JAGUARS HIRE DOUG PEDERSON TO BE NEXT HEAD COACH

Doug Pederson is the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

BY JORDAN DE LUGO

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The Jaguars have hired former Eagle's head coach Doug Pederson to be their next head coach, according to multiple reports. 

Pederson, an NFL quarterback from 1991 to 2004, took his first NFL coaching job in 2009 with the Philadelphia Eagles under Andy Reid. Pederson worked his way up from offensive quality control coach to quarterbacks coach in Philly and followed Reid to Kansas City, where he got his first gig as an offensive coordinator in 2013. Following three seasons as the OC in Kansas City, Pederson returned to the City of Brotherly Love as the head coach of the Eagles in 2016. 

In five years, Pederson led the Eagles to three playoff appearances and guided his squad to a Super Bowl win in 2017. He left Philly with a regular-season record of 42-37-1 and a playoff record of 4-2. Diverging visions for the coaching staff between Pederson and Eagles' owner Jeffrey Lurie led to Pederson's dismissal following the 2020 NFL season, a year in which the Eagles won just four games. 

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Doug Pederson faces an uphill battle in Duval. Jaguars' owner Shad Khan has struggled to cultivate a winning environment in Jacksonville — to put it lightly — with a career record of 42-119 in ten years at the helm. The Jaguars have reached the postseason just once since 2012 and have a combined four wins in the last two seasons. 

Pederson's ability to connect with players and coaches was exemplary in Philadelphia. The Jaguars don't have a talented roster overall, but the relationship between 2021 first-round pick quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson will be critical to the franchise's future success. 

Trent Baalke remains the Jaguars' general manager, but there have been reports that former Vikings' GM/EVP Rick Spielman could be joining Jacksonville in a similar role. 

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