Insider suggests Jaguars could soon make Doug Pederson decision 

Reporters mentioned throughout the season's first month that Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan could fire head coach Doug Pederson before Week 18 as quarterback Trevor Lawrence failed to impress after he signed a five-year contract extension worth up to $275M with $142M fully guaranteed this past offseason.

For a piece published Tuesday, Mike Jones of The Athletic hinted that Khan could end the Pederson experiment during Jacksonville's Week 12 bye if the club enters its break at 2-9. 

"Lawrence’s regression continues," Jones wrote. "Jacksonville’s defense on Sunday surrendered 400-plus yards for the fifth time this season (in a 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles) and the Jaguars are minus-seven in the turnover department (third worst). Next up? A game at home versus the 6-2 Minnesota Vikings followed by a trip to the 7-1 Detroit Lions. It feels like a matter of when and not if owner Shad Khan pulls the plug."

According to Pro Football Reference, Lawrence heads into Week 10 ranked 23rd in the NFL with an 87.9 passer rating, tied for 29th with a 61.3% completion percentage and 16th with a 46.6% passing success rate on the campaign. Going back to Jacksonville's collapse during the second half of the 2023 season, the Jaguars have gone 3-12 over their past 15 contests under Pederson.

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Jaguars as four-point underdogs for Sunday's home game against the Vikings. History shows owners and/or front offices prefer to make big changes during bye weeks, so Pederson may have to guide his club to back-to-back upset wins to ensure he'll be employed when Jacksonville faces the Houston Texans in Week 13. 

As for Pederson's long-term replacement, Khan is among the owners expected to reach out to former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick over the next couple of months. Recent stories have linked Belichick with the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, but some have suggested Khan could give Belichick the type of power the living legend had while with the Patriots. 

Pederson insisted earlier this fall he hadn't yet lost the Jacksonville locker room. His players now have two games to prove that's the case with his job potentially on the line.