Category: Doug Pederson

Jaguars fire head coach Doug Pederson

Jaguars fire head coach Doug Pederson

The Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson on Monday following Jacksonville’s Week 18 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and the franchise’s 4-13 2024 season, team owner Shad Khan announced in a statement.

The Jaguars are retaining general manager Trent Baalke, who will assist Khan in finding a new head coach, the statement read.

“I had the difficult task this morning of informing Doug Pederson of my intention to hire a new head coach to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Khan wrote.

“Doug is an accomplished football man who will undoubtedly enjoy another chapter in his impressive NFL career, and I will be rooting for Doug and his wife Jeannie when that occasion arrives. As much as Doug and I both wish his experience here in Jacksonville would have ended better, I have an obligation first and foremost to serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new leadership is now.

“I strongly believe it is possible next season to restore the winning environment we had here not long ago. I will collaborate with General Manager Trent Baalke and others, within and close to our organization, to hire a leader who shares my ambition and is ready to seize the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville.”

Pederson, 56, went 22-29 in the regular season and 23-30 including the postseason during his 53-game stint with the Jaguars. He owns a 64-66-1 regular-season record as an NFL head coach and a 69-69-1 mark including the playoffs and his Super Bowl LII victory with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In August, the Jaguars released a documentary that featured Khan’s message to the squad before their preseason, suggesting it was “the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars, ever,” all-encompassing.

“Best players, best coaches. But most importantly, let’s prove it by winning now,” Khan said.

That same team experienced two losing streaks of four or more games, was eliminated from playoff contention in Week 13, and at season’s end clinched the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 03: Trevor Lawrence #16 and head coach Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars talk in the third quarter of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 03, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Jacksonville’s offense failed to meet expectations after quarterback Trevor Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with the club in June. The Jaguars ranked No. 25 in the NFL in yards per game (306.2) and No. 26 in points per game (18.8) in 2024, after finishing the 2023 season No. 13 (339.5) and No. 14 (22.2) in those respective categories.

A combination of injuries sidelined Lawrence for most of the season’s second half. He missed two games after hurting his left, non-throwing shoulder against the Eagles in Week 9, and was placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion against the Houston Texans in Week 13. He had surgery on his shoulder on Dec. 17.

The Jaguars’ offense averaged 278.1 yards and 15 points per game over the seven contests Mac Jones, an offseason trade acquisition from the New England Patriots, started at quarterback.

Jacksonville’s defense underwent a significant facelift this past offseason. Pederson fired two-year defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and replaced him with Ryan Nielsen, who made his NFL play-calling debut with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.

Nielsen installed a new scheme, and the Jaguars added a handful of fresh contributors to pair. They signed defensive lineman Arik Armstead, cornerback Ronald Darby and safety Darnell Savage Jr. in free agency; they picked nickel cornerback Jarrian Jones and defensive linemen Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson between the second and fourth rounds of the 2024 NFL draft.

Yet Jacksonville’s defense took a drastic step back from the year before. It ranked No. 31 in yards allowed per game (389.9), tied for No. 27 in points allowed per game (25.6) and last in turnovers generated (nine) in 2024, down from No. 22 (342.8), No. 17 (21.8) and No. 8 (27) to end the 2023 campaign, respectively.

Pederson’s early returns in Jacksonville were promising

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 05: Doug Pederson looks on as Shad Khan, Owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, speaks during a press conference introducing him as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Stadium on February 05, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

The Jaguars cast a wide net in their search to replace the controversial Urban Meyer as head coach nearly three years ago. Pederson reportedly received the first and last interview out of 10 candidates in a near-two-month process between Dec. 2021 and Feb. 2022.

Aside from his Super Bowl-winning status, Pederson was sought out by Jacksonville to bolster the development of its franchise quarterback and No. 1 overall 2021 NFL draft pick, Lawrence. Pederson was renowned for his work with passers, including Alex Smith as the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator and Carson Wentz and Nick Foles as the Eagles’ head coach.

“Doug Pederson four years ago won a Super Bowl as head coach of a franchise in pursuit of its first world championship,” Khan said in a Feb. 2022 statement.

