Baker Mayfield

Jayden Daniels and the Commanders got the better of Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers in the playoffs and Daniels got the better of Mayfield in the initial Pro Bowl voting, but Mayfield will be in Orlando for this week's skills competitions and other festivities.

Baker Mayfield had the best year of his career with Coen as his offensive coordinator

The Jaguars didn't bring in Coen to delegate offensive play-calling to somebody else. The 39-year-old head coach got where he is today by dialing up explosive plays and coaching Baker Mayfield to the best offensive season of his career (4500-41-16), and was long expected to call the plays for Jacksonville once his hiring was announced. With ample weapons at his disposal and a quarterback in Trevor Lawerence, who has just four years under his belt, Coen should have plenty of plays to dial up this upcoming season.

Thursday's worst kept secret is now (basically) official. FOX's Jordan Schultz reports the Jags are "so impressed" with Coen the sides will now "collaborate on the team's new GM as well." If that seems insane, it was clear it would be the outcome after the Jags' stunning Trent Baalke about-face and immediate resumption of talks with Coen. A wizard with Baker Mayfield in Tampa this season -- though, let's be real, Mayfield deserves a lot of the credit after getting back-to-back OCs head-coaching gigs -- Coen is strangely no stranger to coaching intrigue, as he left the University of Kentucky for the Rams in 2022 only to return to UK in 2023. It was then off to Tampa where he picked up where Dave Canales left off, overseeing an even more explosive offense. Still only 39 years old, Coen fits the league's current preferred mold of first-time head-coaching hires. Young, and an offensive play-caller. We'll see about Coen's leadership skills. The supposed skullduggery he engaged in with the Bucs this week is mildly concerning. Tasks 1, 2 and 3 for Coen in 2025 will be getting Trevor Lawrence's career back on the right track.

It's quite the turn of events, as Coen was widely expected to take the Jaguars head coaching job after Ben Johnson was signed by the Bears. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Coen's new deal with Tampa will make him one of the NFL's highest paid coordinators. Coen's offense finished the 2024 season with the league's fifth highest EPA per play and the third highest offensive success rate, trailing only Johnson's Lions and the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens. Baker Mayfield thrived in Coen's system, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2024. The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud reports there "is no coach in waiting stipulation in his new contract similar to what the Patriots did with Jerod Mayo." Coen remaining in Tampa is a big blow to Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville offense. Former Jets head coach Robert Saleh would seem to be the favorite to land the Jags head coaching job with Coen out of the picture.