THE MODERATOR: There's certainly a palpable sense of energy and excitement in northeast Florida. Perhaps you felt it and it's been in the building with us all day.
For a new era of Jaguars football that begins today, we're glad to have you part of it and to our fans watching on Jaguars.com.
Let me introduce the owner of the Jaguars, Shad Khan.
SHAD KHAN: Good afternoon, everyone. To the man of the hour, Liam, and his sons right there, Jackson and Callahan; his dad, Tim; mother-in-law, Edna. It's my pleasure to welcome you all to Jacksonville, Florida. And to everyone watching online, thank you for joining.
We're here today because we're coming off of a very disappointing season. Our fans, our partners deserve better, much better. And that's why three weeks ago I announced that we would search for a new head coach.
When we interviewed 10 remarkable candidates for the positions, two things became clear to me: Number one, that this wasn't a moment of regret for the Jacksonville Jaguars -- this was a moment of progress, optimism and confidence that we will achieve the ultimate goal as long as we have the right man; and, number two, that man was Liam Coen.
Why? Liam's outstanding body of work speaks for itself. Quarterback development is the bedrock of modern NFL, and Liam has delivered that wherever he's coached.
His outstanding reputation preceded our first interview on video. And everything we heard about him from top people throughout football, solicited and otherwise, was confirmed when we met Liam here last week. Liam was bright, prepared, ambitious, and he inspired us.
I knew then that Liam was our man, and we got our man.
So with that, it's my privilege to introduce to you the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Liam Coen. (Applause).
LIAM COEN: As I said last week, this is a moment of a lifetime. I'm grateful for your confidence in me. I also appreciate saying that I inspire you because you do the same to me. It's amazing to hear.
I want to thank people along this way in terms of the process to get here -- Tony Khan, Tony Boselli, Mark Lamping and Ethan Waugh. I genuinely thank you for your honesty and trust throughout this process.
I owe a great debt of thanks to a lot of the coaches I've gone through the process with in giving me opportunities to coach, because that's what I love to do -- Todd Bowles and the Tampa organization; Sean McVay and the Rams; Mark Stoops at Kentucky; Mark Whipple at UMass, my alma mater; Phil Estes at Brown; and Don Brown, who was my coach and a player and a mentor to me in this profession.
They were all great football minds, but one thing they had in common was leadership. And that's what this is all about.
It takes complementary football at all three phases to be great -- offense, defense and special teams. How do we want to play the game? And that's fast, fundamentally sound, attacking, situational masters and tough, both mentally and physically.
You see players in the room right here, guys that I've had conversations with already. It will always be about you, always. It is players over plays, how do we make this as much about the players and making this about bringing out the best in you. That's what this is about.
Jacksonville, the community. Duvaaaahl! (Laughter). How do we do this together? This has to be collaborative. I want it to be as collaborative as possible, for us to go to the next level, take the next step. And for us to have found a home for the first time in a long time that we can maybe plant some roots and truly be in the community and in a family that we love and trust.
On to the theme of family. You're told that, at a young age, when you meet the one and what that does for your life. And I met my "one" five years ago. Ashley, you have made me a better person every single day, and I would not be here without you. You make me better. You make us better. You will make Jacksonville better. I love you. (Applause).
My sons, Jackson and Callahan -- wild, Jackson, Jacksonville, Callahan town, here we go. (Laughter). What an opportunity for them to see these guys. That's who I want them to see. That's who I want them to be around.
That's where I was, in locker rooms, on the field, with those guys from all different walks of life, all different backgrounds, all with the same goal. I want my kids to be them.
Edna, Kevin, my wife's family, truly thank you for the support. Jacques, my agent, but a friend. First guy to pick me up on the plane, off the plane in LA. Will never forget it, man.
And to my dad, my best friend. I was lucky enough as a kid to grow up and have my hero, the dream and my best friend in the house. That's something, guys, we all know that's special. And I've learned so many things from you, Pops, going through this process of life, and I cannot thank you enough for your support and love.
And finally, to my angle up in heaven, my mom, Elizabeth, I wish you could see it. I wish you could see it because this is pretty cool. This is pretty cool.
I cannot thank you guys for this moment. Shad, you just made a dream absolutely come true. And we're going to work our tails off to bring championships to Jacksonville.
