Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson and Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz are very familiar with one another after spending five seasons together with the Philadelphia Eagles. Commanders coach Ron Rivera told reporters Monday that he’s not letting that experience go to waste ahead of a Week 1 matchup against the Jaguars.
“For us, the insights that Carson can give us [into Pederson] and has already given us is huge,” Rivera said in a press conference. “We’ll take that to heart, but we’ll take it for what it’s worth. It’s more about what they’ve got planned for us than what they’ve done.”
Wentz, 29, was selected second overall by the Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft three months after Pederson was hired as the team’s head coach. While Wentz was the team’s starting quarterback during Pederson’s entire tenure in Philadelphia, the team won Super Bowl LII while Wentz was out with an injury and Nick Foles was filling in as his replacement.
Following a 4-11-1 season in 2020, Pederson was fired and Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts. Pederson was hired by the Jaguars earlier this year and Wentz was traded to the Commanders.
While Wentz can provide his new team some insider knowledge about Pederson’s approach, the reverse is also true with the Jaguars’ new coach prepping his team for a matchup against his former quarterback.
In five seasons with the Eagles, Wentz threw 113 touchdown passes with 50 interceptions.