Jaguars' Josh Pederson 'Hoping to Fly Under the Radar' on Father's Team
Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Josh Pederson knows that his situation isn't exactly like anyone else's.
The 25-year-old son of Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson was signed to the Jaguars' 90-man roster for training camp on Monday, a signing that initially came to the USFL tight end as a surprise due to his father's presence in the organization.
"Right at the end of the season, he had texted me and said, I think we're gonna sign you. That's all he said. I texted back and I said, 'Who is we? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?' You know, I was messing with him. I was like, 'Who is we?'" Pederson told KNOE8 Sports Director Aaron Dietrich.
"He said me and the Jaguars. And I, of course, I flipped out. I called him right away. And I didn't believe it at all. And then he said, yeah, you know, we thought you had a good season. And he talked to the GM and the owner with the Jags and they were all on board."
It is unusual for an NFL head coach to help his child land a roster spot, but the younger Pederson has been on other NFL rosters before and, after a strong season in the USFL, would not be out of place on most NFL training camp rosters.
With that said, Pederson is aware of the potential negative connotation of his signing. As a result, he noted to Dietrich that he hopes to not be a major focal point of the Jaguars' camp.
"That's the thing you know, I'm hoping to fly under the radar, but we'll see how it goes," Pederson said. "And I asked my dad if I could change the D in our last name to T just to kind of throw people off. But no man, I'm excited.
"And you know, it's definitely that's kind of, you know, my agent kind of had to talk me off a cliff. You know, I didn't want it to be thought as a handout, but he had reminded me that I've been on three credible teams, with three credible head coaches, and now with my production in the USFL you know, I belong here. And you know, it just, it took another outside guy to explain that to me, and I really believe it and I'm so excited to be here."
Pederson played in all 10 games during the 2023 USFL season for the Houston Gamblers. He caught 25 passes for 325 yards and ranked third in receiving yards among tight ends.
Pederson played collegiately at Louisiana-Monroe and caught 99 passes for 1,191 yards and 11 touchdowns. In his junior year, Pederson was named First-team All-Sun Belt after recording 43 receptions for 567 yards and 9 scores. He then started every game his senior year, recording 32 catches for 367 yards.
Pederson went undrafted during the 2021 NFL Draft before signing with the San Francisco 49ers and then spending time with the Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints.