Thank you so much and we're ready to get to work. Thank you. Applause).
THE MODERATOR: Now we're going to open up the floor to questions from the media.
Q. Liam, before I get to forward-thinking about your opportunity here, could you just briefly go over last week, a lot of reports that you were going to stay in Tampa for a substantial pay raise. Then you changed your mind, decided to interview here. Could you talk a little bit about what made you change your mind? And was there in any way any misgivings in your mind about changing your mind, not about pursuing a head coaching opportunity?
LIAM COEN: Look, 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.
As you start doing research and gain more information as you go, it started to become more clear with every hour that this was opportunity that you just can't pass up, for so many different reasons.
And you ultimately want to do truly what's best for you and your family. That's what this came down to.
I'll always remember those guys in Tampa, my players, those guys, love them to death. But this is an opportunity to also go and do it with some new guys, right, and to go reach and touch people, because that's what coaching and teaching is, and that's what this opportunity is all about. Extremely thankful for that. Head and eyes up, and we're moving forward.
Q. Did this have anything to do with the change in the front-office structure?
LIAM COEN: 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, right, that's what coaching is all about, is trying to go help people and be around people.
So, no, that was not the factor.
Q. Beyond the opportunity to develop a quarterback like Trevor, what is it most that excites you about this opportunity?
LIAM COEN: You see this place, look at this right now, right? Look at this, the community, what we're doing in the future, the opportunity to be a part of something different. Let's be honest, this is different. That's awesome.
That's exciting for me and for my family, to truly be a part of something different. To go impact and influence football players and people and staff, that's what this is all about. It's about trying to be a part of change and improvement and go try to go do something different and win.
Winning cures a lot. Winning cures a lot. And that's the goal.
Q. There's been a lot of speculation, but we haven't heard it from you. You will be calling offensive plays?
LIAM COEN: Yes, I'll absolutely be calling football plays.
Q. How important is it for stability now with Trevor? This will be the fourth different play-caller as he gets ready for his fifth year. Just the perfect scenario for you as far as what you've seen so far in his four years and where you believe you can take him?
LIAM COEN: I was telling Trevor this the other day that I've watched him play live as a freshman in high school. It was Buford High School against -- Carrollwood? Cartersville. Sorry, I was in Georgia, that's all I knew.
And I was seeing this freshman in high school play the position at a high level -- standing tall, making throws, delivering. And I walked out of there, man, this is different. I had no idea who he was.
Then you fast-forward to now. How do we make Trevor Lawrence and this offense as dynamic and explosive as we can be? We've got to build it around him as well. We've got to make every part of this about improvement.
And he will be a part of that process. He's earned that right. I cannot respect his toughness and mentality and work ethic more than I do already from afar. This will all be about Trevor right now.
Q. What was the search process like, and what was it about Liam that convinced you he was the right person for this job?
SHAD KHAN: I think we interviewed 10 potential candidates. I think with the lack of success we've had here certainly over the last year and a half, it's a chance for reflection from me. I think what was the fundamental thing that we need to address, and the number one thing, obviously, is the quarterback position.
And our commitment to Trevor, I think it's well known. And we believe in him. So I started with that.
That was the fundamental question, really, to all the than candidates: How would they do it? And after we got done with that, it was very evident to me that Liam was the guy.
You know, I had never met Liam until the process started, but I had heard about him quite a bit over the last year, from really, as I said, solicited and unsolicited.
NFL has several events. I've been to them. The topic comes up. And his name was prominently mentioned. So I really wanted to make sure that he was part of the 10, and as we went through the process, I mean, it was absolutely compelling he's the right guy for us.
Q. Can you take us through how everything kind of came together last week? Because it seems like it may have been a bit of a whirlwind couple of days.
SHAD KHAN: It was very quick. He's our guy, and we got him. Simple as that.
Q. Liam, you were able to be here in Jacksonville during training camp, during joint practices. Curious what you were able to learn about the team a little bit and obviously the facility and all that.
LIAM COEN: That was a huge opportunity for me to see this. I walked through these halls. This place is awesome. And you start to see it.
And then during the course of practice those few days, you're obviously competing against the defense on one side of the field. And I kept hearing oohs and aahs on the other side.
