The Jaguars are reportedly switching gears and pursuing Liam Coen after the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator had a change of heart.
On Wednesday, a report surfaced saying former New York Jets head coach and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was viewed as the potential favorite to land the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job. That news led us down the rabbit hole and to another former 49ers defensive coordinator.
On Thursday afternoon, there was a not-so-unexpected twist. After parting ways with general manager Trent Baalke, all of a sudden, candidates were once again interested in the head coaching vacancy for Jacksonville.
Multiple national reporters tweeted that Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who turned down the Jaguars on Wednesday to stay on as offensive coordinator with the Buccaneers, reconsidered his decision once Baalke was let go.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said while Coen and the Bucs agreed to an extension, the contract was never signed. Thus, there was no binding agreement between both parties. Two days later, Coen is in the building and speaking to the Jaguars’ brass about their head coaching job once more and the front-runner for the job.
This is where it turns into a he said, she said, and the information gets sloppy. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweeted that multiple text messages and phone calls were made to Coen, and Tampa Bay hasn’t heard a peep from Coen. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that Coen said that he reached out to Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowls to inform him of his interest and will interview with the Jaguars.
We’re watching a reality TV episode in real time. It’s not surprising that the Jaguars were leaning toward an offensive mind. They paid Trevor Lawrence $275 million. You’re unlikely to surround your main investment for your franchise with a defensive head coach.
But, not unlike the 49ers, the Jaguars appeared to be caught by surprise when Coen turned them down. Now, the 49ers could be the beneficiary of Coen putting his foot down by not wanting to work with Baalke.
The 49ers aren’t out of the woods just yet. Saleh interviewed with the Dallas Cowboys last week. According to Clarence Hill, Dallas is set to hire Brian Schottenheimer, and Josina Anderson followed up by saying that other candidates are not expected to have their second interviews.
The Las Vegas Raiders job is still open, and Saleh was interviewed there, too. That would be something if the 49ers defensive coordinator comes down to who the Raiders don’t hire as their head coach.