It is the story of a drama in three acts, a waltz with which the NFL sometimes rewards us. Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Cohen will become the Jaguars' new head coach. The information was confirmed by several journalists, including Adam Schefter of ESPN. If the details of the contract are not yet known, this constitutes an eccentric end to two days of madness:
Act 1: Liam Cohen refuses the position at the Jaguars, without the reasons being mentioned. There is talk of a huge extension in Tampa Bay to become the highest paid coordinator in the league.
Act 2: Following his refusal (and that of Ben Johnson), owner Shad Khan decides to fire General Manager Trent Baalke.
Act 3: Liam Cohen finally decides to accept the job.
You don't need to be a normalien to conclude that Trent Baalke was the reason why the young coach refused the job. It must be said that the now ex General manager did not only make good decisions, notably passing up Aidan Hutchinson to take Travon Walker.
Liam Cohen and the secret negotiations
Where the situation becomes quite incredible is when Albert Breer (SI.com/Amazon) reports that the big contract extension offered by the Buccaneers to Liam Cohen had one condition: not having a second interview with Jacksonville.
This is why the coach would have secretly met with the leaders of Jacksonville on Thursday, before finally informing the leaders of Tampa of his decision to leave.
A year and then gone
Liam Cohen heads to Jacksonville after just one season leading the Buccaneers offense. A year crowned with success, since the attack was placed in 5th place in the league in yards gained, and in fifth position in points scored.
With Trevor Lawrence who remains a quarterback to polish, the new coach has a nice challenge.
But be careful, everything is not always perfect with him. In 2022, he had been the offensive coordinator of the Rams. And at the time, Los Angeles only had the 30th-ranked offense in the NFL in points scored.
