL to rank in the top five in passing yards per game (250.4) and rushing yards per game (149.2). The Bucs ranked in the top five in total offense (399.6 yards per game), scoring (29.5 points per game), rushing, passing, third-down conversion (league-best 50.9%) and red zone efficiency (66.7%). are.
20232024PPG20.529.5YPG313400 Rush Yards PG89149QBR5665– ESPN Research
Mayfield also set career highs in passing yards (4,500), passing touchdowns (41) and completion percentage (71.4%), ranking among the top three in the NFL in each category.
The Rams’ offense struggled in 2022 as quarterback Matthew Stafford missed eight games with a concussion and spinal cord strain. Los Angeles started that season with four quarterbacks: Stafford (9 games), Mayfield (4 games), John Wolford (3 games), and Bryce Perkins (1 game), but had the best overall offense. They finished last (280.5 yards per game) and 27th in scoring (18.1 points per game). per game), rushing (97.7 yards per game), and passing (182.8 yards per game).
Cohen spent 10 seasons as a college assistant, including two stints as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator (2021, 2023).
This was an important hire for Kern, as he is looking for long-term stability in franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence will be his third full-time coach and fourth play-caller in five seasons in the NFL.
The Jaguars went 4-13 in 2024, marking the 10th time in Kahn’s 13 seasons as owner that the team had a double-digit loss.
