Jaguars owner Shad Khan fires coach Doug Pederson

By Hays Carlyon

The Doug Pederson era is over.

Man, did the magic evaporate quick.

Remember, when the Jaguars were 8-3 last season in prime position to defend the AFC South crown Pederson won in his first season as coach? That feels like years ago and an outcome Pederson could never again deliver.

A 52-6 loss to Detroit on Nov. 17 that dropped the Jaguars to 3-14 since that surge probably sealed Pederson’s fate.

That fate was made official on Monday when Jaguars owner Shad Khan fired Pederson, a day after the Jaguars 26-23 overtime loss to the Colts in Indianapolis to finish 4-13.

The 56-year-old Pederson finished his Jaguars tenure with a 22-29 record (1-1 in playoffs), losing 18 of his final 23 games.

Amazingly, Khan has decided to retain general manager Trent Baalke. Another half measure that will likely lead to more losing as top candidates like Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson stay away from working with Baalke.

Khan released this statement.

“I had the difficult task this morning of informing Doug Pederson of my intention to hire a new head coach to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars. Doug is an accomplished football man who will undoubtedly enjoy another chapter in his impressive NFL career, and I will be rooting for Doug and his wife Jeannie when that occasion arrives. As much as Doug and I both wish his experience here in Jacksonville would have ended better, I have an obligation first and foremost to serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new leadership is now.

I strongly believe it is possible next season to restore the winning environment we had here not long ago. I will collaborate with General Manager Trent Baalke and others, within and close to our organization, to hire a leader who shares my ambition and is ready to seize the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville.”

The NFL can’t change quickly but even by league standards this was a stunning fall, especially from a head coach that won a Super Bowl leading Philadelphia in 2017.

Pederson was ultimately done in by a few things:

*His complete inability to find the right defensive coordinator. Mike Caldwell was a miss and Ryan Neilsen was a total zero this season, his first at the helm. Many will start with offensive coordinator Press Taylor, but to me the complete whiff on defense for three seasons was the biggest error.

*Pederson’s lack of evolving his offense, which stunted the growth of franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence. By his own admission, Pederson conceded his offense was basically the same as the one he ran in Philadelphia. The NFL changes too much year to year to avoid stagnation with that philosophy. Kansas City’s Andy Reid, Pederson’s mentor, runs little now that he ran back in 2017.

*Now to Taylor. Pederson was too stubborn to recognize that his apprentice wasn’t ready to compete at this level against the best defensive minds. This was made worse by Pederson’s idiotic decision to delegate more to Taylor as his tenure progressed even after Khan made his wishes clear this summer for Pederson to take back play-calling duties.

*There was also a lack of edge from Pederson. That was especially evident in the soft way he handled the cheap shot on Lawrence in a loss to the Texans on Dec. 1. A cheap shot the league decided warranted a three-game suspension.

Pederson does deserve some positive acknowledgement.

Pederson left the Jaguars better than where he found them.

Players didn’t trust the coaching staff when Pederson arrived after the Urban Meyer debacle.

The team was coming off two straight seasons of being the worst team in the league.

As disappointing as this season was, I don’t believe the Jaguars are years away from contending. The next coach, hopefully Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, won’t have to do as much damage control as Pederson had to undertake.

Pederson did win an AFC South title and a home playoff game. Those will always be good memories for a franchise that doesn’t have many in the last 20 years.

Thanks, Doug. Best of luck to you.

(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter/X @HaysCarlyon)