On Monday, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced Liam Coen as their new head coach, marking not just the start of a new chapter but also the official end of a turbulent departure from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coen claims that his former players pushed him to pursue this opportunity, but behind the scenes, Tampa Bay’s front office was displeased with his lack of communication, which led to the fallout. While Coen has taken a positive stance on the situation, telling Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, “Time heals. We’ll be all right,” it’s clear that the Bucs are not ready to move on, and Coen isn’t letting the situation fade.
This week, he and the Jaguars requested interviews with Tampa Bay’s offensive line coach Kevin Carberry and assistant offensive line coach Brian Picucci, but both requests were rejected. Coen’s efforts to build a staff with familiar faces are commendable, though it seems unlikely he’ll succeed in bringing any former colleagues from last season on board. Jacksonville did manage to secure its new defensive coordinator, hiring Anthony Campanile from the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. However, Coen still has key positions to fill. Meanwhile, while the Bucs have managed to hold onto their staff, they are still in the process of finding a new offensive coordinator, a role they’ve struggled to fill in recent seasons.
Tampa Bay has spoken with several internal candidates as well as a few from other teams, particularly from the Los Angeles Rams staff. The new hire will be taking on a promising opportunity, with Baker Mayfield coming off the best season of his career and Bucky Irving spearheading a revitalized Bucs running game.
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