“I hope Doug can replicate that magic here in Jacksonville, but what is certain is his proven leadership and experience as a winning head coach in the National Football League. It’s exactly what our players deserve. Nothing less. Combine this with his acumen on the offensive side of the ball, and you have why I am proud to name Doug Pederson the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.”

After completing 59.6% of his passes for 3,641 yards with 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions as a rookie under Meyer, Lawrence produced a 64.8% completion rate, 10,133 passing yards, 57 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in 42 starts under Pederson.

Pederson and the Jaguars caught lightning in a bottle in an 18-game stretch between 2022-23. After entering Week 14 of the head coach’s first season in town 4-8, Jacksonville ripped off five consecutive wins to secure a playoff berth and a sixth during the AFC Wild Card Round over the Los Angeles Chargers in a 27-point comeback, the largest in franchise history.

Jacksonville fell to Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Divisional Round, 27-20. But the Jaguars’ seemingly franchise-altering momentum under Pederson did not immediately halt.

The Jaguars opened 8-3 in 2023, put together another five-game winning streak between Weeks 4-8, and held a 4-1 record in the AFC South through Week 12. They beat three eventual playoff teams in that stretch: The Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Texans.

At that point, Jacksonville had won 14 of its last 18 games including in the playoffs, with Lawrence largely excelling, throwing for 3,719 yards with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Knocked off course, Pederson could not turn the Jaguars around

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 04: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars is helped up by head coach Doug Pederson after being injured against the Cincinnati Bengals during the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium on December 04, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

But Lawrence suffered a high-ankle sprain, and starting slot receiver Christian Kirk endured a season-ending core muscle injury, in Jacksonville’s Week 13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, sending the Jaguars’ 2023 season into a spiral.

Lawrence played through his ankle injury but experienced a concussion in a Week 15 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He cleared protocol to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16, only to hurt his throwing shoulder during that game, leading Lawrence to miss the first start of his NFL career in Week 17 against Carolina.

The Jaguars managed their only win of the six-game span to end the season with Lawrence sidelined, beating the Panthers, who finished the year with a 2-15 record, with C.J. Beathard at quarterback.

Jacksonville lost to the Tennessee Titans and was eliminated from playoff contention when Lawrence returned in Week 18. He was listed as questionable entering the weekend.

Despite leading the NFL in total offseason spending in an effort to bounce back this year, the Jaguars did anything but. Jacksonville opened a season 0-4 for the sixth time in its 30-year franchise history, and the first time since Meyer’s lone campaign in charge.

Jacksonville’s first win in 2024, at home in Week 5 against Indianapolis, was nearly stolen by 39-year-old, recent journeyman quarterback Joe Flacco.

The Jaguars held a 34-20 lead with 5:09 left in regulation, but Flacco completed three passes for 135 yards, tossed one touchdown and set up another for Colts running back Trey Sermon, to tie the contest over two drives.

Rookie Jacksonville kicker Cam Little hit a 49-yard field goal with 17 seconds left and edge rusher Travon Walker sacked Flacco on the final play to ensure the victory.

Jacksonville had to overcome a 10-point opening deficit to New England and its rookie quarterback, Drake Maye, to beat the Patriots overseas in Week 7. Lawrence pitched a pair of touchdowns and wide receiver Parker Washington returned a punt for a 96-yard score in the second quarter to snatch the matchup’s momentum.

The Jaguars only won two more games after returning stateside. They swept their AFC South rival Titans, who finished the season 3-14, with a 10-6 victory in Week 14 and a 20-13 triumph in Week 17.

Jacksonville’s second extended losing streak of the season began in Week 8, opening with one-score defeats against the Green Bay Packers, Eagles and Minnesota Vikings before the Detroit Lions handed the Jaguars their biggest beating in team history in Week 11, 52-6.

NFL Network reported before kickoff in Week 11 that a loss to the Lions could have prompted Khan to fire Pederson and Baalke during Jacksonville’s Week 12 bye. But Pederson and Baalke remained in their roles when the Jaguars returned to action in Week 13, a 23-20 loss to the Texans, and for the rest of the season.

Jacksonville went 5-18 between Lawrence suffering his ankle injury against Cincinnati in 2023 and Pederson’s dismissal on Monday.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated. 

