ON JAN. 7, a day after the Jacksonville Jaguars fired Doug Pederson as head coach, they began their search for his successor. Eight interview requests went out to eight other teams, one being the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Jaguars wanted to talk to offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who called plays for a Bucs offense that was among the highest scoring in the NFL in 2024.
The Bucs supported Coen doing the virtual interview, which he completed on Jan. 15. Tampa Bay believed it would be a good experience for Coen, who impressed Jaguars owner Shad Khan in the process, according to a source familiar with the team's coaching search.