Doug Pederson was announced as the seventh head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars at noon on Saturday, February 5th. This news comes after a 49 day coach search following the dismissal of Urban Meyer.

Owner Shad Kahn stated during an introductory press conference, “We wanted someone who knows exactly what it is to be the last team standing in February, and is passionate about doing it, and doing it again. That man is the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Doug Pederson.”

Pederson is a former NFL quarterback who played 13 season in the league before taking up a profession in coaching the sport. Pederson worked his way up to a stint in Philadelphia with his former head coach, Andy Reid as the Eagle’s offensive quality control coach from 2009-2010 and then serving as quarterbacks coach in Philly from 2011-2012. After Reid was let go and joined the Kansas City Chiefs and Pederson followed becoming the Chief’s offensive coordinator from 2013-2016 until he returned to Philly a third time, but this time serving as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

His former head coach, Andy Reid, said this about Pederson “I was so proud of Doug and the job that he did,” adding, “I loved my time in Philadelphia. I loved every minute of it.”

Pederson spent four seasons as the head coach in Philadelphia the crux of which came during a 13-3 season in 2017. The Eagles owned the best record in the NFC and Pederson was named Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year. The Eagles were led by backup quarterback Nick Foles who replaced the injured starter, Carson Wentz. The Eagles went on to beat the New England Patriots and win the Super Bowl. The next seasons included two division titles and two playoff appearances. However after a 4-11-1 record in 2020, Pederson was fired.

Pederson spent the 2021 season at home with family before being the first candidate to interview for the Jaguars head coaching vacancy on December 30th, 2021. During the 49 day process, it seemed former Jaguars Quarterback and current Tampa Bay Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich was going to be hired. Nonetheless, It was announced the evening of February 3rd that the Jags were expected to hire Pederson.

Pederson addressed the fans of Jacksonville during his introductory presser, “To our fans, I know you’ve been through a lot, even this past season, but that’s about to change. And I can promise you that I’m gonna come to work every single day with a diligent task of making this a winning organization.”