For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the stakes just don’t get any higher than the Week 18 regular season finale at home against the New Orleans Saints.

Win or tie and you’re in the playoffs. Lose and the Buccaneers put their fate in the hands of the Carolina Panthers — a scary proposition — to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 18.

For one member of the Buccaneers’ coaching staff, the game against the Saints could also have higher stakes outside of a playoff spot — it could very well be an audition to become the next New Orleans head coach for Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

Thanks to an explosive offense that includes a potential Pro Bowl quarterback in Baker Mayfield having a career year and a rushing attack that’s gone from the worst in the NFL to one of the best, Coen is a hot candidate for several head coaching openings for 2025.

“Coen has unlocked the potential of Tampa Bay’s offense, which is now fourth in the NFL in scoring at 29.7 points per game following Sunday’s 48-14 win over (Dave) Canales and Carolina,” The Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds wrote on December 30. “That’s an eight-point per game increase, which is amazing progress in Coen’s first year as a play-caller.”