Jaguars Reportedly Hire Mike McCoy As Quarterbacks Coach
Doug Pederson has reportedly made his first hire in Jacksonville.
While Pederson has yet to release any official hirings to his first Jaguars staff, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported Monday evening the Jaguars would be hiring former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator and San Diego Chargers head coach Mike McCoy as quarterbacks coach.
McCoy hasn't coached since the 2018 season when he was fired by the Cardinals and replaced by Byron Leftwich after seven games, though he has interviewed for offensive coordinator gigs with the Jaguars (2019) and Panthers (2020) since. Now, it appears McCoy will become one of the first and most important members of Pederson's staff in Jacksonville.
"That's obviously the big topic when it comes to the interview. As I look around the league and I even think about the staff that I worked with over -- and it evolved. It shaped itself over the five years there in Philadelphia," Pederson said about hiring a staff at his introductory press conference on Saturday. "At the end of the day, you find guys that you love coming to work with. And we all have the same common goal, to win games."
McCoy, a former NFL and CFL quarterback who was Pederson's roommate with the Packers during the 1995 season, has an extensive history coaching offense and quarterbacks specifically, though he has not been a quarterbacks coach since 2009.
- Carolina Panthers (2000): Offensive assistant
- Carolina Panthers (2001): Wide receivers coach
- Carolina Panthers (2002–2003): Offensive assistant
- Carolina Panthers (2004–2006): Quarterbacks coach
- Carolina Panthers (2007–2008): Passing game coordinator & quarterbacks coach
- Denver Broncos (2009): Offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach
- Denver Broncos (2010–2012): Offensive coordinator
- San Diego Chargers (2013–2016): Head coach
- Denver Broncos (2017): Offensive coordinator
- Arizona Cardinals (2018): Offensive coordinator
McCoy and Pederson have never coached together, with their relationship dating back to their playing days. In McCoy, the Jaguars would have a second former quarterback working closely with No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence's position coach in 2021 was Brian Schottenheimer, but it now appears he will be led by McCoy and Pederson's guidance.
Pederson still has to fill out the rest of his staff, including offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. Pederson was hired as head coach last Thursday evening and spent his first day in the facility on Saturday, where he was formally introduced as the franchise's seventh full-time head coach.
"We work together, and we're in place, as I mentioned earlier, to help the player to become the best version of himself. And that's how you end up winning the game through one player at a time. Staff is important," Pederson said. "I love guys that are high energy guys because I'm going to be that way on the field, and guys that are great teachers and great communicators. It doesn't always have to be your best friend because there's some great coaches out there and there's some guys that -- it's just unfortunate, but there's only just so many spots on a coaching staff. You could fill them with a lot of good coaches.
"At the end of the day, I get the decision to make that choice, and through communication and, again, our process here, and that's who I want to surround myself with. It's an ongoing process now. Nothing is set. Nothing has been established. I'm going to be working on that here in the coming days."
