The Jacksonville Jaguars decided that they had had enough of Doug Pederson and gave him the boot after the 2024 season. It wasn't just that they failed to make the playoffs the past two years, but his inability to inspire players and innovate was holding the team back. In fact, a beat reporter brought up Pederson's lack of urgency to update his offensive scheme as one of the many reasons the Jags kicked him to the curb.
Hays Carlyon of 1010 XL was going over several topics regarding the Jags when he told colleague Mia O'Brien that Pederson hadn't made many changes to the offense he ran when he led the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2017.
"I just think that it's just such a dramatic upgrade in terms of where the league is now offensively. Again, I will go back to two things. Doug Peterson admitted to us that the offense he was running last year was basically the same offense he was running in 2017 when they won the Super Bowl in Philadelphia. That's not how this league works. You've got to evolve. This league changes drastically every season, and these defensive coordinators, they will catch up to you if you don't keep it fresh, if you don't evolve."
Carlyon continued, "Andy Reid isn't running the same stuff he was running in 2017, so it was madness. And then you've got his son playing tight end, or at least being on the team. That's what this NFL organization was doing. And so that's why I think with Liam Cohen here and a bright, innovative, creative, offensive brain trust, I do think Brian Thomas Jr, I don't think there's really any limitations you can put on statistically what he will do. If it's 1,500 yards, I'll take the over."
Pederson was a breath of fresh air after the Urban Meyer debacle. In his first season at the helm, the Super Bowl-winning head coach oversaw a turnaround that included an AFC South title and a trip to the playoffs. However, he rested on his laurels and wasn't nearly as successful the following two years.
Aside from relegating the offense to protege Press Taylor, Pederson didn't seem to be ready to navigate adversity with the Jags. He routinely called uninspiring games and often failed to motivate players.
To make matters worse, Pederson threw players under the bus to defend Taylor. But despite his shortcomings, he was granted the chance to show he could turn things around in 2024. Once he proved that he wasn't capable, owner Shad Khan gave him the boot.
Doug Pederson proved he wasn't going to be able to turn the Jaguars around
You could make the case that the Jacksonville Jaguars moved too soon from Doug Pederson. But as noted before, it wasn't just the win-loss record. He had lost grasp of the team, and there's no returning from that. Sure, the 2024 season could've been a wake-up call for Pederson to get his act together, but there was an equal chance (if not bigger) that he was going to falter.
So instead of holding onto Pederson and firing him a year later, they cut ties. After an extensive search, the organization chose Liam Coen to replace him. And so far, he's been everything they bargained for and then some.
Unlike his predecessor, Coen is looking for ways to tweak his system and adjust it to his current personnel to get the most out of it. Similarly, he's working one-on-one with Trevor Lawrence, instead of delegating the task to someone else.
The bottom line is that it was time to move on from Doug Pederson, but that's mostly because he played a massive role in his fallout. Had he adjusted and done his job, maybe he would still be the head coach. Then again, it's not of much use to dwell in the past, especially when you take into account that Liam Coen has the team trending in the right direction.