Former New York Jets Coach May Be Mentoring Next Head-Coaching Hire

As the New York Jets look for a new head coach, their attention could end up trained on an offensive coordinator working for a former Jets boss.

Sep 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) talks with offensive coordinator Liam Coen against the Washington Commanders during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The New York Jets and Todd Bowles have an interesting relationship.

Bowles was the coach hired to place Rex Ryan in 2015 after a successful stint as a defensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals.

Bowles had one good season, winning 10 games his first year but never lived up to expectations as he went 24-40 in four season and was fired.

He’s resurrected his career in Tampa Bay. He went to work for Bruce Arians as his defensive coordinator, helped the franchise win a Super Bowl and then took over after Arians retired in 2022.

This stint has gone better, as the Buccaneers went to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons.

No, he’s not coming back to New York. But he employs a coach the Jets might want to walk with about their open head-coaching job — Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

Recently, Sports Illustrated published an exhaustive list of the top coaching candidates for this cycle. Coen’s name made the list.

The article didn’t speak with Bowles about Coen. But it did speak to former UMass coach Mark Whipple, who has also been a long-time NFL assistant coach. He recruited Coen as a quarterback to the Minutemen, where Coen was a four-year starter and still holds several of the program’s passing records.

Coen also worked under Whipple at UMass as his quarterbacks coach in 2014-15. Coen’s ability to listen and his experience with the position works well with players and he sees that in Coen’s current dynamic with the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield.

“He always took great notes,” Whipple said. “The first year he coached quarterbacks [under me at UMass], that guy went on to be All-MAC. He ran the meetings. He’s attentive, detail-oriented. He left me and went to Maine, did a great job with the quarterback there and got in with the right group in the NFL.”

The Bucs are under .500 this season, but injuries to the team’s top three receiving targets has made things a challenge. Still, with Coen leading the way, the Bucs remain a top-third offense.

Coen has worked through the coaching ranks for 15 years and has made several stops, starting as quarterbacks coach at Brown in 2010. He first became an offensive coordinator at Maine in 2016.

In 2018 he hooked into the Sean McVay coaching tree and became an assistant wide receivers coach job with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018.

He became an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Kentucky in 2021, went back to the Rams in 2022 to be their OC and then returned to Kentucky to resume his OC/QB duties in 2023.

The Buccaneers hired him to run their offense before this season.

Now the big question — would Bowles recommend the Jets to Coen if New York came calling?