AFC SouthBrian Thomas Jr.NFL

Jacksonville Jaguars 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Will the ‘Duuuval’ Dark Horses Win the AFC South Behind Liam Coen and Travis Hunter?

Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar13/08/2025 - 05:50 am
(Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images)

It was 30 years ago when the Jacksonville Jaguars started playing NFL games in the 1995 season. Early on, they looked like they’d be one of the league’s best instant success stories, making the playoffs four years in a row in 1996-99. But they’ve made it back to the playoffs just four times in the 25 seasons since.

Let 2025 begin a new era for Jacksonville after the hiring of coach Liam Coen and the bold draft trade to move up for Travis Hunter, the most interesting draft prospect in years. Hunter could be the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL if he is able to excel at wide receiver and cornerback as he plans to do the way he did at Colorado when he won the 2024 Heisman Trophy.

There’s a lot on Coen’s plate here as a rookie coach. But if he shows he can handle it in maybe the NFL’s easiest division, he just may have a good argument for Coach of the Year this season if the Jaguars exceed expectations. The sportsbooks are making it a coin flip for this team to win over 7.5 games coming off a 4-13 finish. But when you are paying quarterback Trevor Lawrence this much money and make a hire and draft pick like this, you should have loftier expectations than 8-9.

Let’s put a bow on the Doug Pederson era, look at Coen’s cringeworthy press conference to start his tenure, and why he just may be the right guy to unlock the full potential in Lawrence and Hunter for a surprise season from the Jaguars. We also have our best Jaguars bets for 2025.

Previously on JAGUARS: The Season Ended in September

The 2024 Jaguars did little to keep anyone’s attention after starting 0-4 in September. The passing game was missing in action, and the defense showed forcing turnovers would be a real struggle.

About the only thing the Jaguars did well was beat the Colts in Jacksonville for a ninth time in a row. They had their season highs in points (37) and yards (497) that day. But their only other win with Lawrence was 32-16 over the rebuilding Patriots in London.

A week later, the Jaguars pushed Green Bay in a tight 30-27 loss. The season effectively died in Philadelphia in Week 9, a strange game where the Jaguars trailed 22-0 with Lawrence having one of the least-effective games of his career. That was the day Saquon Barkley did his reverse hurdle over the defense, but things kept happening in the second half to benefit Jacksonville, and they found themselves 13 yards away from the go-ahead touchdown with 1:42 left.

But that’s when Lawrence forced a bad interception, killing the rally attempt. Lawrence missed the next two games with injury, the Lions blasted Jacksonville 52-6 with Mac Jones starting, then Lawrence suffered a concussion on a nasty, cheap hit by the Texans that ended his season.

The Jaguars swept the Titans late in the season, which actually ended up determining the No. 1 pick and sending Cam Ward to Tennessee. Not that the Jaguars were going to take him, but interesting to note there if Ward turns into a franchise player.

But even if Lawrence doesn’t get injured in 2024, the results on either side of the ball weren’t good enough, so it made perfect sense why coach Doug Pederson was let go after three seasons.

Time for a new era.

Liam Coen: The Football Nerd the Jaguars Needed and an NFL Coach of the Year Candidate

Jacksonville Jaguars 2025 Liam Coen
“Come with me, and you’ll be, in a world of pure imagination.”

One of the main reasons the Jaguars haven’t continued their 1990’s success has been hiring the wrong coaches. They initially had Tom Coughlin (1995-02), a disciplinarian who came from the Bill Parcells coaching tree and was a stickler for time and doing things the right way.

  • Then they hired Jack Del Rio (2003-11), a former linebacker who was more of a meathead and one of the last guys you’d want trying to cook up defenses to slow down Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
  • Mike Mularkey (2012) was a one-and-done retread who inexplicably kept getting opportunities around the league.
  • Gus Bradley (2013-16) had one of the worst records ever (14-48) with his bland defensive schemes and the offense was not good in those years.
  • The team promoted interim coach Doug Marrone to full-time coach in 2017, had that magical run to the AFC Championship Game, but the defense proved to be a one-year wonder (helps when Andrew Luck and Deshaun Watson suffer season-ending injuries in the AFC South), and it was only diminishing returns after that.
  • The Jaguars dug into the college game to pair Urban Meyer with Trevor Lawrence for 2021, but Meyer still had a frat-boy mentality off the field and treated people poorly while doing a terrible job as a coach – fired during his first season.
  • Doug Pederson was a solid hire as someone who had a ring and could help Lawrence develop with his second chance at head coach, but he was on the older side (54) and still had some of those Andy Reid flaws with clock management and balancing the offense. One fluke playoff run in 2022 was the high point.

