The Case for Doug Pederson Returning to Coach the Jacksonville Jaguars Next Season

It’s known around the NFL as “Black Monday.” A day in which coaches are dismissed as the coaching carousel spins out of control. A week from Monday, expect sweeping changes throughout the league. Unconfirmed sources are speculating that Doug Pederson will be one of the first to go. Here are the reasons why I think that’s not guaranteed.

For starters, the hot seat was boiling for Pederson back in late September and yet here he still is and the team is still competing at a high level. In fact, I would contend that Mac Jones in recent weeks is playing some of his best overall football and isn’t getting nearly enough credit. Jones under difficult circumstances almost engineered a comeback win at the start of the month vs. divisional champion, Houston with a pair of Touchdowns. I attribute the positive series with Mac directly to Pederson. Ask yourself how many wins would any team have this year if there franchise QB only started 10 games as Trevor Lawrence did in 2024? Furthermore, how many games did you really expect to win in an offensive driven league when Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis each landed on the shelf.

Gabe Davis who was believed in camp to be the “final piece” to the equation, wound up on logging 20 receptions on the year. That’s 25 less than a year ago with the Bills.

This leads me to point two. If you believe the biggest need is seeing Lawrence’s development take the next logical progression, why fire Doug? Is there a head coach available who could do a better job in this specific area? Certainty not Pete Carroll. He’s the furthest thing from an innovative offensive mind there is. A new coach brings a new system which will take a minimum of three years to full implement. Do you really want to experience three more years of growing pains with a new scheme?

In the microwave society we currently live in, where everything must be made at rapid speed, it’s sometimes good to reflect on the full body of work. Did Pederson not coach Carson Wentz, Nick Foles and Michael Vick to some of their best performances?

If you can reach the promised land and win a Super Bowl with Nick Foles, doesn’t it stand to reason, you can at least make a deep run with Trevor Lawrence when healthy?

Changes are inevitable, but I for one would retain Pederson.