CBS HC rankings: Jaguars’ Doug Pederson placed in ‘Class B’

CBS HC rankings: Jaguars’ Doug Pederson placed in ‘Class B’

CBS analyst Cody Benjamin views Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson as something of an enigma.

Pederson stood in the middle of Benjamin’s ranking of the NFL’s head coaches, at No. 16.

While he is one of three “Class B” coaches — deemed “accomplished, with questions” — with a Super Bowl victory on his résumé, Benjamin pointed out Pederson’s firing by Philadelphia three years after that win and his up-and-down two seasons with Jacksonville thus far.

Nothing, it seems, is ever boring when it comes to Pederson’s teams: He experienced ultimate highs (a Super Bowl triumph) and lows (an early dismissal) in Philadelphia before rejuvenating Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville, only to then oversee a turnover-riddled step back in 2023. The player-friendly pizzazz remains, but he’s got to prove again he’s got an innovative handle on the offense.

Pederson is 60-53-1 in the regular season as an NFL head coach and has 18-16 in two seasons leading Jacksonville. He’s 5-3 postseason, including a 1-1 playoff record with the Jaguars from their trip to the 2022-23 AFC Divisional Round.

Pederson’s pairing with Lawrence in 2022 immediately lifted the Jaguars out of a five-year playoff drought, quickly washing away the stink of Jacksonville’s Urban Meyer experiment at head coach in 2021. Meyer went 2-11 and was fired before his first season in charge concluded, following allegations that he kicked a player and created a toxic work environment, amid other controversies.

Although the Jaguars collapsed last season, finishing 1-5 and missing the playoffs after opening 8-3, the club finished with a winning record (9-8) for a second-consecutive season, Jacksonville’s first such stretch since 2004-05.

The Jaguars would argue their slide was at least in part due to Lawrence suffering three separate injuries between Weeks 13-16. Lawrence’s top receiver, Christian Kirk, endured a season-ending injury the same week Lawrence first went down in that stretch.

Seven of the 13 coaches in Benjamin’s “Class A” have yet to appear in a Super Bowl. Only four have raised the Lombardi Trophy.

Jaguars’ Doug Pederson isn’t sure what reception he’ll get from Eagles fans

Philadelphia fans aren’t exactly known for their welcoming disposition.

Doug Pederson was the head coach of the only Philadelphia Eagles team to win a Super Bowl. His tenure with the team ended with a 42-37-1 regular season record and it reportedly ended because of disagreements with ownership over the construction of his coaching staff.

There isn’t much reason to believe Eagles fans won’t welcome back Pederson with a nice ovation before rooting for the Jacksonville Jaguars to lose. But the coach also knows that Philadelphia fans aren’t exactly known for their welcoming disposition.

“I don’t know, it could be mixed,” Pederson said of the reception he expects. “You hope it’s a good one obviously for the things you did there, but I also know that crowd and they can be a little hostile and [I’m] looking forward to that too.

“Listen, understanding that and having been there and worked there, you just understand that it’s [how it is]. Even when I was there and we were winning games or losing games, you were still getting booed, so it doesn’t really matter.”

Philadelphia isn’t doing poorly in its post-Pederson era. After head coach Nick Sirianni led the team to a 9-8 record and a trip to the playoffs last season, he has the Eagles out to a 3-0 start this year.

Pederson is also finding success in his first job after Philadelphia, leading the Jaguars to a 2-1 start that has the team atop the AFC South standings.

Watch: Marvin Jones gives Doug Pederson game ball for first Jaguars win

Doug Pederson’s first Jaguars win was a great one.

Doug Pederson has preached not getting too high or too low after wins and losses, but the Jacksonville Jaguars coach couldn’t help but be pretty excited about the team’s 24-0 win Sunday.

The demolition of the AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts was a solid bounce back from a Week 1 loss to the Washington Commanders. The Jaguars improved to 1-1 and Pederson got his first win as the team’s head coach under his belt.

There were no shortage of great performances that deserved game balls, but Jaguars wide receiver Marvin Jones made sure to remember that Pederson deserved a ball too.

