Philadelphia Eagles Fire Head Coach Doug Pederson
The last of the bloom finally fell off the rose for now-former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, who was relieved of his duties Monday by team owner Jeffrey Lurie.
Pederson, whose Eagles limped to a 4-11-1 record this season, saw his team wrecked by injuries and by the inconsistent play of franchise quarterback Carson Wentz, who posted a career-low 57.4% completion rate while throwing a career-high 15 interceptions and tying his career-low touchdown rate of 16.
Wentz, who in 2019 had become the first Eagles player to throw for 4,000 yards in a season, was benched midway through the team’s Week 13 game against the Packers.
Pederson then turned to backup Jalen Hurts, a rookie, to finish out the team’s 2020 campaign, a decision that created strife with Wentz, who had signed a lucrative four-year, $128 million contract extension with nearly $70 million guaranteed.
Pederson came under heavy criticism two weeks ago in the regular-season finale against the Washington Football Team when he pulled Hurts from the game down by three and inserted backup Nate Sudfeld, a quarterback who hadn’t previously played.
That move angered many people around the league, including Giants head coach Joe Judge, not so much because the Giants needed the Eagles to beat the Football Team to make the playoffs, but because Judge, without mentioning Pederson or the Eagles by name, questioned the decision to compromise competitive integrity.
Pederson, who has been linked to the Jets vacant head coaching spot given his relationship with Jets general manager Joe Douglas from their time together in Philadelphia, leaves the Eagles with a 42-37-1 record.
That includes a 9-1 mark against the Giants, two NFC East titles 92017, 2019), and three straight playoff berths from 2017-19, including the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl championship (LII) in 2017 following a 13-3 record.
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