'Elite Football Minds'? What Liam Coen Said About Shane Waldron Has Seattle Fans Raising Eyebrows

Alright, 12s, buckle up, because there's some coaching news out of Jacksonville that's got us all doing a double-take. The Jaguars just dropped some announcements about their staff on June 30, 2026, and guess who’s getting a shiny new title down there? None other than Shane Waldron, our former offensive coordinator from 2021-2023. He's been promoted to assistant head coach and pass game coordinator. Seriously? The Emerald City knows a thing or two about his offensive genius, and honestly, the praise coming from the Jaguars head coach is making us wonder if we watched the same dude for three years.

Waldron's Ascent... Elsewhere, Plus Heath Farwell's New Gig

So, Waldron's officially an assistant head coach and pass game coordinator in Jacksonville. He apparently linked up with their staff last year when Head Coach Liam Coen was brought in. Before that, he was with the Bears as their offensive coordinator in 2025, but that didn't even last a full season, right? He got dismissed midseason. Before his time in Chicago, he was here, our guy, running the offense for three seasons, from 2021 to 2023. Yeah, those years. He also had a long stint with the Rams before us, where he apparently coached alongside Coen, so there's the connection. And hey, while we're talking about promotions, Heath Farwell also got a bump. He's now the associate head coach and special teams coordinator for the Jags. Farwell's been their special teams coordinator since 2022, having been hired by former head coach Doug Pederson. Before Jacksonville, he was handling special teams for Buffalo. Good for him, seriously.

Coen's High Praise and the Seattle Reality Check

But let's get back

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to Waldron for a second, because that's where the real head-scratcher is for us. Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen dropped a statement, and this is where it gets spicy. He said, "These elevations for Shane and Heath are certainly well earned, as both were instrumental upon our arrival last year, but more than that, they will be key figures in the coming years as we push to establish a sustainable winning culture here in Jacksonville." Okay, solid coach speak. But then he added, "Shane and Heath are both well-established, elite football minds and have my complete trust. I am grateful to have them with me and to be able to lean on their expertise and leadership moving forward." "Elite football minds," huh? That's what Coen called Waldron. And he has Coen's "complete trust." Man, that's some serious praise. For us here in Seattle, after watching Waldron run our offense for three seasons, "elite" isn't exactly the first word that jumps to mind for a lot of us, is it? We saw plenty of struggles and a whole lot of head-scratching moments during his tenure. It's wild how different the perception can be! It makes you wonder what Jacksonville is seeing that maybe we didn't, or what they think he's capable of now. So, what does this mean for us? Not much for our current squad, obviously. We're focused on our own future with Coach Macdonald and Brian Fleury steering the ship. But it’s a good reminder that the NFL coaching carousel keeps spinning, and some folks get their flowers even after moving on from the Green and Blue. As we inch closer to the next season, it's just another story to chew on. We'll be watching how those "elite football minds" do down in Jacksonville. Good luck to them, but our eyes are on Lumen Field, waiting for our guys to kick off the season and show *our* expertise!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.