Doug Pederson’s bizarre postgame comments may signal the end of his Jaguars tenure

The Jacksonville Jaguars have now dropped five games this season. Their most recent loss came against the Chicago Bears in Week 6. And based on how they've performed, it's hard to see them turning things around. Maybe head coach Doug Pederson knows it, which is why he made some puzzling comments after the game.

Pederson told sideline reporter Bucky Brooks after the loss that the Jags could benefit from a culture change.

"There's another game coming, whether we like it or not," Pederson said. "What have we played six games? We play a 17-game schedule, we've got a few more games left. Nobody's going to feel sorry for us."

Pederson continued, "I say we, it's all of us, coaches, players, everybody. We've got to change right now that culture. Otherwise, it just gets out of control. We're on a slippery slope, right on the cusp of that slope. At some point, we've got to have [say] enough is enough, and you've got to have enough pride."

Here's Pederson's full exchange with Brooks. The remarks about the culture change come at the 40:44 mark.

Pederson isn't wrong when he says that the team is in need of a makeover. Following the loss, safety Andre Cisco said that he felt a lot of quit, which is a reason for concern. It's barely Week 6 and players are already throwing in the towel? Now 1-5, the Jags will next face the New England Patriots, but it won't matter who their opponent is if they keep playing the way they have so far.

Doug Pederson may feel that his stint with the Jaguars is close to an end

What makes Doug Pederson's remarks so shocking is that he's the head coach. He's in charge and has the chance to do something to turn things around right now. But six games into the 2024 season, he's failed to do it. This is particularly frustrating when you take into account that Jacksonville lost five of their last six games last year, and he, along with the rest of the team, has failed to right the ship.

When you put together Andre Cisco's latest comments and the report a few weeks ago that Doug Pederson lost the locker room, it's hard to see the head coach sticking around in 2025.

Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars were coming off a win in Week 5, Doug Pederson's seat was still warm. They had a prime opportunity to take another step in the right direction against the Chicago Bears but instead came crashing down. Because the buck stops with the head coach, he'll answer for the team's failures, and heading into Week 6, his odds of keeping his job beyond 2024 look slim.

It's also worth noting that Shad Khan didn't issue a literal mandate but made it clear earlier this year that he expected the Jaguars to win in 2024 because they were the best Jags team ever. At the time he made the remarks, it was easy to understand his optimism.

After all, the Jags had made significant upgrades to both the roster and the coaching staff. Unfortunately, they've yet to see a meaningful return on their investment. Doug Pederson knows it, which is probably why he feels that a change in the culture is inevitable, even if he's not part of it.

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