What the Jaguars really need is a younger offensive mind who will incorporate all the latest NFL trends, including more play-action passing, motion, varied formations, and utilizing your quarterback’s mobility.

The Viral “Duuuval” Moment

The Jaguars hired Liam Coen, who turns 40 in November, and he has spent multiple seasons on the Rams under Sean McVay, including as their offensive coordinator in 2022. He also served as the offensive coordinator for Kentucky in 2021 when Will Levis threw a career-high 24 touchdowns and again in 2023.

But the main reason Coen got the job is the work he did with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024 as their offensive coordinator. Baker Mayfield had a career year with 71.4% completions, 4,500 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes, and the Bucs also rushed for 2,536 yards with the third-highest yards per carry (5.3). They were also No. 1 on third down (50.9% conversion rate).

Coen’s offense shredded the Eagles better than any other team did in 2024. He also dropped 40 points on Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers defense, which ranked No. 1 in points allowed. The Bucs also pushed the Chiefs to overtime in Arrowhead despite missing their best wide receivers that night.

Coen joins a Jacksonville team that has a lot of solid pieces to work with, but hardly anyone has come close to reaching their full potential in the NFL yet. That’s why this could be one of the surprise teams this year if he can get everyone on the same page.

But first impressions can go a long way in shaping narratives. Coen didn’t do himself many favors when the Jaguars introduced him and he delivered this cringeworthy “Duuuuval!” to appease the locals in Jacksonville. It naturally went viral right away.

I can’t tell if he’s trying to win a Brandon Weeden lookalike contest or inviting you to the grand opening of Willy Wonka’s Football Factory. Given a redo in January, Coen still didn’t quite nail it:

But we’ve learned you can’t hold it against a coach if his opening team presser gets a bit weird or uncomfortable. We’ve seen it happen already with Doug Pederson (2016 Eagles), Nick Sirianni (2021 Eagles), and Dan Campbell (2021 Lions), and they still got the job done for their teams. Coen might not have the best camera charisma, but all that matters is if he can coach.

Coen Helping the Jaguars Get the Best Version of Trevor Lawrence Yet

It’s also one of the more fascinating spots in the league that’s dying for someone to step in and get instant improvement. A quarterback like Lawrence has always been more potential than production, but going into Year 5 with arguably his best supporting cast, we need to see more. Let’s see if Coen can give him the “Baker Bump” he produced for Mayfield a year ago.

This was a stat we talked about going into 2024 with Lawrence, but no quarterback in NFL history needs to get in a rhythm more to have a good game than Lawrence.

  • Lawrence is now 2-25 (.074) when he doesn’t complete better than 60% of his passes in a game.
  • Lawrence is 4-24 (.143) when his average depth of target is higher than 8.0 yards (worst record in NFL since 2018).
  • In Lawrence’s only two wins last year (Colts and Patriots), he completed at least 75% of his passes in each game and threw the ball short (ADOT of 6.6 and 5.6 yards).

Between playing from behind and struggling in the passing game, Lawrence’s ADOT was 9.3 in 2024, the second-highest average in the NFL. That’s not his game. Meanwhile, Mayfield was 28th at 7.0 as the Buccaneers had a strong screen game and a lot of short passes by design helped him to that career-high completion percentage.

If Coen can help Lawrence achieve the quick game he needs to win, this team should be much better. Don’t forget they were 8-3 in 2023 before Lawrence was injured, so he needs to stay healthy too.

But getting the best season yet out of Lawrence would be a major hat tip in Coen’s favor.