And you go back and watch the tape, and you see them throwing the football and B.T.J. going down the field and these guys making plays. That was cool to see.
I had an opportunity to talk to Josh Hines-Allen that day and talk to Luke Fortner that day, guys that I had a relationship with, if you will.
Those were all little parts of this where you have an opportunity to look back and say, man, that thing's got a shot. And that gets you excited. And I think that was the beginning, as you mentioned, of really looking at this as the opportunity that it became.
Q. You sort of touched on it, but from what you've seen from afar about Trevor and the rest of the team, what do you sort of make of it heading into this sort of new chapter?
LIAM COEN: I mentioned to this guy: This isn't a four-win team. Yes, that is the record, but this is not a four-win team.
How do we go from winning games to not losing them? I think that's something we've got to address. And that has gotta be in our veins, in our DNA, the culture of winning.
I've learned it from the Los Angeles Rams and from a ton of other great organizations on how to go win football games. And, so, I think that's something that we have to start as a team, as a group and show how we're going to go do it.
Q. Liam, you can start working with your team on April 7th because you're a new head coach. What are you hoping to gain in that two-week process?
LIAM COEN: Culture, first and foremost. What's the culture we want to establish, the direction in which we're going to go and how we're going to get there? That's first and foremost.
After we start to establish the standard in how we want to do things, then we'll get into the fundamentals and techniques in which we want to participate and play the game at.
Then you start to get into the scheme, while continuing to educate and address the culture -- the culture, the standards. That's where it's going to all start, is when these guys get in the building. It will probably start before that with the staff building and trying to get this thing within the building itself.
Q. Can you give us an update on a timeline on the GM search? And is there an end-all date because you to be prepared for the NFL Draft?
SHAD KHAN: I think the date is February 28th. I think that's the NFL mandated. I think our priority is obviously to get Liam settled in and have him build his staff and then start the search. But we're hoping to be done by that date.
Q. Liam, a lot's been made about going back and forth between college and the pros. I know you've spoken about it before, how you feel about play calling, getting those reps, that was what was paramount. That's why you moved back and forth. If you could just describe the last four or five years, going back and forth, and perhaps how strategically maybe even this has set you up for this opportunity here today?
LIAM COEN: The foundation of my career started in college in locker rooms in Maine and Brown and UMass, places that, let's be honest, don't have a ton of resources. So you learn kind of your DNA as a coach in some of those places.
And then in the last few years you get an opportunity to go coach in the National Football League, which has been the dream. Then you make a decision that ultimately was a little dicy at the time, I'll be honest.
You go back to a place where you just had success and had a great opportunity to be at but that was all done to go call plays again. That was the experience that I kind of missed that I missed in LA. I knew why I was going to take that job, but probably underestimated the leadership that goes with calling plays and truly running the show on offense.
Things have changed in the landscape of college football. We all know that. And when you start to have a young family, things change. Your priorities change. And the National Football League does provide a little bit more of an opportunity to be a father and a husband and a friend. And that's kind of why we've done the back and forth for the last few years. But I'll be in the NFL hopefully for a while.
Q. Shad, at what point during the search did it become apparent that there needed to be a parting of ways with Trent and the organization?
SHAD KHAN: Well, after the 10 video interviews were done and we were ready for -- that was a transition point for me to reflect and what was the right thing for the organization -- and that's when I decided that it was time for a change.
Q. Shad, you were so matter of fact saying he's our guy and we got our guy. But there had to be some work on your end that last Wednesday -- Trent's out and I assume you got on the phone with Liam and convinced him to change his mind and get back to Jacksonville and let's get this done?
SHAD KHAN: One thing that was different about this search that I was directly involved with the candidates and their representatives. I was involved with all of them.
Q. He was going back to Tampa, how did you get him on Wednesday on the phone to change his mind and get back here on Thursday? And does that say a lot about your conviction that he was the one?
SHAD KHAN: I believed that, yes. I believe he's the right person. And as I said earlier, I'd heard a lot about him, and then to get to meet him on video, and why this, I felt, was a great fit, Jaguars and Liam, modern football. And, so, that's how things went.
Q. Shad, as you formed this front office, reports you used Tony Boselli, he helped you out with the coaches search with you in the forefront. Is there a role for Tony going forward in the front office?
