New Jaguars HC Liam Coen calls job 'an opportunity that you just can't pass up,' but dodges questions about timeline

On Monday, the Jacksonville Jaguars held a news conference to introduce Liam Coen as their new head coach. Coen was hired after a season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator.

But hiring Coen was an unexpectedly messy process. Last week, the 39-year-old coach traveled to Jacksonville to meet with Jaguars owner Shad Khan, despite already verbally agreeing to stay with the Buccaneers for the long term. Coen reportedly kept Tampa Bay in the dark about his renewed interest in the Jacksonville job — additional subterfuge could have helped the team satisfy the Rooney Rule despite already having Coen in mind.

Coen and Khan had a chance to address the situation on Monday, but both chose to largely focus on the future during the news conference. Both Khan and Coen dodged questions about the exact timeline that led to Coen getting the position.

When asked about leaving the Buccaneers, Coen said that he was grateful for his time there, but that he was excited about the opportunity to come to Jacksonville.

"The opportunity to coach in Tampa was a phenomenal one, to get my feet wet in the NFL as the offensive coordinator, and I thank them so much for that opportunity," Coen said.

As for joining the Jaguars: "It started to become more clear with every hour that this was an opportunity that you just can't pass up, for so many different reasons," Coen said. "I will always love and remember those guys in Tampa ... but head and eyes up, and we're moving forward."

Multiple reports have said that Coen's renewed interest in the job came after Khan fired general manager Trent Baalke. As part of becoming head coach, Khan is reportedly giving Coen free rein to select the team's next GM. But when asked if a front office change led to him wanting the job, Coen dodged the question.

"This was completely about an opportunity to work for an owner and a group of people with a group of players that needed some help. And that's what coaching is," Coen said.

In terms of what drew him to the job — beyond the chance to help develop Trevor Lawrence as a quarterback — Coen said that he was excited to be part of "something different."

"It's about trying to be a part of change and improvement, and try to go do something different and win. Winning cures a lot," Coen said. He also confirmed that he will be calling offensive plays, and working with Lawrence directly.

Khan said that Coen's offensive mind was what led Khan to offer him the job, after thinking about the Jaguars' struggles over the past few seasons.

"It was a chance for reflection from me and I think, 'What was the fundamental thing that we need to address?' And the number one thing obviously was the quarterback position," Khan said. "Our commitment to Trevor, I think it's well known, and we believe in him. So it started with that."

Khan said that they posed questions about Lawrence to all of the head coach candidates that they interviewed. "After we got done with that, it was very evident to me that Liam was the guy," Khan said.

But Khan also did not provide clarity about the hiring process. When asked about the process, Khan kept it short: "He's our guy, and we got him. Simple as that."

Khan and Coen will now turn to finding a new GM for the team, and for filling out the rest of Coen's staff.