President of the Coenheads

I'll jump on top of this post for my Bucs bye week rant. Liam Coen was interviewed by one team. Coen was not going to go to JAX with Baalke as GM. Tampa Bay made Coen the highest paid OC in the NFL. He agreed to terms. Jags fired Baalke after Coen turned them down. The Bucs waited for him at the facility to sign his new contract...and he never showed up. When the Bucs realized something was up -- Coen was long gone to JAX. In hindsight, they could have fired Bowles after the 2024 season. Was a franchise-altering decision. However, Coen was given the keys to the car in JAX. Could even pick his own GM. He would not have had that power in Tampa Bay. Was given far more in JAX. Bowles went from 8 wins to 9 wins to 10 wins winning the NFC South all 3 times. In 23 & 24 TB had a Top-7 record in NFC...meaning they didn't need a pity invite to the postseason party. It was, objectively, a tough sell for the Glazer Family to fire Bowles. The Bills had a far larger sample size before dumping McDermott for Brady. Bowles was given a raw deal in 2022 when Arians "retired." Bowles didn't even hire his own staff that season. In 2023, the Bucs scaled back spending. Entering the year, many thought they would compete for the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. That team far exceeded expectations. Won a playoff game, too. In 2024, Bucs still weren't spending and WR injuries were brutal (Bowles carries responsibility for Godwin -- which is the biggest 'what if' that year). They win 6 of 7 to end the season and lose to a scorching hot WSH squad. There is a lot of revisionist history that gets told here because Bowles' approval rating with Bucs fans is so low. I get it. But some act like it was some layup decision in 2024 and it was far more complicated than that for ownership. Decisions aren't made in a vacuum. But the biggest thing most fans neglect is the fact Liam Coen got one interview request. It was originally seen as 'sure, go get some interview experience. Have fun with it!' The Jags had committed to Baalke weeks prior. Coen wasn't going. They felt no reason to believe they could not thread the needle between keeping Bowles and Coen. They even got an agreement to terms! Got blindsided. Credit to Shad Khan. He made a lot of really bad decisions before Liam, but he did everything and anything to bring him to JAX. He went all in to get Liam Coen. Now the Jags are going all in on this roster in 2026. Could result in their first Super Bowl appearance. Timing in life is everything. ~End Rant~