When Liam Coen guided the Bucs‘ offense to a stellar top-four finish in total yards (6,793), passing yards (4,505), and rushing yards (2,536), Tampa Bay was eager to lock him in with a fat new deal for his offensive coordinator role. Sounds like a done deal, right? Well, hold up—because lurking in the shadows was another team with bigger ambitions. The Jacksonville Jaguars had their eyes on Coen all along, and they weren’t just after an OC.

Nope, they came in with a jaw-dropping offer, not just to keep him as an OC but to take the head coaching gig. And as if that wasn’t enough of a plot twist, the Jaguars might not be finished messing with the Bucs just yet—they’re eyeing Tampa’s O-line coaching staff next. And this time, it’s assistant offensive line coach Brian Picucci. But here’s the kicker: the Bucs have played this game before, and they’re not letting go of their other O-line coaching staff.

ESPN’s Senior NFL Insider, Adam Schefter, recently mentioned that “Buccaneers blocked Jacksonville’s request to interview its assistant offensive line coach, Brian Picucci, who left Kentucky with Liam Coen to go to Tampa. Jags were able to hire Coen, but not Picucci.” No NFL game this week? Alright, the Bucs have enough stuff to keep you hooked. And mark this day as the day from when the Jaguars will never be granted permission again to talk to the Bucs’ coach.

And for the Bucs? Well, this is the second time they’ve rejected the Jaguar’s interview request in the past few days. Before Picucci, the Jacksonville team requested to interview the Buccaneers’ offensive line coach, Kevin Carberry. An,d of course, the Bucs denied the request. Looks like the Jaguars are planning to build a Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2.0. And it all started when they hired Liam Coen.

See, Coen was not ready for the Jaguars’ offer in the first place. But when the team mutually parted ways with their general manager, Trent Baalke, Coen finally put pen to paper to a lucrative contract worth $13M per year. But that’s not all. Besides a hefty contract, the Jacksonville team allowed Coen to select the next GM.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. After becoming the head coach of the Jaguars, Coen confirmed that he’ll choose the best coaching staff for the team for the next season. And looking at the Bucs’ O-line this season, no wonder he ended up requesting Tampa Bay to interview their coaching staff, especially their offensive coaching staff.

How did Liam Coen reject the Bucs for the Jaguars?

Ever since Shad Khan hired Coen as the new HC for the Jaguars, social media has been flooded with a lot of buzz around this news. Or should we say, a lot of criticism over Coen’s hiring? Well, it depends on certain POVs. But the truth is, that’s how the football is working lately. Coen had two offers: one with the Bucs, offering him $4.5M per year, but as an offensive coordinator. And the Jaguars? Well, we already know that insane deal: $13M per year as a head coach. No wonder Coen chose the latter.

But that’s not as easy as it seems. There’s a whole lot of drama to uncover behind this insane deal. See, Coen rejected the second interview with the Jaguars and was ready to accept the Bucs’ deal on Thursday, January 23rd. But guess what? The former offensive coordinator ghosted the Bucs, and he never showed up in Tampa. Why? Well, that’s not Agatha Christie’s mystery novel.

Shad Khan and Trent Baalke decided to mutually part ways, and that decision turned out pretty well for Coen’s hiring. On Thursday, Coen finally called the Bucs and informed them that he’s not coming back.

That said, Coen will now be coaching a team that wrapped its season 4-13 with a struggling offense. After all, the Jaguars were the worst rushing team in the league this season, averaging only 88.8 yards. On top of that, the Jaguars fans—and the team—are all in on Liam Coen, hoping he can work his magic on Trevor Lawrence just like he did with Baker Mayfield this season.