B/R misreading Jaguars HC Doug Pederson's seat temperature ahead of 2024

The Jacksonville Jaguars have turned things around since hiring head coach Doug Pederson as their head coach in 2022. However, they're coming off an underwhelming season and are facing several hurdles (including the Houston Texans) to reclaim the AFC South. Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report thinks that the Jags will strongly consider giving Doug P his walking papers if they once again fail to live up to expectations.

Gagnon took a look at several NFL head coaches who are potentially on the hot seat ahead of the regular season. He believes Pederson's is just above room temperature, pointing out that he must show he can get over the hump after coming crashing down to end 2023.

"Yes, Doug Pederson has posted two winning seasons in a row since landing in Jacksonville. But in both cases, the Jags went 9-8 and failed to truly emerge as a Super Bowl contender.

Considering what they're now paying quarterback Trevor Lawrence, team brass certainly expects more from Pederson, Lawrence and Co. in '24.

The Super Bowl winner from Philadelphia will likely get a full season to prove he can take the Jaguars to the next level, but if the team can't win the division and make an impact in the playoffs with Lawrence experiencing the best year of his career, Shad Khan could pull the plug out of frustration before '25 rolls around."

It's true that the Jaguars are coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2004-2005 but they entered with high expectations last year only to falter down the stretch. At one point, they were 8-3 and in position to clinch the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they won only one of their last six games and failed to qualify for the postseason.

Injuries, especially to Trevor Lawrence, hampered the team but Pederson is rightly steering away from that justification for the Jaguars' meddling performance to end 2023. It certainly didn't help that their defense couldn't stop teams from scoring. Maybe if they had, they might've had a shot even without a healthy Lawrence but they were going through the motions, which is why nobody batted an eye when they moved on from Mike Caldwell.

Realizing they needed to make key changes, Jacksonville brought in defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who's gotten rave reviews so far. They also spared no expense to beef off both the offensive and defensive line, bringing in veterans such as center Mitch Morse and Arik Armstead in free agency.

On top of that, the franchise has locked up foundational pieces such as Lawrence, defensive end Josh Hines-Allen, and Tyson Campbell. Simply put, Pederson has everything he needs to take the Jaguars to new heights.

The Jaguars under Doug Pederson must win in 2024 or else...

Shad Khan has made a substantial investment in the Jaguars in 2024. Not only has he opened his checkbook to extend the team's homegrown talent but he's also committed, along with the city of Jacksonville to pour resources into remodeling EverBank Stadium. It's fair to say that he isn't just doing it because he likes to spend money but rather because he wants to see results. More specifically, he wants to see the wins stack up on the football field.

After the City of Jacksonville and Khan agreed to allocate $1.4 billion to renovate the "Bank", he noted that another "organizational collapse" like the one in 2023 would not be acceptable, basically mandating the team to win without issuing a mandate. Coming up short of the playoffs won't be acceptable, but just making the Wild Card Round shouldn't cut it either.

Pederson already has shown he can go all the way when he coached the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2017. He certainly has the Jags trending in the right direction, but he must also deliver results. That's why Jacksonville should be aiming at making the AFC Championship.

Is it a high bar to clear? You bet, but if the Jags under Pederson cannot keep up with powerhouses in the conference such as the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, or the Houston Texans, why should the team's future be entrusted to him?

Going back to Garnon's read on Pederson's seat, you could argue that it is indeed just above room temperature but he should've also pointed out that it can suddenly get blazing hot if the Jacksonville Jaguars fail again in 2024.

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