The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired head coach Doug Pederson following the team’s 4-13 season the club announced on Monday.
Losers of 18 of their past 23 games, Jacksonville will select 5th overall in the upcoming NFL Draft, representing a sizeable step backwards following their AFC South title in 2022, and a 9-8 record in 2023. The club did however announce that they would be retaining GM Trent Baalke for the upcoming season.
“I had the difficult task this morning of informing Doug Pederson of my intention to hire a new head coach to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “Doug is an accomplished football man who will undoubtedly enjoy another chapter in his impressive NFL career, and I will be rooting for Doug and his wife Jeannie when that occasion arrives. As much as Doug and I both wish his experience here in Jacksonville would have ended better, I have an obligation first and foremost to serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new leadership is now.”
“I strongly believe it is possible next season to restore the winning environment we had here not long ago. I will collaborate with General Manager Trent Baalke and others, within and close to our organization, to hire a leader who shares my ambition and is ready to seize the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville.”
The Jaguars struggled to close out games in 2024, despite what owner Shad Khan describe in July as the “best team” ever put together by Jacksonville. With an NFL record 10 one-score losses this year, the Jags took fans on a roller coaster ride, continually losing close contests, but also being on the receiving ends of some extremely lopsided scores as well.
With starters Evan Engram (torn labrum), Trevor Lawrence (AC joint), Gabe Davis (knee), and Christian Kirk (collarbone) headlining a jam packed injured reserve for the team, Jacksonville struggled to find on field consistency in 2024. Couple this with the fact that their defence ranked 31st in the NLF in yards allowed per game (389.9) and last in passing yards per game (257.4) and one can see how things went sideways in a hurry in the Sunshine State.
The Jaguars are expected to being their coaching search immediately, though unlike New England and New York who may have tipped their hands in terms of a preferred candidate (Mike Vrabel), Jacksonville’s head coaching position appears to be truly up for grabs at the moment.
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