When Liam Coen left his position as the Bucs’ offensive coordinator after a wildly successful 2024 season to become the new head coach of the Jaguars, there was plenty of frustration to go around. On the surface, the move was like so many others that happen around the league every year. A coordinator leaving one team to become a head coach of another isn’t exactly scandalous.

But you undoubtedly remember the way this one went down, right? Without rehashing every detail, there was some back-and-forth at the time, with Coen reaffirming his commitment to stay with Tampa Bay, turning the Jacksonville job down. But he went back on that when the Jaguars fired their general manager, and in the process of renewing contact with Jacksonville, he went silent on the Buccaneers, who tried and failed to get in contact with him.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and OC Liam Coen – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Coen eventually broke that silence and told Bucs head coach Todd Bowles that he had renewed his interest in the head coaching job, but the Bucs brass knew he was already in Jacksonville. Not long after that, he was the Jaguars’ head coach. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said at the time that he couldn’t remember the last time a team was so “irate” over a coaching decision, if that gives you a reminder of how the Buccaneers felt back then.

But time heals, right? That’s a message both Coen and Bucs general manager Jason Licht shared in the aftermath of the whole situation. Coen expressed remorse over how he handled the situation, and ultimately, Licht, Bowles and Co. expressed their excitement and appreciation for Coen and his family.

That brings us to this week, when the Buccaneers and Jaguars met in Jacksonville for a couple of joint practices ahead of their preseason matchup Friday night at EverBank Stadium. This is the first meeting between the two teams since that January 2025 saga, but it couldn’t be clearer that time does heal and any perceived bad blood from the way everything was handled is now water under the bridge.

In fact, Bowles said last week that his relationship with his former offensive coordinator hadn’t changed at all and that he was looking forward to his Buccaneers getting some good work against Coen’s Jaguars.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Me and Liam have always been great,” Bowles said. “It’s been great the whole time. Our relationship hasn’t changed a bit. We talk. We text. We bounce things off each other. It will be great to get practice reps against them because it will be the last one going into the season and you’ll see the full gambit. I think we got a small sample size last night but we need more practice in certain situations to clean things up so we’re hoping to get some good work in.”

After Tuesday’s practice, Coen shared his own appreciation for Bowles and the work his defense was able to provide for the Jacksonville offense.

“A lot of new faces, but I think they’re fast, especially in the box,” Coen said. “Like their front seven I feel [is] faster. I’ve got to obviously watch it to see the true individual performances, but I feel like they have a fast defense. I think they’ve got multiple players at different levels that can make plays. I thought Zyon kind of stood out a bit. Antoine again with the punch out early on right away. It was great to compete against these guys.

“What I was so looking forward to was, we got a lot of static looks from New Orleans and Carolina – and very similar defensive structures. And so to see more chaos, to see more bullets flying all over the place is so good for us. We get some of it against our own defense, but you can’t simulate this speed and the rush and the way that these guys play. I think they’re (the Bucs defense) going to be just fine.”

And before Wednesday’s practice, Bowles and Coen had a few moments to catch up. Their reunion wasn’t the only one in Jacksonville this week, either.

There Were Plenty More Reunions Between Bucs And Jaguars

The reunion between Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and Jaguars head coach Liam Coen wasn’t the only one that occurred this week, as Coen is also best friends with Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. The two spent time together on Sean McVay’s staff with the Rams and continue to talk all the time. After Tuesday’s practice, Coen had high praise for his friend/the Bucs’ new play-caller.

“Zac is diligent, detailed and works at it,” Coen said. “He knows the game from a quarterback’s lens. Obviously has a strong rapport already with Baker [Mayfield]. I think what Zac does is he works extremely diligently hard at situational football, putting guys in positions to be successful, utilizing motion to an advantage.

“Went to Atlanta and got a little bit more of the wide zone stuff and was able to get people running and get Bijan [Robinson] in position to be an MVP candidate. I know when he has skill players he’ll put them in position to succeed.”

Coen also caught up with some of his former players, including reserve offensive tackle Justin Skule.

Jaguars HC Liam Coen and Bucs OT Justin Skule – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

And then there were some reunions to be had between other Bucs players – particularly along the offensive line – and Jaguars center Robert Hainsey, who played for Tampa Bay from 2021-2024. Coen’s departure from Tampa Bay lined up with Hainsey becoming a free agent, and the former Bucs third-round pick followed his coach up to Jacksonville.

Hainsey had a solid year for the Jaguars in 2025, starting 15 games and serving as a team captain for the first time in his career. He was the anchor of an offensive line that helped Coen, Trevor Lawrence and Co. to a 13-4 record and 27.9 points per game, which ranked sixth in the NFL.

With Tampa Bay and Jacksonville not meeting in the preseason or regular season last year, this was also the first time Hainsey got to catch up with his former teammates – at least on the field. “Bob” was a beloved member of the Bucs’ offensive line room and was particularly good friends with left tackle Tristan Wirfs. Plus, he helped center Graham Barton along in his 2024 rookie season. Those two were seen talking Wednesday as well.