For Doug Pederson as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars, his hiring was a new beginning. Pederson won the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, but had a bad ending there. The Jaguars had an exciting young quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and needed a professional as head coach after the Urban Meyer debacle.
It turned out to be a bad relationship all around.
Pederson, who fired his defensive coordinator after a massive collapse last season, had to pay the price for the Jaguars’ terrible season this time around. The Jaguars fired Pederson on Monday after finishing 4-13 this season. One of these defeats included a horrible 52-6 loss to the Detroit Lions this dropped Jacksonville to 2-9. It was the worst loss in Jaguars history.
Pederson managed to hang on for the remainder of the season, but is now done in Jacksonville after three years.
While many wondered if Jacksonville would wipe the slate clean and also fire general manager Trent Baalke, team owner Shad Khan said in a statement that Baalke would remain in his role. This was surprising news considering the Jaguars’ record in Baalke’s four seasons is just 25-43 and roster deficiencies were a reason for their 4-13 record this season.
The Jaguars got better in the first season after Meyer — it was almost impossible to be worse — but things slowly got worse for Pederson after that. The Jaguars started this season with a winless September, including cutting their lead against the Miami Dolphins, getting blown out Monday night by the Buffalo Bills and losing another game in the final minute to the Chicago Texans. Houston. The Jaguars barely won a home game against a short-handed Indianapolis Colts team, but then traveled to London and looked listless in a loss to the Chicago Bears. Jacksonville lost games to the Eagles, Pederson’s former team, and the Vikings afterward.
The Jaguars weren’t happy to see such a poor start shortly after Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million contract. Pederson was struggling from the start of the season.
Doug Pederson’s time with the Jaguars ends
Pederson appeared to be one of the best coaches in the NFL for many years after the Eagles won the Super Bowl. He beat Bill Belichick in this Super Bowl. It was at the end of his second season as an NFL head coach.
The descent was rapid. He went 40-41-1 over the next five seasons, never winning more than nine games in a season. He was fired by the Eagles after the offense and specifically Carson Wentz regressed and questions were asked about his assistant coaching choices. The Jaguars saw his championship pedigree and gave him a chance, and in his first season, the Jaguars made the playoffs and had a historic victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round. It was the highest point in Duval County.
In 2023, the Jaguars were 8-3 to start the season, but lost five of their last six games and missed the playoffs. Lawrence’s ankle injury, which he played through but hampered his performance, was a factor. Pederson fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell after the season but kept offensive coordinator Press Taylor, and the latter decision was called into question.
This set up a season in which Pederson had to produce better results, and the Jaguars got off to a terrible start.
Who will get the Jaguars job?
The Jaguars position will be attractive to anyone who thinks Lawrence can still be a franchise quarterback. Additionally, the new head coach will come in with the Jaguars owning the 5th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Lawrence has played at a high level but consistency has been an issue. He played 10 games this season due to injuries, the fewest starts in a single season in his four-year career. These injuries included a concussion and an AC joint sprain.
He’s not going anywhere, considering his contract and lofty pedigree as a top prospect coming out of Clemson. The new head coach will be successful if he can get Lawrence playing at a higher level and keep him consistently at that level. Improving the casting around Lawrence will also be a priority.
Even though Pederson had an offensive background, given how important it was for Lawrence to reach his ceiling for the franchise, it appears the Jaguars will focus on another offensive-minded head coach in their interviews.
There hasn’t been much to get the Jaguars excited about. Lawrence was supposed to be a franchise savior, but that didn’t happen. Pederson was going to raise Lawrence, but it’s hard to say that happened either. A rough start to Pederson’s third season kept Pederson from getting a fourth.