Once the savior of Duval County, Doug Pederson is now the latest head coach to go by the wayside in northeast Florida.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired Pederson, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Monday, following a 4-13 season that fell seismically short of owner Shad Khan's expectations.
Khan announced the news later Monday, adding that general manager Trent Baalke will be retained.
"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," Khan said. "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."
Though Pederson's tenure lasted three full seasons, Monday's firing was a move anticipated for nearly two months.
The ousting of Pederson was expected by many to come after an embarrassing Week 11 loss to the Detroit Lions, with Rapoport reporting on Nov. 16 that a defeat back then could signal another regime change for the Jags. Jacksonville was obliterated by the Detroit Lions on on Nov. 17, 52-6, the 46-point margin of defeat standing as the most in club history.
Pederson stayed put, though, and as underwhelming as his final campaign was, he still led the club to more wins than each of the previous two seasons prior to his arrival. He ends his Jaguars tenure with a 22-29 record, having posted 9-8 marks in each of his first two seasons with an AFC South title and playoff win in 2022.
Since 2012 when Khan became owner of the Jaguars, the franchise has gone through five head coaches, including Pederson, and reached the playoffs just twice.
Pederson arrived just a few years after guiding the Philadelphia Eagles to their first and only Super Bowl victory.
In Jacksonville, Pederson took on a rescue mission after the franchise had stumbled through a disastrous 3-14 2021 season in which Urban Meyer lasted less than a full year as head coach.
Jacksonville rallied down the stretch in 2022 to make the playoffs and beat the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round, and Trevor Lawrence made the Pro Bowl, seeming to have righted his trajectory after a lost rookie season.
While Pederson's Jaguars had identical 9-8 marks in each of his first two seasons, they were polar opposites. The Jaguars collapsed in 2023, losing five of their final six to miss the postseason.
In this past offseason, Khan tabbed the '23 season an "organizational failure" and minced no words in making it known he expected to win now with a roster he believed to be the best under his ownership.
Lawrence, however, dealt with multiple injuries in 2024 and struggled with his play after signing a massive extension this offseason.
Upon Pederson's arrival, the Jaguars went heavy in free agency with the signings of wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, tight end Evan Engram, offensive lineman Brandon Scherff and linebacker Foye Oluokun. They've had varying levels of success, but it's hardly appeared to be the nucleus of a serious Super Bowl contender. The emergence of rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. stands as the brightest takeaway from the '24 campaign, but it won't be Pederson who shepherds his burgeoning career.
The 2024 season was a struggle from the start, which saw the Jaguars open 0-4. The Jaguars suffered massive blowouts against the Bills and Lions, but for the most part have been handed agonizing defeats of the one-possession variety.
The job security of Pederson, 56, has been a hot topic for months now, and what comes next for the veteran head coach remains to be seen.
For the Jaguars, though, it's a familiar situation of starting all over again.
Khan, during a virtual press conference on Monday, detailed what he believes the Jaguars are missing and what he'd like to see their new head coach bring to the table.
"Right now, we are the most predictable team on both sides of the ball. And football, you know, to win, deception is a big part of it," Khan said. "Unpredictability. If you know exactly what we're going to do on offense and defense, you better have the 22 best players to help us win a football game. So, being unpredictable is, I think, is modern football and we have to be able to show that on the field."
