One day after saying he was no longer interested in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coaching position, Liam Coen seemingly had a change of heart.
Coen, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, told the Buccaneers Thursday night that he’s taking the Jaguars’ head coaching job, a person with knowledge of the move told USA TODAY Sports.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet official.
Tampa Bay was offering Coen a deal that would’ve made him the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL.
The Jaguars fired coach Doug Pederson earlier this month after three seasons in Jacksonville. The team had originally agreed to keep general manager Trent Baalke on board before firing him Wednesday afternoon.
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Coen then met with the Jaguars Thursday, per reports.
“Following several discussions with Trent Baalke this week, we both arrived at the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interests to respectfully separate, effective immediately,’ Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. ‘Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons.’
Khan stated that Ethan Waugh will be the interim general manager.
Of the seven head coaching vacancies this offseason, four now have been filled: Jacksonville, Chicago, New England and the New York Jets.
Dallas, Las Vegas and New Orleans still have openings to fill.
This story has been updated with new information.