After firing first-year head coach Urban Meyer, the Jacksonville Jaguars are in search of a new head coach.
Despite all of the excitement regarding the Jaguars’ No. 1 pick, Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars team has not seen measured improvements.
In 2020, they finished 1-15, and going into Week 17 of 2021, they are 2-13.
They need a new leader to move them away from the Meyer era.
Building a team around a young quarterback like Lawrence takes time, patience, and skill.
Among the candidates in contention for the Jaguars head coaching position is former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson.
Doug Pederson will interview for the Jaguars head coach position tomorrow. He'd be an absolute gift for their organization.
Good luck, coach!#Eagles pic.twitter.com/Hjln6i7jF1
— Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) December 29, 2021
Here are three reasons why the Jaguars should hire Pederson.
3. Former Quarterback
Pederson is a former NFL quarterback.
He has a ten-year career with short stints at Miami, Philadelphia, and Cleveland.
The majority of his career, seven seasons, was spent in Green Bay backing up Brett Favre.
If anyone understands what a young quarterback goes through as he works through the transition from a college player to an NFL player, it is Pederson.
He could be a great mentor to Trevor Lawrence.
It is worth noting that Pederson is not the only former quarterback that may be considered for this position.
Offensive coordinators of the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kellen Moore and Byron Leftwich respectively, are both former NFL quarterbacks who could also be interviewed for his job.
2. Super Bowl Champion Head Coach
He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for five years from 2016-2020.
His Eagles won the Super Bowl by beating the New England Patriots in February 2018, and Pederson is praised for working with two quarterbacks to accomplish that feat.
No one thought the Eagles would make a deep run in the playoffs once quarterback Carson Wentz was lost to injury while having an MVP caliber season.
Pederson was able to keep the momentum going with Nick Foles taking over the quarterback role, and the rest is “Philly Special” history.
#OTD in 2018, Nick Foles and the Eagles introduced ‘the Philly Special’ en route to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.
Foles won Super Bowl LII MVP with 373 passing yards, 4 total touchdowns, and 36 FPTS.
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) February 4, 2020
Pederson broke into coaching under former Eagles head coach Andy Reid in Kansas City.
Reid is widely viewed as one of the elite NFL coaches so Pederson had a great example to learn from in three seasons while serving as the Chiefs offensive coordinator from 2013-2015.
I have a hard time believing the Jacksonville Jaguars will find a better candidate than Doug Pederson through their "exhaustive search." Former QB, track record of developing a high pick, Super Bowl pedigree and he'd fit into the organization's heavy emphasis on numbers.
— Brent Sobleski (@brentsobleski) December 30, 2021
1. Good Reputation
No one has a bad word to say about Pederson.
He gave the city and franchise something that Reid and no other Philadelphia Eagles coach could: a Super Bowl championship.
Even in his playing days, Pederson was a good teammate.
For the Jaguars who are trying to change the culture, Pederson is an excellent candidate to do that with his character and demeanor.
Conclusion
The Jaguars have a head start on selecting a candidate.
Making a quick and decisive move could set the tone for an offseason that will include more development work with Lawrence and drafting and signing free agents to form a more complete roster.
If the Jaguars do not make a speedy decision, Pederson could be scooped up by another team that fires its current head coach in the next couple of weeks.
