Former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has yet to catch back on in the NFL after parting ways with the Birds last year.
It’s been nearly one full calendar year since the Super Bowl winner last patrolled the sidelines, and he is looking to find his new gig sooner rather than later — and an opportunity just opened up.
The Jacksonville Jaguars fired head coach Urban Meyer last week after 11 tumultuous and embarrassing months at the helm of the last-place team, and Pederson is reportedly intrigued about taking over, according to CBS’s Jason La Canfora.
“Pederson has already secured assurances from the men who would comprise his staff about their willingness to join him,” he wrote. “And [Jaguars owner Shahid] Khan may prefer to hire a coach with significant NFL head coaching experience after the Meyer debacle.”
The Jaguars don’t provide the most glamorous job for a potential head coach. After all, they’ve won just three games dating back to the start of the 2020 season (3-27).
But rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, taken No. 1 overall in the 2021 draft out of Clemson, does provide at least the slightest building block for a team that has had a losing season in 12 of the last 14 years.
Lawrence has struggled mightily this season under the unstable ground that Meyer provided while leading the Jaguars. In 14 games, he’s completed just 58.1% of his passes for 2,945 yards, 9 touchdowns, and a league-leading 14 interceptions.
Pederson has done well with quarterbacks, helping Carson Wentz become an MVP candidate before injuries derailed his 2017 season. He then was able to get the most out of Nick Foles when he was forced to lead the Eagles to two consecutive playoff appearances — including an unlikely Super Bowl LII triumph over the New England Patriots.
In five seasons with the Eagles, Pederson compiled a 42-37-1 record and made the playoffs three straight years from 2018 to 2020.
Among other potential candidates for the Jaguars’ job are New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
