Doug Pederson is Heating Up Again in Coaching Rumors
The name Doug Pederson had gone cold in the NFL's 2022 hiring cycle after early interviews in Jacksonville and Chicago.
All of a sudden the Super Bowl-winning mentor is back in the mix with the Jaguars, however, and the New Orleans Saints, who are moving on after Sean Payton decided to take a break from the grind.
Peterson's first discussion with the Jaguars didn't go smoothly but things are being revisited after Jacksonville has failed to get anything done with the perceived leading contender: Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, a former first-round pick for the Jags who was their quarterback from 2003-2006.
Like Pederson, Leftwich reportedly has concerns about how things are being run in Jacksonville, something that resulted in the Urban Meyer debacle in the 2021 season.
As for Pederson, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that the former Eagles coach had "trepidation" about the structure of the Jags' organization after coming off the micromanaging of owner Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman in Philadelphia.
“Doug Pederson, I’m told, was lukewarm about the chance to go there, given what he’d gone through in Philly and the structure in place in Jacksonville,” Breer said in his Monday Morning Quarterback column.
Despite that, Pederson is set to circle back with the Jags on Tuesday, according to NFL Media.
Along with Pederson and Leftwich, Jacksonville has interviewed two coaches already hired elsewhere: new Chicago leader Matt Eberflus and Denver mentor Nathaniel Hackett.
Others spoken with have been Darrell Bevell, the Jags' interim coach who took over for the disgraced Meyer in-season, Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, who removed his name from consideration early in the process, Bucs DC Todd Bowles, former Detroit and Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell, Cowboys OC Kellen Moore, and former Houston coach Bill O'Brien.
The organization also wants to speak with now-former Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia and Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell but would have to wait until after the Super Bowl for the latter.
The Saints, meanwhile, spoke to Pederson on Sunday after getting a late start as Payton, a Pederson friend, mulled his future.
Things haven't gotten as convoluted yet with New Orleans as Pederson is in a group of candidates that includes Leftwich. former Miami coach Brian Flores, Lions DC Aaron Glenn, and in-house candidate Dennis Allen, Payton's DC and the favorite to land the job in league circles.
To date, along with Eberflus and Hackett, the New York Giants hired Buffalo OC Brian Daboll to be their head coach and the Las Vegas Raiders tabbed Josh McDaniels, the Pats OC who was very close to getting the Eagles job last year.
Other teams still looking for head coaches are Houston, where Philadelphia DC Jonathan Gannon is a finalist, Minnesota, where Gannon also interviewed, and Miami.
The Vikings were reportedly interested in speaking with Pederson but that never materialized and that organization is down to three finalists in O'Connell, Rams DC Raheem Morris, and San Francisco DC DeMeco Ryans, the former Eagles' linebacker, with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh serving as a potential wild card there.
The fact that Pederson hasn't landed a job in an environment with underwhelming candidates with far lesser resumes is strange.
During a five-year tenure with the Eagles, Pederson finished with a 42-37-1 regular-season record and made the playoffs after the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons, topping out with a Super Bowl LII championship, the only Lombardi Trophy in franchise history with a win over Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and New England.
Despite that, Lurie moved on from Pederson after a disastrous 2020 season coupled with the coach refusing to move off his plans to make Press Taylor his OC and either Matt Burke or Cory Undlin his DC.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
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