Jacksonville Jaguars fire head coach Doug Pederson

The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired head coach Doug Pederson after three seasons, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Pederson is out following a season in which the Jaguars finished near the bottom of the AFC, enduring both a four-game and five-game losing streak.

“Jacksonville Jaguars fired Doug Pederson as their head coach, per source,” Schefter posted on X. “Pederson’s tenure in Jacksonville ends after three season and a 22-29 record, including 18 losses in the last 23 games.”

Jaguars owner Shad Khan provided a statement on the matter, via Schefter: “I had the difficult task this morning of informing Doug Pederson of my intention to hire a new head coach to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Khan said, via Schefter. “Doug is an accomplished football man who will undoubtedly enjoy another chapter in his impressive NFL career, and I will be rooting for Doug and his wife Jeannie when that occasion arrives. As much as Doug and I both wish his experience here in Jacksonville would have ended better, I have an obligation first and foremost to serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new leadership is now.  

“I strongly believe it is possible next season to restore the winning environment we had here not long ago. I will collaborate with General Manager Trent Baalke and others, within and close to our organization, to hire a leader who shares my ambition and is ready to seize the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville.”

Hired in February 2022, Pederson wasted no time turning the Jaguars around. He led Jacksonville to a 9-8 record and playoff berth in his first season, falling in the AFC Divisional Round to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Pederson, a former Super Bowl winning coach with the Philadelphia Eagles, oversaw another 9-8 campaign in 2023, this time with no postseason. Jacksonville dropped four straight games to open up the 2024 season and never quite recovered.

The Jaguars were among the worst teams on offense this season, made worse once quarterback Trevor Lawrence was placed on injured reserve with an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder.

As Khan mentioned, General Manager Trent Baalke will return to Jacksonville amid Pederson’s firing, which may come as a surprise to many, both inside and outside the organization’s purview.

Jaguars moving on from Doug Pederson

Lawrence, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick, will soon be on head coach No. 3 in just five seasons in the NFL. The next man in charge will be tasked with getting the best out of the face of the franchise in Lawrence and bringing consistency to Jacksonville — something that’s been hard to come by. The Jaguars have just six over .500 seasons this century and three since 2007.

Pederson, 56, previously said that having continuity would help turn it around in Jacksonville.

“I believe that continuity is the only way you kind of get it fixed,” Pederson said. “Sometimes you learn even as a player, go back to like when I, when I was a player, even players today. You got to think when you’re a free agent, you have an opportunity to stay with your current team or go somewhere else. You gotta weigh the pros and cons of both, right? Am I going into a better situation than what I currently have?”

But 2025 and beyond won’t include Pederson as the franchise heads into a new era.

On3’s Steve Samra contributed to this article.