On Monday night, quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 31-28 comeback win over the Kansas City Chiefs with a wild, game-winning 1-yard touchdown run. In the chaotic seconds, Lawerence tripped over his lineman and fell twice with less than 30 seconds left. He scrambled back up, dodged the defenders, and dove into the end zone to seal the victory. The win extended Jacksonville’s streak to three wins, tying them with the Indianapolis Colts for first place in the AFC South.

The dramatic finish underscored how far the Jaguars have come under Head Coach Liam Coen. After a strong start to the season, Jacksonville’s offense found its groove, with Lawrence showing poise and persistence in clutch moments. This has been their best start to a season since 2007. This is their first year under Coen and General Manager James Gladstone. After a 4-13 season in 2024 under Doug Pederson, the team is showing quite the turnaround.

A big reason for this turnaround has been Lawrence. He has thrown 1,066 yards and six touchdowns through five games. Running back Travis Etienne Jr. has added more than 400 yards on the ground. The Jaguars have averaged approximately 25 points per game, ranking them among the league’s better offenses. Rather than relying solely on Lawrence’s arm, Coen’s system has emphasized versatility, mixing quick passes and creative runs that keep defenses off balance.

Just as important has been the team’s renewed chemistry and confidence. After last season’s struggles under Pederson, the Jaguars are playing with a new sense of trust. Lawrence’s leadership has set the tone, and younger players have stepped into bigger roles with composure, such as Heisman winner Travis Hunter. Each win has built belief inside the locker room that this group can compete to win the AFC.

It’s been four years since Trevor Lawrence entered the NFL as the first overall pick, touted as the next generational quarterback. Since then, he’s led the Jacksonville Jaguars to a single season over .500 – 2022, when they went 9-8 and made it to the divisional round of the playoffs – and has led the league in interceptions once and fumbles lost twice.

The team the Jaguars have built around Lawrence often hasn’t looked pretty, and the management has been tumultuous, to say the least. Not to mention that, after a 2-8 run to start the 2024 season, Lawrence was injured in early December on a hit by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair widely decried as dirty. But the team went 2-5 the rest of the way with Mac Jones at the helm, and that sends a message, too.

Despite the setbacks, Lawrence has reaffirmed his confidence in the Jaguars, especially after a management swap landed the team new head coach Liam Coen.

While 2024 was Coen’s first full season in the NFL, serving as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, his offense put up top-five performances in total offense (scoring, rushing and passing), third-down percentage and red-zone touchdown percentage. His offensive structure elevated Baker Mayfield‘s game – and Lawrence is hoping the magic will continue.

“I like everything that we have in place so far — coach Coen and the whole staff that he’s brought in so far,” Lawrence told Kay Adams. “So, I’m really excited and optimistic about the future.”

Lawrence noted details of Cohen’s offensive scheme that he was excited for, but also put emphasis on the energy he’s bringing to the organization. “[H]aving that energy day-in, day-out is, I think, something that our team needs,” he said.

“We’ve been through a lot. The last two seasons have been… not what we expected after what we did two years ago. And I think this team just needs some juice, and I know he’s going to bring that.”

In the interview, Lawrence also brushed away any rumors of a prospective trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I have a no-trade clause in my contract, so I would know about it if I was getting traded or if that was something that was going to happen,” Lawrence said. “I would have to be on board with it, which I’m not. I’m happy here in Jacksonville. We want to win a Super Bowl here and I think we can do that. I don’t want to leave Jacksonville, so I’m happy here. Not going to Pittsburgh.”

With Lawrence locked in and ready to make a return in 2025, the Jaguars will have to wait and see whether a change in leadership will help him live up to his potential.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been in the head coaching hunt since the firing of head coach Doug Pederson, who lost his job following a Week 18 loss that dropped the team to 4-13 on the season.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s barely been a couple of weeks. But in that time, the two most sought-after coaching candidates – Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson – have found their places with the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears, while a host of other teams are working through their hiring processes. Johnson was one of the ten candidates to score interviews with Jacksonville.

Multiple sources, though, reported that Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen was the Jags’ top choice. In 2024, his first season coaching in the NFL, Coen’s Buccaneers offense put up top-five performances in total offense (scoring, rushing and passing), third-down percentage and red-zone touchdown percentage. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns on the year, helping carry the Bucs to their fourth straight NFC South title.

Coen was one of three candidates invited to a second interview with the Jaguars, along with former Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. That dream was seemingly crushed Wednesday morning, though, when it was reported that Coen had accepted a new contract in Tampa that would make him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the NFL.

But why didn’t he choose Jacksonville?

The Jaguars, after all, have young Trevor Lawrence at quarterback, not to mention Brian Thomas Jr., who’s just 22. They ended 2024 with the same record as the Patriots, who managed to secure Vrabel.

Well, in the midst of the Pederson firing, owner Shad Khan refused to fire general manager Trent Baalke, claiming that a complete overhaul of the organization would be tantamount to “suicide.” Baalke, despite a combined 31-68 record for the five coaches under his tenure and a less-than-stellar track record at finding and developing talent, would lead the head coaching search.

It was only a few hours after Coen reportedly removed himself from the search that Baalke was finally fired. Assistant General Manager Ethan Waugh will serve as the interim GM.

“I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville and look forward to introducing a new head coach who will make that happen for our players and fans alike,” Khan said in a statement.

Coen reportedly hasn’t officially put pen to paper, leaving him still technically open for a head coaching role. As Jacksonville prepares to look for a new general manager as well, though, their indecisiveness may have cost them for good.