The Travis Hunter Experiment

The other crowning achievement for Coen’s season could be making this Travis Hunter experiment work. You can read our take on the history of two-way players in the NFL and Hunter’s ambitious goals from April before the Jaguars traded up to take him with the No. 2 pick. It’s certainly going to be hard for him to play the record number of snaps he wants to in the NFL, but they seem to want to give him the opportunity to try it.

Snap counts will never be studied harder than they will this year for Hunter in Jacksonville:

Reaction is mixed on what his usage will ultimately look like, but it would seem apparent that he’ll play the slot receiver for a team that let Chrisitan Kirk, a favorite receiver for Lawrence, go in the offseason.

I think ideally, you’d have Hunter as your best cornerback, then you’d use him in several offensive packages. He never has to be the No. 1 wide receiver because they have Brian Thomas Jr., last year’s rookie standout, to fill that role. But it’s also quite possible they play Hunter a ton on offense in the slot, move him all over the field, and he may only check in for nickel and dime packages occasionally on defense. A lot to be determined there.

Frankly, I don’t think Hunter is a good bet for either Rookie of the Year award (Offense and Defense), assuming we can trust the voters to show integrity and not consider his dual responsibilities. But if you judge him only on what he does on that side of the ball, he shouldn’t have the volume at wideout to garner enough OROY votes, and it’s hard to win that award as a corner unless he makes quite a few interceptions.

But if Coen’s staff can work out a plan that maximizes the unique talent of Hunter and makes him the most successful two-way player in the modern NFL, that’s another argument for Coen to win Coach of the Year, assuming the Jaguars can get to a winning record too.

Jacksonville Jaguars Offseason Review

We’ve already covered the arrival of Coen and Hunter. With a new head coach, that also means new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Let’s meet them along with the rest of Jacksonville’s prominent draft picks and free agent moves.

Offense: New Security Blankets for Lawrence

Coen will have his fingerprints all over the offense the way Sean McVay (Rams), Kyle Shanahan (49ers), and Kevin O’Connell (Vikings) do with their teams. But he still hired an offensive coordinator in 29-year-old Grant Udinski. He’s spent the last three years as an offensive assistant to O’Connell in Minnesota, and we know O’Connell is another McVay disciple as Coen is. Nothing like starting the next wave on this coaching tree.

Adding Travis Hunter was the right move for an offense that let go of two of Trevor Lawrence’s most reliable targets in Chrisitan Kirk (Texans) and tight end Evan Engram (Broncos). We know Hunter can replace the slot production, but the team also signed Dyami Brown from the Commanders, who looked really good in the playoffs.

With Brian Thomas Jr. looking so good as a rookie, Lawrence could have his best receiving trio ever this year. But replacing Engram at tight end is a bit tougher as they’re down to Brenton Strange (2023 second-round pick) and Johnny Mundt (Vikings). There’s not a ton of production there, but Strange at least caught 40 balls for 411 yards last year, so he’ll just have to step up in Engram’s absence.

Speaking of stepping up, Tank Bigsby went from averaging 2.6 yards per carry as a 2023 rookie to 4.6 last season. He’s not much of a receiver, so Coen should view Bigsby as his Bucky Irving (from Tampa) while Travis Etienne, entering a contract year, could take on a bigger receiving back role, something he did well at Clemson with Lawrence as his quarterback.

As for those big uglies up front, the Jaguars have two new starters. Center Robert Hainsey followed Coen from Tampa Bay where he was a reserve last year, but he started 34 games in 2022-23. He’s likely not a standout but he’ll adapt quickly. New right guard Patrick Mekari spent his first six seasons in Baltimore (53 starts) and is versatile enough to start at any position on the line. He’s not an elite player, but he should be an improvement for Jacksonville.

Defense: Who Is Anthony Campanile?

While there’s always so much attention on the new offensive coaches in the NFL, we need a new supply of defensive coaches too that can push the game forward with evolving tactics.

Anthony Campanile turns 43 this week and will be a first-time NFL defensive coordinator. He coached the Dolphins’ linebackers in 2020-23 before doing the same with run game coordinator responsibility in Green Bay last season.