“It’s my first win, obviously, as the head coach here, but it’s a team win,” Pederson told reporters of receiving the game ball. “We celebrate as a team. I appreciate that, and it will definitely go on the mantle at the house, but my hats off to those guys in the locker room. They’re the ones that did it. I didn’t get hit, I didn’t have to throw any passes or run the ball, so all credit to the team.”

Pederson, 54, won a Super Bowl during a five-year tenure as the Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, compiling a 42-37-1 regular season record during his time with the team.

Here is the Jags’ unofficial depth chart for their second preseason game against Browns

The depth chart for the Jags’ game against the Browns this Friday has been released.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have one preseason game in the books and are now set for their first at TIAA Bank Field, which will be against the Cleveland Browns Friday. As always, they’ve released a new unofficial depth chart beforehand to give fans a general idea of where players stand heading into the first wave of cuts next Tuesday.

There weren’t many changes from the previous depth chart aside from the additions of quarterback EJ Perry (who replaced Kyle Sloter) and running back Matt Colburn (replaced Nathan Cottrell), who signed with the Jags this week. The Jags also waived/injured defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter and signed Auzoyah Alufoha in his place, but that transaction took place after the Jags released the depth chart below.

*As previously stated in the past, unofficial depth charts aren’t necessarily constructed by the coaching staff, but by the public relations departments in the league often. 

Jags coach Doug Pederson said the team’s starters would play for a few series. That includes notables like quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Running back Travis Etienne will also play as James Robinson isn’t ready to return from the Achilles injury he sustained last December.

In the Hall of Fame Game last week, over 20 players didn’t play. Many of those players were offensive starters, so Friday’s game will present fans with their first look at 80% to 90% of the first-team offense under Pederson.

2022 Jaguars training camp: 5 takeaways from Day 8

While it was a scaled-down practice, there were still several takeaways from Day 8’s practice for the Jags.

The Jacksonville Jaguars took the practice fields at Episcopal School of Jacksonville for one last time on Tuesday before heading off to Canton to participate in the Hall of Fame Game. The team will be taking on the Las Vegas Raiders in the process, and the game will technically mark the start of the 2022 NFL season.

With the game coming up, it was somewhat of a walkthrough day for the team, who are now on Day 8 of training camp. As expected, Jags coach Doug Pederson had a chat with the media beforehand to update the fans on where the team stands heading into Thursday’s game.

That said, a lot of Day 8’s takeaways came from Pederson himself, but some things happened on the field that was worth taking note of. Here are some of the nuggets we were able to gather along the way as the team will have Wednesday off to travel:

Trevor Lawrence discusses community work, OTAs, and more with Jags Wire

We sat down with Trevor Lawrence on Monday to talk about his latest work in the Jax community with Gatorade. He also discussed how OTAs went, the coaching staff, and working with his WRs.

Trevor Lawrence during the Gatorade Beat the Heat campaign, Monday, July 11, 2022 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Photo credit: Gatorade]

Before the Jacksonville Jaguars even drafted him, it was clear that Trevor Lawrence wanted to do his part to help the community. Just last year prior to the NFL Draft, Lawrence and his wife, Marissa, donated $20,000 to various charities around Jacksonville after fans raised more than $30,000 in Lawrence’s name in charitable giving. With his first year as an NFL quarterback in the books, Lawrence has partnered with one of his sponsors, Gatorade, for more community outreach.

With the Jags on their pre-camp break, the Jaguars Wire sat down with Lawrence for a Q&A session to learn more about his partnership with Gatorade, his latest community work with the T.R.U.E. Youth organization of Jacksonville and how he’s feeling heading into the 2022 regular season after an offseason full of changes. 

Read on to hear what the second-year quarterback had to say.

Cris Collinsworth says Doug Pederson, Trevor Lawrence pairing is ‘a match made in heaven’

Everyone knew the Jags needed to hire an offensive minded HC for Trevor Lawrence, but PFF’s Cris Collinsworth believes they got a perfect match for him (or close to it).

As football fans have witnessed for many years now, pairing a quarterback with the right head coach can get a team a long way. That’s what the Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping for after hiring Doug Pederson in February as he will now get to coach up 2021’s No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence.

