The Jaguars have rebounded from winning just one game under Doug Marrone in 2020 to a four-win season under Urban Meyer and Darrell Bevell in 2021.
Pederson made the most of 2021 No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence this season, leading Jacksonville to a 9-8 record. The Jaguars qualified for the playoffs after defeating the Titans in Week 18 with the AFC South championship on the line.
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Pederson is no stranger to the postseason. His teams have qualified for the playoffs four times in six seasons. Most famously, he led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship with a win over the Patriots in 2017.
But why did the Eagles fire Pederson just a few years later? The Sporting News has answers.
Why was Doug Pederson fired by the Eagles?
Doug Pederson timeline with Eagles
The Eagles hired Pederson in 2016, ushering in a new era with a new coach and No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz. Philadelphia went 7-9 in the first season of the Pederson-Wentz era, but then jumped up in a big way the next season.
Philadelphia started Pederson’s second year as head coach 11-2 behind Wentz, but then the quarterback suffered a season-ending ACL tear ACL in Week 13. The Eagles finished 13-3 with backup Nick Foles at QB. Foles then led Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl championship, defeating Tom Brady and the Patriots.
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Pederson’s Eagles couldn’t get back to the big game after that season. They went 9-7 in 2018, losing in the divisional round with Foles at quarterback after Wentz suffered a season-ending back injury. In 2019, they won the NFC East with Wentz back behind center but lost to the Seahawks at home in the wild-card round.
The Eagles had a tumultuous 2020 season, Pederson’s final one in Philadelphia. They finished 4-11-1 and found themselves with a quarterback controversy.
Doug Pederson fired by Eagles after 2020 NFL season
The Pederson firing caught some by surprise. He was expected to remain the Eagles’ coach despite finishing last in the NFC East in 2020.
According to ESPN, team owner Jeffrey Lurie was “unconvinced that Pederson had a sound vision for how to address the myriad issues facing the team.”
The same report also stated that Lurie “wasn’t sold on Pederson’s plans regarding his coaching staff.” There was disagreement over the offensive coordinator position.
The Eagles finished 26th in the NFL in scoring and 28th in passing yards per game in 2020. Wentz was the quarterback for most of that, before he was benched for rookie Jalen Hurts.
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Pederson and Wentz’s relationship was “fractured beyond repair,” according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Pederson’s firing increased the chances of Wentz staying with the Eagles in 2021.
Lurie, though, would not draw a line between Pederson’s firing and Wentz’s job.
“My first allegiance is, what will be best for the Philadelphia Eagles and our fans for the next three, four, five years. It’s not based on does someone deserve to hold their job or deserve to get fired; that’s a different bar,” Lurie said at the first press conference after Pederson’s firing had been announced.
Doug Pederson after Philadelphia
Pederson took a year off from football before being hired as Urban Meyer’s full-time replacement with the the Jaguars following the 2021 season.
In his first season in Jacksonville, the Jaguars ranked 10th in scoring offense (23.8 points per game), passing yards per game (232.9) and total yards per game (357.4). Lawrence thrived after a mediocre rookie season, throwing for 4,113 yards (ninth in NFL) and 25 touchdowns (tied for eighth) as Jacksonville took home the AFC South title.
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