Kentucky offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Liam Coen is reportedly once again flirting with a return to the NFL.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports the Chicago Bears will interview Coen for its vacant offensive coordinator position. Jones has not reported when that interview will occur.
Other candidates reported include Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and San Francisco 49ers passing game cordwainer Klint Kubiak.
The Bears are in the process of replacing Luke Getsy, who was fired after two seasons as Chicago’s play caller.
Coen has deep ties to the NFL.
The 38-year-old served as the Los Angeles Rams assistant wide receivers coach from 2018-19 and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020.
He landed at Kentucky as offensive coordinator in 2021 and led the Cats’ offense to its most productive season of the Mark Stoops era, averaging 32.3 points per game and 425.2 yards per game. With Coen at the helm, quarterback Will Levis threw for 2,826 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 376 yards and nine scores, which eventually helped him become the second round selection of the Tennessee Titans in the 2023 NFL Draft and Wan’Dale Robinson set the program’s single-season receiving yard (1,334) and reception (104) record.
On February 21, 2022, following the Rams’ win in Super Bowl LVI and Kevin O’Connell‘s departure to become the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, Coen left the Rams to serve as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Both the Rams’ offense under head coach Sean McVay and Coen and Kentucky’s offense under his replacement Rich Scangarello struggled in 2022, and following both team’s respective seasons, the two reunited with Coen agreeing to return as UK’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Kentucky’s offense improved from 2022 but still had its struggles in Coen’s second overall season with the team as it averaged 29.1 points per game and 339.5 yards per game.
Despite an up-and-down 2023 from the offense, the Wildcats have benefited in recruiting with Coen at the helm and are set to bring in Georgia transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff, who committed to Kentucky before taking an official visit due to his relationship with the 38-year-old play-caller.
Thus, losing Coen would be a catastrophic loss for a Kentucky program that badly needs offensive stability.
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