The Jacksonville Jaguars were among the nine teams to have a head coaching vacancy this offseason after they fired Urban Meyer after less than a full season at the helm in Jacksonville.
Meyer’s tenure was an abject disaster, filled with poor play on the field and constant controversy off of it. The candidate pool was expected to be headlined by Byron Leftwich, the former Jags quarterback who is now the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, but on Thursday, he pulled himself out of the race. Late Thursday night, Jacksonville made a decision on the remaining candidates and hired former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, who won a Super Bowl in Philly in 2018.
Former Eagles’ HC Doug Pederson is being hired as the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, source tells ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 4, 2022
Sources: The #Jaguars are hiring Doug Pederson as their new coach.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 4, 2022
The Jaguars will hope that Pederson can bring some creativity and life to an offense desperately in need of that as Trevor Lawrence enters his second season. Pederson spent a year away from the NFL in 2021 after being fired after the 2020 season by the Eagles, compiling a 42-37-1 record during his time in Philadelphia that included that Super Bowl run.
With Pederson filling the Jaguars vacancy, there are three jobs still available — Houston, New Orleans, and Miami — and despite six coaches being hired so far, not one has been Black only further illustrating the issues the league has in its hiring practices that are being challenged by the Brian Flores lawsuit.
