JACKSONVILLE – Five things to know about new Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson …
- He's a Super Bowl champion as a head coach … Pederson, hired as the Jaguars' seventh head coach on Thursday, spent the 2021 season out of the NFL after serving as the Philadelphia Eagles' head coach from 2016-2020. The Eagles went 42-37-1 during the regular season during Pederson's tenure with a 4-2 postseason record. They made the postseason from 2017-2019 and won two NFL East titles, finishing 13-3 in 2017 and winning Super Bowl LII following the season with a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots. The Eagles' record during five seasons with Philadelphia: 7-9 in 2016, 13-3 in 2017, 9-7 in 2018, 9-7 in 2019 and 7-9 in 2020. Pederson was named the Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year following the 2017 season.
- … and as a player, too. Pederson, who played collegiately at Louisiana-Monroe, played quarterback 13 seasons in the NFL – mostly as a backup. After signing with the Miami Dolphins as a collegiate free agent following the 1991 NFL Draft, he played with the Dolphins (1992-1995), Green Bay Packers (1995-1998), Eagles (1999), Cleveland Browns (2000) and Packers (2001-2004). He played on the Packers' 1996-1997 Super Bowl teams – and was a reserve behind quarterback Brett Favre on the Packers' team that won Super Bowl XXXI following the 1996 season.
- He has been around all-time great quarterbacks. Not only did Pederson serve as a reserve behind Pro Hall of Fame quarterback Favre in Green Bay from 1995-1999 and 2001-2004, he played behind Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino with the Dolphins from 1992-1995. Pederson started 17 games – nine with the Eagles in 1999 and eight with the Browns in 2000. He went 2-7 as a starter with the Eagles and 1-7 with the Browns. Pederson completed 286 of 522 passes for 2,762 yards 12 touchdowns with 19 interceptions in the NFL.
- He's from the Andy Reid coaching "tree." Pederson began coaching immediately after his NFL career ended – and his coaching career began with four seasons (2005-2008) as the head coach at Calvary Baptist Academy – a private school near his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana; the school went 33-7 during his tenure. He spent the next seven seasons as an assistant under current Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid – serving as quality control coach with the Eagles (2009-2010), Eagles quarterbacks coach (2011-2012) and the Chiefs offensive coordinator (2013-2015) before returning to the Eagles as head coach. The Eagles made the postseason in 2009-2010 and the Chiefs made the postseason in 2013 and 2015. The Chiefs were fifth, second and third in points scored in the NFL during Pederson's three seasons as offensive coordinator.
- Pederson could have been with the Jaguars a loooong time ago. Pederson's previous ties to the Jaguars are minimal, but there is one at least semi-interesting "almost." Pederson early in the 1995 season was made available by the Dolphins for the 1995 "expansion draft," with all NFL teams having to designate players for selection by the expansion Panthers and Jaguars. The Panthers selected Pederson with the No. 44 selection in the draft. The Jaguars selected linebacker Brant Boyer with the selection before the Panthers selected Pederson and selected safety Harry Colon with the ensuing selection.
