On Friday, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced Liam Coen would be their new head coach. The path to get there, though, was far from linear: Coen agreed to join the Jaguars after a second interview Thursday, after already reportedly agreeing to an extension to remain the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator.

In a messy saga, Coen and the Buccaneers came to an agreement on an extension that would have made Coen one of the highest-paid coordinators in the league, according to ESPN. But the next day, Coen traveled to Jacksonville to meet with the Jaguars for a second, in-person interview.

The Jaguars' keeping Coen's second interview under wraps may have served multiple purposes, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. The secrecy allowed Coen to keep Tampa Bay's offer alive while he went to Jacksonville. But, per SI's report, keeping the meeting quiet also helped Jacksonville gain compliance with the Rooney Rule, an often controversial rule that requires teams to interview with at least two minority candidates for a head coaching, general manager or coordinator position.

Prior to Coen's meeting Thursday, the Jaguars had interviewed only one candidate who would qualify: former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who had interviewed in person earlier this month. Under the rule, Jacksonville needed a second in-person interview in order to satisfy the requirement. The team's other minority candidate, Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, was scheduled to come in for a second interview Thursday.

Per Sports Illustrated, the Jaguars did not want word of their meeting with Coen to get out because they did not want Graham to cancel his interview. After interviewing Graham, the team cancelled Saleh's second interview, which was supposed to take place Friday.

Coen's side of things was similarly messy. After verbally agreeing to the deal with the Buccaneers, Coen reportedly kept putting off his final decision for multiple days — and put off actually signing the contract until Thursday morning. From there, Tampa Bay reportedly struggled to contact him, with Bucs general manager Jason Licht, assistant GM Mike Greenberg and head coach Todd Bowles all attempting to reach Coen.

Coen finally reached out to the team, saying he was dealing with a personal matter, and then called Bowles in the evening Thursday. During the call, per SI, Coen mentioned that things had changed in Jacksonville, and that he was going to speak about the opening with the team in person. However, per Sports Illustrated, a staffer with the Buccaneers was tipped off by someone in the Jaguars' facility that Coen was already there, less than an hour after that phone call.

Coen's renewed interest in the team came one day after team owner Shad Khan fired general manager Trent Baalke. Per multiple media reports, Coen is getting a chance to effectively pick his GM as part of taking the position, a rarity for a first-time head coach.

The road to get there has taken many twists and turns, and may result in further issues down the road. Brian Flores, now the Vikings defensive coordinator, sued the league for racial discrimination in 2022 under similar circumstances. In the lawsuit, Flores alleged the New York Giants interviewed him only to satisfy the Rooney Rule despite already having a candidate — Brian Daboll — in mind. That lawsuit is ongoing.