One day after the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo, the Jaguars are following suit. The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Coach Doug Pederson this morning. Pederson’s firing comes after the team finished 4-13 this season and has lost 18 of its last 23 games. Pederson went 22-29 in three seasons with the Jaguars, including 9-8 records in his first two seasons. The Jaguars won the AFC South in 2022 — winning their last five games — and rallied from a 27-0 deficit to beat the Chargers in a wild-card playoff game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs. After starting the 2023 season 8-3, the Jaguars fell apart and missed the playoffs, going 1-5 to end the season.

The Jaguars have one of the NFL’s worst defenses, ranking 31st in the NFL in yards allowed per game. Pederson is best known for his tenure as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. He went 42-37-1, made three playoff appearances and won Super Bowl LII in five seasons in Philadelphia (2016-20). He was fired after the 2020 season and spent 2021 out of football before joining the Jaguars in 2022. The lone bright spot on offense has been receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who led all rookies in receiving yards (1,282) and TDs (10). He also had 87 catches, and those marks set single-season franchise rookie records. Thomas was recently named a first alternate for the Pro Bowl.

 

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