Jaguars hire Doug Pederson as their new head coach

The Jaguars’ long coaching search is finally over, and it marks a new beginning for Doug Pederson.

Jacksonville has agreed in principle with the former Eagles coach and Super Bowl LII champion as its new head coach, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported. The decision, which the team confirmed later on Thursday night, comes seven weeks after the club sacked Urban Meyer amid a turbulent and abbreviated first season.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan thought he struck gold by landing the three-time national champion. Now the Jags have a Super Bowl winner.

“Doug Pederson won a Super Bowl four years ago as the head coach of a franchise seeking its first world championship,” Khan said in a statement. “I hope Doug can replicate that magic here in Jacksonville, but what is certain is his proven leadership and winning head coaching experience in the National Football League. It is exactly what our players deserve. Nothing less. Combine this with his insight into the game. offensive side of the ball, and that’s why I’m proud to name Doug Pederson as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I know our fans will warmly welcome Doug and his family to Duval and I personally look forward to having Doug as a part of everything we envision for the team, center and community for years to come.”

Pederson, 54, is coming off a sabbatical after a successful five-year stint in Philadelphia. The best of them was 2017, which began with Carson Wentz making a run at MVP and ended with Nick Foles leading an unlikely victory over the defending champion Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

Jacksonville might have been a missed call for appearing in that same Super Bowl against Pederson. While Pederson kept Philadelphia in contention for two more years, the Jags became a basement dweller again before firing Doug Marrone after the 2020 season. His 3-14 mark in 2021 gave them the first overall pick for second consecutive draft. That hasn’t been done since the Browns in 1999-2000.

However, Jacksonville’s problems run much deeper, as the club has produced just one winning season since 2008. Pederson’s record is quite different. He went 42-37-1 in Philadelphia and made the playoffs three straight seasons. Before that, he established himself as a promising assistant to Andy Reid with the Chiefs and Eagles. His offenses ranked in the top 10 in three of his eight seasons as offensive coordinator or head coach.

One of Pederson’s main tasks going forward will be developing Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Clemson product endured a difficult rookie campaign, but still displayed the wonderful physical gifts that made him one of the best QB prospects of the last decade. Pederson’s experience with quarterbacks, which includes getting the best out of Alex Smith, Foles and Wentz, could have been a deciding factor.

He was the first of a dozen candidates to interview for the job, which included Raiders special teams coordinator and interim coach Rich Bisaccia and Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich as finalists.