Pederson, who took last season off, will enter his second tenure as a head coach after a notable run with the Philadelphia Eagles. While there, he accumulated a 42-37-1 overall record and was able to go to the postseason in three of his five years as a head coach. Of course, in 2017, his postseason trip ended with a Super Bowl victory, giving the Eagles their first championship in team history.

In the process of his run as a head coach (and even before), Pederson showcased his ability to coach quarterbacks, which is why many are excited to see him work with Lawrence. In Philadelphia, the Eagles invested a first-round selection into Carson Wentz and Pederson was able to get him to perform at an MVP level the year they won the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Wentz wasn’t able to finish that season due to an ACL tear, but Pederson made that season even more impressive as he was able to finish it with backup quarterback Nick Foles.

Of course, many football analysts haven’t forgotten how impressive of a season that was for the Eagles, including NBC Sports commentator and Pro Football Focus headman Cris Collinsworth. In an episode of the “Ari Meirov Football Show,” Collinsworth said he believes Pederson is the perfect match for Lawrence (or close to it), and as a result, the Jags will be set to make an extra jump this season after winning just three games.

“I think it’s a match made in heaven to be honest with you,” Collinsworth said. “It’s a great choice. Trevor is a tough kid. The only time I saw him in person last year was in Cincinnati on a Thursday night. He runs — he runs hard — and he has a real element of that. He’s going to have (Travis) Etienne come back sort of as his safety valve kind of guy who didn’t play at all last year. Do I think that they’re going to go and win the division? Probably not, but I would expect a major jump.”

[H/T to Clemson Insider for transcribing this]

Collinsworth is probably right about Pederson and Lawrence being a good match. After all, the Jags paired who analysts believe was the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck with a Super Bowl-winning coach that has played quarterback on the NFL level. Simply put, it’s hard to find a bunch of better options than that.

As for the support around Lawrence, it’s better than it was last season. As Collinsworth pointed out, Lawrence is getting back the running back who went to battle with him at Clemson in Travis Etienne. Additionally, the team added a receiver who can help them down the field in Christian Kirk, as well as a former All-Pro and Pro Bowl guard in Brandon Scherff.

With those additions, plus a few others, Lawrence at least has a good chance to double the Jags’ 2021 win total. Then maybe next season, we could really start to see him take off with Pederson as both will have a full season together under their belts.

NFL.com lists Jags among 5 teams who will make the biggest net gain in wins

NFL.com Jim Trotter believes the Jags could make a big jump in terms of their win total now that they have a better coach in place.

The Jacksonville Jaguars may not have registered the worst record in franchise history last season, but it certainly felt like the organization hit a low under former coach Urban Meyer. As many expected, the NFL proved to be too much for him despite the success he had on the college level, and he was fired before last season ended.

Meyer was a key reason behind distractions and dysfunction within the organization last season, making it hard for the team to garner wins, which already is a hard task to achieve for even a focused team. As a result, they earned just two more wins than they did in 2020, putting them at a 3-14 record overall.

However, with the bar being so low, many are high on the Jags’ chances to drastically improve this season. A key reason for that is because they hired Doug Pederson in the place of Meyer, who has a lot of NFL coaching experience, has won a Super Bowl, and played in the NFL. He also is respected as a bright offensive mind after years under Andy Reid.

Many believe the Jags should make strides due to the things Pederson brings to the table. NFL.com’s Jim Trotter is among those who believe the Jags will look significantly better and think they could at least double their win total. In a recent post, he ranked the Jags third on his list of teams who could see the biggest net gain in victories, giving them a net improvement figure of five.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars
2021 record: 3-14

Net improvement: Five wins

A lack of talent was not the issue for Jacksonville last season; dysfunction at the top of the coaching ladder was. Thankfully for the Jaguars, Urban Meyer and his arrogance are gone. Replacing him is Doug Pederson, a coach who has a history of relating to players. He went to the playoffs three times in five seasons with the Eagles, winning a Super Bowl during the 2017 season. I don’t expect the Jags to hit the ground running in full stride; it will take time to break through the scar tissue associated with only one winning season since 2007 and five last-place finishes in the past six seasons. They also will need time to develop the type of trust that only comes with walking through the fire together. But by the end of the 2022 season, I expect Jacksonville to find its rhythm and be a team that no one wants to play, particularly if that opponent needs a win to reach the playoffs. Look for Pederson to work wonders not only instilling a positive culture, but also helping second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence show why he was considered a generational talent coming out of Clemson. I could go into all the personnel upgrades, including the addition of No. 1 overall draft pick Travon Walker, but as I previously said: talent was not the issue with this team a year ago.