He inherits a Jacksonville defense that is still on the young side with quality edge rushers in Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. Those are guys looking for more opportunities to play with leads and hunt quarterbacks. For the interior line, the Jaguars added a potential future starter in the second round in Maason Smith (LSU).

The secondary is where there should be new starters in 2025. We’ll see how they deploy Travis Hunter at corner, but he has a chance to be their best corner this season. Veteran Jourdan Lewis comes over from the Cowboys where he spent the last eight seasons, and he could cover the slot for this defense. Safety Eric Murray (31) is another vet the defense added, and he started 14 games for the Texans last year.

It’s not great to say the Jaguars are returning so many players from a defense that ranked near the bottom in yards and points. However, the 2024 Jaguars forced just 9 takeaways on defense, tied for the second fewest in NFL history, and tied with the 2021 Jaguars for the fewest in a 17-game season. The 2022 Jaguars improved to 27 takeaways (+18) in a playoff season as turnovers will often regress to the mean.

That’s why there should be real optimism for this defense to perk up by adding a potential ball-hawk to the secondary like Hunter, the potential for simple regression to the mean with more bounces going their way, and a better offense could also help the team play with more favorable circumstances to create turnovers.

Best Bets for the 2025 Jaguars   

With the Titans going with a rookie quarterback and the Colts having no quarterback, it really should be the Jaguars who offer the most resistance to Houston winning the AFC South for a third year in a row. The same way DeMeco Ryans came in and took the division in 2023, Liam Coen could do the same this year.

Coen is tied for the third-best odds (+1000 at BetOnline) to win Coach of the Year too, and if he gets this team to a winning record and the playoffs (especially division title), I think he wins it. I don’t see Ben Johnson (Bears) or Mike Vrabel (Patriots) making the playoffs, so there’s good value in Coen for the award right now.

But can we find enough wins for that on Jacksonville’s schedule? I think so:

  • Good opportunity right away with a home opener against Carolina, a team also looking to improve greatly.
  • A trip to the Bengals in Week 2, and we know that team has slow starts and the defense is unlikely to be great.
  • First big matchup is Week 3 in hosting the Texans, so they’ll need to get at least a split there to win the division.
  • Tough two weeks with a trip to San Francisco before hosting the Chiefs on a Monday night in Week 5.
  • The Seahawks come to Jacksonville in an early body clock game, and then it’s the Rams in London where we don’t know how Matthew Stafford’s back is going to be.
  • After a bye week, it’s a trip to Vegas that will be winnable.
  • The Houston rematch is in Week 10.
  • Chargers will be a tough matchup at home, but it’s winnable before a fairly winnable trip to Arizona.
  • The Jaguars play four of their last six games against the Colts and Titans, so there’s a huge opportunity to clean up big there. We know the Colts haven’t won in Jacksonville since 2014 and the Jags swept Tennessee last year.
  • The Jets come to Jacksonville in Week 15, and we know Justin Fields is 0-22 when his team allows more than 20 points.
  • A trip to Denver (Week 16) is one of the toughest road games, but the Jaguars don’t have to play teams like the Bills, Ravens, Eagles, or Lions (elite teams they were 0-3 against last year).
  • Week 18 is hosting Tennessee, so you always like to be home against a subpar team in the finale if you need a win for tie-breaker purposes.

The over/under on this team is 7.5 wins, but this schedule looks so favorable to me that I’m going with over 8.5 wins on an alternate line. They could even get to 10 wins (+240 at FanDuel) if things click really well with Coen and Hunter bringing out the best in Lawrence.

Maybe the best value is +1000 for Coen to win Coach of the Year, but you also should take a look at the Jaguars to simply win the AFC South (+300 at FanDuel). Houston feels vulnerable and the Jaguars made big changes that should benefit them right away. This team isn’t ready to get past the divisional round yet, but I’m taking a chance on this team to be a division winner after a 4-13 season.

  • NFL Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars over 8.5 wins (+145) at FanDuel
  • NFL Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars to win AFC South (+300) at FanDuel
  • NFL Pick: Liam Coen to win NFL Coach of the Year (+1000) at BetOnline

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Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar13/08/2025 - 05:50 am