Offseason Chronicles: The Jaguars Are Finally Built To Stay

 

Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Jaguars head coach Liam Coen talk to each other during an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2026, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL. The Jaguars defeated the Houston Texans, 17-10. (Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire)

Sustained excellence is very hard to achieve in the NFL, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are a prime example of that. Ever since they entered the league as an expansion team in 1995, the Jaguars have established a reputation for always teasing potential but never actually realizing it. 

The team's best stretch of play up to this point was from 1996 to 1999, when, led by Pro Bowl quarterback Mark Brunell, Pro Bowl running back Fred Taylor, and their star wide receiver duo of Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, they made four consecutive playoff berths and two AFC Championship appearances (although they failed to make the Super Bowl during that era). However, due to an aging roster and salary cap issues, the Jaguars' championship window closed after losing in the AFC title game in 1999 to the division rival Tennessee Titans. Jacksonville would not make it back to the AFC Championship game until 2017, when they managed to snap a 10-year playoff drought with the help of their historic "Sacksonville" defence, which captivated the NFL and nearly got to the Super Bowl before narrowly losing to Tom Brady and the then-defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the AFC title game. But similarly to what happened at the turn of the century, the Jaguars were unable to sustain that elite level of play and cratered to a five-win season in 2018 and a six-win season in 2019 before tumbling to the bottom of the league with a 1-15 record in 2020, a result that actually paid off for the Jags as they were able to secure their franchise quarterback of the future: Trevor Lawrence.

Billed as one of the best quarterback prospects in the modern era, Lawrence represented something that the Jaguars didn't possess for a long time: hope. However, it did take a while for that hope to be realized, mainly due to the fact that the franchise struggled to pair him up with the right head coach. Lawrence's rookie season was a complete mess, ruined by head coach Urban Meyer, who made a lot of questionable decisions and lasted only one year in Jacksonville.

 Lawrence's second head coach, Doug Pederson, was a little better, as Lawrence played well during his sophomore season in 2022 (4,113 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns) and led the Jaguars to an AFC South division title and playoff appearance for the first time in five years, which included an infamous comeback victory in the playoffs over the Chargers. However, the team's success with Pederson at the helm turned out to be short-lived, as they suffered a late-season collapse and missed the playoffs in 2023 before plummeting to a 4-13 record in 2024 that ultimately led to Pederson's dismissal after the season, a campaign that saw Lawrence struggle with injuries. It seemed like the Jaguars were about to waste the prime years of their franchise quarterback, and it was clear that change was needed to avoid that.

Insert Liam Coen.

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen calls a play during an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. The Jaguars defeated the 49ers, 26-21. (Getty Images)

Coen, who did a fantastic job as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024, was hired by new Jaguars general manager James Gladstone this past January. Coen, who comes from the well-renowned Sean McVay coaching tree, is known for tailoring his scheme to his players, while scheming his players open with pre-snap motions and creative playcalling. Coen's coaching prowess powered Baker Mayfield to a career-best season during the 2024-25 campaign while also helping the Buccaneers finish with the fourth-best rushing attack in the NFL, providing Gladstone with optimism that Coen could replicate that same success with Lawrence in Jacksonville. And this past season, it's safe to say the Jags were rewarded for their decision to bring Coen in.

During the 2025-26 NFL season, Lawrence enjoyed the best season of his career under Coen's tutelage, throwing for 4,007 yards and 29 touchdown passes while also rushing for a career-high 359 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. With Lawrence and Coen running the show, the Jaguars flourished, particularly during the second half of the season, as they won eight games in a row to end the season with a sterling 13-4 record and an AFC South division title. And while Jacksonville's season ended in a very close defeat to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round, it's clear that this is a team that is heading in the right direction moving forward.

The Jaguars have also done a great job of adding playmakers around Lawrence to help him flourish. During last season's trade deadline, they made a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who has become one of the best slot receivers in the NFL and earned a contract extension from the team late last year for his performance. Fourth-year wide receiver Parker Washington proved to be a reliable target for Lawrence throughout the season, finishing with 847 receiving yards and five touchdowns. 2025 second-overall pick and two-way phenom Travis Hunter flashed during his rookie season and looks poised to contribute in a more simplified way on offence this year. And while Brian Thomas Jr. had a rough season in 2025, he is still a very talented wide receiver who put up 1,282 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns during his rookie year in 2024, and has looked very good in training camp thus far coming into this season.

Of course, nothing is ever guaranteed in sports, and the NFL is certainly no exception, but led by Lawrence and Coen, it finally seems like sustained excellence, something the Jaguars as a franchise have never attained, is firmly in their reach.