Arrr you kidding me?
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen is back in line to be the next head coach of the Jaguars, according to multiple reports, after dropping out of the running for the job a day earlier and agreeing to an extension to stay on with Tampa Bay.
In fact, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, the Bucs had not talked with Coen since Wednesday afternoon and he never actually signed his contract, which was considered to be a formality.
The team had tried and failed to reach out to him.
As it turned out, he had secretly traveled to Jacksonville to sit down with Jaguars owner Shad Kahn in person, according to Stroud’s reporting.
Coen told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he reached out to Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles about his interest in interviewing for the Jaguars head coaching position after the initial reports surfaced about him ghosting the Bucs.
The Tampa Bay Times added Coen reached out to Bowles around 5 p.m. on Thursday after he had been helping one of his children who was sick and at a doctor’s office.
The Jaguars were scheduled to meet with former Jets head coach Robert Saleh for the job, though multiple reports on Thursday had him returning to the 49ers for a second stint at their defensive coordinator.
The latest twist in the Jags head coaching search comes a day after the organization fired general manager Trent Baalke.
The team’s statement painted a picture where the owner and GM had agreed to “respectfully separate, effective immediately,” however the ᴀssociated Press cited a source that indicated Baalke was indeed fired.
Khan, the Jaguars’ owner since 2012, reportedly became frustrated with the coaching search process after Coen backed out of an in-person interview for the job this week.
The AP specifically mentioned that Baalke appeared to be the reason why Coen and former Lions offensive coordinator — now Bears head coach — Ben Johnson had avoided Jacksonville.
There don’t appear to be any obstacles in the way of the Jaguars hiring Coen.
The Jaguars have fulfilled the Rooney Rule requirement, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
The contract extension in Tampa Bay would have made him the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator, according to Schefter, and Stroud had indicated on Wednesday that the deal was similar to the $4.5 million per year deal that Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has.
Ethan Waugh is currently serving as the interim team’s general manager.
The Jaguars need a new head coach after firing Doug Pederson after a disastrous 4-13 season.