It’s hard to argue with Trotter here, though the Jags’ 2021 roster had a lot of holes. But as he said, the cupboard wasn’t necessarily bare either in terms of talent because the roster at least had James Robinson, D.J. Chark Jr., Josh Allen, and a few other rookies who proved they were starters like Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco. That said, it’s clear that the biggest issue was Meyer, who was the reason behind several incidents on and off the field.

As for Pederson, one thing that Trotter didn’t mention was the fact that he hired a staff that’s loaded with former players like Richard Angulo, Cody Grimm, and Mike Caldwell, to name a few. That’s huge, because like Pederson, they seem to know how to communicate better with the roster.

So far, it seems the team likes their new head coach as several players like Lawrence and Robinson have spoken highly of him. In fact, the team took in the coaching so well during organized team activities that Pederson gave many of the veterans the third phase off.

With training camp less than a month away, there will be no better time for the team to continue bonding. Everything that they’ve shown so far seems to indicate that the player-to-coach relationship should only get stronger, and if it does, the Jags would be on the right path to push for seven to eight wins.

PFN gives Doug Pederson a respectable spot in coach rankings

After a mostly successful run with the Eagles, new Jags coach Doug Pederson was ranked just outside the top 10 of PFN’s coaching rankings.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a lot of moves in free agency to help both their offense and defense. That led to them spending the most guaranteed money in the history of the NFL after the team needed many upgrades coming off a horrendous 2021 season.

However, none of the roster transactions may end up being better than the coaching change they made when they fired Urban Meyer and replaced him with Doug Pederson. With Meyer being a key reason for a dysfunctional workplace where many weren’t treated fairly, it was clear a change was needed as it became hard for the team to focus on football.

In Pederson, the Jags are getting a coach who is way more equipped to be an NFL coach as he was a former player, head coach, and longtime assistant of Andy Reid. Additionally, he was able to win a Super Bowl during his last stint as a head coach with the Philadelphia Eagles, who he was able to shock the football community with in 2017.

Many of those reasons explain why Pederson was ranked just outside of the top 10 in Pro Football Network’s 2022 coaching power rankings, coming in at the No. 11 spot. Here is what their lead NFL reporter Mike Kaye had to specifically say about Pederson, who will come into 2022 with a 42-37-1 record:

11) Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars

Regular-season record: 42-37-1 (.531)
Super Bowl wins as HC: 1

Doug Pederson essentially fired himself when he recommended an underwhelming staff to Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie last year. Now, after a year on the sidelines, Pederson is getting a second chance to lead a team to the Super Bowl.

Following the awful Urban Meyer era, Pederson is the right leader to mend fences in Jacksonville’s locker room. Pederson is only a year removed from a five-year tenure that saw him make the playoffs three times, win two division titles, and a Lombardi Trophy.

Kaye ranking Pederson this high is interesting because he started covering the Eagles in 2018 during Pederson’s first stint as a head coach. As a result, he witnessed Pederson’s coaching style and success first-hand, as well as his downfall, which led to Pederson’s firing in 2020.

After taking 2021 off, Pederson decided to return to the NFL. However, he may have the most talented quarterback he’s ever had as a head coach because the Jags selected Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick last season. When putting their abilities together, there is a chance the Jags can get back to where they were in 2017, though it may take another year to fully get the roster right.

As for Pederson’s staff, it looks like he may have a stronger group than he previously did. He has a former head coach in Mike McCoy as the team’s quarterback’s coach, as well as many former players on the staff like Mike Caldwell, Deshea Townsend, Richard Angulo, and Cody Grimm to name a few. That should help them connect better to the roster than the previous staff, and if that’s the case, Pederson could eventually match or surpass the success he had in Philly.

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