Report: Jacksonville Jaguars have hired a Super Bowl-winning head coach

Former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is being hired as the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

It was reported Thursday morning that Pederson had received a second interview with the Jaguars front office and now, the deal is done.

Pederson took the 2021 season off from coaching after serving as the Eagles head coach from 2016-2020. He most notably led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl victory in 2018 when the Eagles edged Tom Brady and the Patriots 41-33 with Nick Foles under center. It’s regarded as one of the most unlikely championship victories in modern NFL history.

His good standing in Philadelphia went downhill quickly as he was fired after the 2020 season, just two years after his infamous championship win. His Eagles finished the year with a 4-11-1 record.

“It’s not about, ‘Did Doug deserve to be let go?’ No, he did not deserve to be let go,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in Jan. 2021. “That’s not where I’m coming from, and that’s not the bar in the evaluation process.”

Pederson will replace Urban Meyer, who was fired mid-season after leading the Jaguars to a 2-11 start to the season.

Byron Leftwich makes major decision on Jaguars coaching job

Byron Leftwich has felt like the perfect fit to go back to the city where he played, mentor former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence and revitalize the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

According to a report on Thursday, that won’t be happening. 

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Leftwich is expected to pull his name out of consideration for the opening.

According to Pro Football Talk, Byron Leftwich’s path to the job appeared to hit a snag because he was not interested in working with General Manager Trent Baalke. Cardinals vice president of pro personnel Adrian Wilson was Leftwich’s preferred choice for the job, but the failure to move forward suggests the Jaguars weren’t interested in making a change.

The Jags have since spoken to former Vikings G.M. Rick Spielman about a role in the front office that would reportedly have him reporting to owner Shad Khan directly. Former Eagles coach Doug Pederson and former Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia have had the most recent interviews for the head coaching job. It was Pederson’s second interview with the team.