SHAD KHAN: We're going to have a position. We're checking with the league, what the rules are, what we have to follow. And then we'll take it from there.
Q. Liam, want to know how you were able to take a ground game that struggled in Tampa, 80 yards a game, 88 yards a game, and make it one of the best in the NFL in one year?
LIAM COEN: I think those guys that first started, with their willingness and openness, and a little bit of humility to not want to be at the bottom anymore. That was the reality, right? The previous two years, those guys, they wanted more from themselves. They wanted a different respect level around their peers and around the NFL.
So all we did was come in with the mindset of it takes all 11. It takes all 11 to get better in the run game.
Mike Evans, Hall of Famer, digging out support on the front side of runs, selflessness. Quarterback being involved. Everybody being involved.
And you started to show examples of that, whether it's in LA, Minnesota, whatever it is, Green Bay, a ton of different places run a similar system and have had similar success running the football, which now also helps the pass game, the defense, the special teams.
So I think the buy-in was pretty quick. But those guys knew it had to happen.
Q. Liam, who have been the people that influenced you in the way you call plays and design your offense? And you worked with Sean McVay. Do you consider yourself part of the Sean McVay tree?
LIAM COEN: It starts off with him. My dad right here, in terms of the mindset, he was a play caller, he was an offensive designer. And he always instilled the players-over-plays mentality.
Then you go to Brown, with Phil Estes, to UMAss with Mark Whipple and then continue to go. And, yeah, I think getting to the Rams and with Sean.
That was where I learned truly the game, I think, in a lot of ways, where I got my, if you will, Ph.D. in coaching and learned at a different level.
To be around him, the Kevin O'Connells, the Zac Taylors, those guys, the Matt LaFleurs, to be around them to see how they operated, this is the way I would like to do things.
You're always going to have your own twist on it. But I'm proud to say I'm in the Sean McVay tree.
Q. Shad, do you regret three weeks ago not hitting the reset button with front office and coach and over these last three weeks have you learned something different in this process maybe than previous processes?
SHAD KHAN: My goal is to do the right thing for the team, and I believe I'm doing that.
Q. Have you learned anything in this process?
SHAD KHAN: Every day is learning. If you're not learning, you're dying. So, life for me is about continuous improvement and continuous learning, okay. I've learned a lot today. (Laughter).
Please throw some easy questions like that, okay? (Laughter).
Q. Liam, how much does what is ahead factor into how you viewed this, because obviously you have this year but it's a limited capacity inside the stadium in '26. No home games in '27, new stadium in '28. Was that part of the equation when you were you were looking at this job?
LIAM COEN: I looked at it as an exciting part of this. My wife, been in the military, born in the Philippines, moved all over her childhood. I've moved around a lot through this process and my career here. We're used to that, honestly. We embrace that.
To try to bring home wins to Jacksonville, that is important, to protect our home turf. It's going to be a little bit different. It's going to be a little complicated over the next few years. But if we don't embrace that, then we have no shot, right?
If we can go start to build something that people are really proud of over these next two years, in year three, wherever we're playing, we want people to come. And then to go into this next one that we're coming into, I mean, the sky's the limit. That's something that we're excited about.
Q. Is that a mentality, by the way, to embrace even the London games? And how much do you embrace the idea where this team has played and at times played well over there?
LIAM COEN: My wife's favorite city. It's a great place. It's something cool, unique, different that ultimately, like I mentioned before, that you want to be a part of. You want to be a part of change. You want to be a part of something unique.
And that's what this opportunity does present. It isn't the norm. Nothing about this has been the norm. But that's really cool. That's really cool to be a part of that, and we're excited about it.
Q. What about this team excites you the most?
LIAM COEN: I think the leadership, first and foremost. You look at Josh Hines-Allen, the person, Trevor Lawrence the person, these guys have done unbelievable things throughout this community already.
So we know and I know that I'm going to be going to work with unbelievable people, first and foremost. And then you look at 20 draft picks over the next two years. You look at some of the players already currently on the roster that did some great things this year.
Well, everybody needs a coach. Everybody needs a player. We need each other. And I am so looking forward to doing this collaboratively with them, with this staff.
