The most common metaphor for the cycle of coaching and front office hirings and firings that come with every NFL offseason is a “carousel.” Musical chairs also works.

Coaches are fired, and a list of coordinators and former coaches that have been removed from the game for a year or two become the candidates that are set to usurp the now vacant gigs across the league.

Through the start of the NFL offseason, that metaphor remained true. The ascension of Detroit Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn—now set to lead the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, respectively—happened with relatively little drama. When Kansas City Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi was hired as general manager of the Tennessee Titans, the Chiefs’ farewell note could not have been nicer. This was the process playing out as it usually does.

But one name on the coaching carousel has turned his ride into an absolute roller coaster: Liam Coen.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator was a hot name entering this coaching cycle, after helping Baker Mayfield to a career year and leading the Buccaneers to top-five marks in the league in scoring, passing yards and total yards.

With both Lions coordinators off the board, it appeared that a union between Coen and the Jacksonville Jaguars—who parted ways with head coach Doug Pederson at the conclusion of the season—was in the works, but there was also potential for Coen to stick around in Tampa Bay for another season.

On Wednesday, it looked like Coen had made a decision, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that he had removed his name from the Jaguars’ list of coaching candidates and intended to return to the Buccaneers with a new deal that would make him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the league.

But on Thursday, something flipped, with Schefter reporting that Coen was back in talks with the Jaguars. Adding to the strangeness of the flip-flop was the fact that, according to Schefter, Coen had essentially ghosted the Buccaneers while reestablishing contact with Jacksonville—though Schefter did say that Coen had called Bucs head coach Todd Bowles about the situation.

So what changed between Wednesday and Thursday afternoon? For one, the Jaguars fired general manager Trent Baalke, who had remained in his role as the team’s coaching search continued. Coaches want to have a general manager they are aligned with, and with that job also now open in the Jacksonville front office, it’s safe to assume that part of the new offer to Coen was having input on who would take that seat.

Baalke’s departure may have been what reopened Coen’s interest in the job, but even with the flip-flopping, why the secrecy?

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Coen’s new lucrative deal with the Buccaneers was contingent on him stopping talks with the Jaguars.

So where does this leave Coen? First and foremost, it sure feels like his time in Tampa Bay is over.

Flip-flopping on a job once is a tall order—doing it twice is a feat of Olympian prowess.

As for Coen and Jacksonville—while it’s still just interviews for now, one would have to think the team will do everything they can to make a deal work, especially if you believe that the Jags’ decision to fire Baalke was made specifically to entice Coen back into negotiations.

That said, given how quickly everything has changed in the past 48 hours, getting confident about anything happening in the next 48 feels awfully ambitious.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liam Coen’s Apparent Breakup With the Buccaneers Is Starting to Look Real Messy.