The NFL’s coaching carousel is finally winding down, but not without some unexpected—and expensive—drama.
The Jaguars announced the hire of Liam Coen and the Raiders are expected to hire Pete Carroll, leaving just the Cowboys and Saints as the final two teams still searching for their next head coaches. At one point, seven clubs were looking for head coaches—including the Bears, Jets, and Patriots.
Jumping Ship
Coen’s departure from the Buccaneers, where he was the offensive coordinator for just one season, has quickly become the most extraordinary move of this hiring cycle.
Earlier this week, Coen turned down the Jaguars and verbally agreed to an extension with Tampa Bay that would have made him the highest-paid coordinator in NFL history with a salary of nearly $4.5 million.
But then, the Jaguars fired GM Trent Baalke and asked Coen to reconsider. Jacksonville reportedly offered a contract similar to the one the Bears gave Ben Johnson (who also passed on the Jaguars, citing “the setup”), which is believed to be in the range of $13 million per year. Coen went to Jacksonville to meet with Jaguars owner Shad Khan without telling Bucs coach Todd Bowles or GM Jason Licht.
Khan is making his third head coaching hire since 2021, and Coen is set to join a different team for the sixth straight season. The Bucs will end up with a fourth offensive coordinator in as many seasons, following Dave Canales becoming head coach of the Panthers last year and Byron Leftwich’s firing the year before.
A Jagged History
Coen’s hire makes him the eighth head coach in Jaguars history (not counting interim coaches):
- Tom Coughlin: 1995–2002 (68–60)
- Jack Del Rio: 2003–2011 (68–71)
- Mike Mularkey: 2012 (2–14)
- Gus Bradley: 2013–2016 (14–48)
- Doug Marrone: 2017–2020 (23–43)
- Urban Meyer: 2021 (2–11)
- Doug Pederson: 2022–2024 (22–29)
Is Age Just a Number?
Pete Carroll, who will turn 74 in September, is returning to the sidelines on a three-year contract with the Raiders that includes a fourth-year team option. He spent the 2024 season out of coaching after the Seahawks fired him following a 14-year run that included winning Super Bowl XLVIII.
Tom Brady, a minority owner in Las Vegas, was believed to be very involved in the coaching and GM hires (the Raiders hired Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek) alongside owner Mark Davis. The process came under scrutiny after the Raiders interviewed both Lions coordinators, Aaron Glenn and the aforementioned Ben Johnson, ahead of Brady calling Detroit’s divisional playoff matchup against the Commanders on Fox.