There's so many good pieces. You've got a rookie wide receiver that you can do a ton with. You've got two running backs you can do so many good things with.
And a defense that, man, they can go; we've just got to put them in better positions to help them be successful, and I think we can do that.
Special teams, what a shining spot for you guys this year. We've got to continue to do that and be special on special teams.
There's so many good things about this roster. And like we mentioned before, the future, the next few years, that's truly what's exciting as well.
Q. You mentioned earlier, how are you going to change this franchise into a consistently winning culture?
LIAM COEN: It starts with communication. It starts with the alignment and communication at every level. Building, first and foremost, the best staff we can build because, like I mentioned, it's about these guys.
So how do we put the best coaches in place to help these players reach their full abilities?
Now, with the front office, how do we continue to build there and get this thing fully in alignment so that then when we go into the offseason program, we're all on the same page, we all understand the vision and the goal?
When I walked into the Los Angeles Rams building in 2018, I had never felt anything like that before in my life. It was a different introduction to coaching, and you saw a building, every single person that was in that building and a part of that thing was in alignment. I think that's the key.
Q. Liam, working for guys like Sean and Todd in Tampa, what did you learn from them just what it takes to be a leader of an entire program?
LIAM COEN: I think the vulnerability to be honest with yourself when you do make mistakes, being able to own up to them, to be able to move on. If we can all be honest with each other in this building, we'll be able to grow. I think that's the first thing, the ownership.
The ownership is not just in the good times, it's truly in the adverse times. And how do we handle success while also being able to handle adversity -- those are things I learned from Sean. We had to learn some -- we had a difficult season in 2022. That formed us. That changed us. We've talked about that year and how difficult that was, but we're better from it.
So those experiences, that ultimately helps mold who you are, what you're made of, and I hope to be able to bring that here as well.
Q. Shad, what's your vision in terms of putting the 53 together and how much say Liam will have in the construction of the team?
SHAD KHAN: Obviously, the head coach, he's the head coach, and we've never had a player come in here that the coaches didn't want.
So I think it's imperative that he's involved in every player coming in is someone he wants.
Q. Liam, how do you assess the lines of scrimmage here and where do you think you need to get better?
LIAM COEN: I think we would all agree that it needs to improve, right? I think, first and foremost, when you look at the offensive side of the ball, you want that unit and that group, it's the first thing when you break the huddle that the defense sees. I want that to mean something.
We want that to mean something. And it will. And that's a mentality. That's personnel. That's scheme. That's technique. That's fundamentals. That's attitude. That's something that we need to make sure we instill.
And on the defensive side of the ball, I think we all know that we've got some talented dudes there. We've got some guys that can really go. How do we continue to ensure the inside, but we've got multiple guys up front that can do some good things.
We've got to put them in a position to be successful. That's our job. The guys are there; we can continue to add in that room, right, add multiple different positions as well, but that's where it starts, as you mentioned.
To go into playoff games and to go do it, you've got to be able to run the football and stop the run, first and foremost.
THE MODERATOR: It's my pleasure to introduce the mayor of Jacksonville, Donna Deegan. (Applause).
DONNA DEEGAN: What a wonderful day for Jacksonville. This is all about Jacksonville's future, Coach. We're excited to have you here, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention something really important about Jacksonville's past.
As I was walking in this afternoon, Mark told me that we lost Betty Petway today. And Betty and Tom Petway were two of the driving forced behind the fact that we even have a Jacksonville Jaguars team to talk about today. So as somebody who has loved this team since before we learned we had it, I'll say Godspeed to Betty.
To Coach, on behalf of the entire city, every resident here and Jaguar fans everywhere, we welcome you to Jacksonville. I would say it really is wonderful to meet Ashley and your beautiful children. Truly, I mean, Jackson and Callahan, fate, do you think, Shad, or perhaps kismet. You took my joke -- I had to do something with it.
But seriously, this partnership is so important to the city of Jacksonville. We love this city with all our hearts.
Ashley, I look forward to the next time, maybe a year from now, when your husband is talking about your favorite city, he says Jacksonville; Jacksonville is her favorite city.
We love this city with all our hearts, and we couldn't be more thrilled to have you here and welcome you to our community. You're going to love the people here, and we're going to love you. Thank you so much. (Applause).
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports