Doug Pederson May Not Survive Bye Week As Jaguars Head Coach Following Blowout Loss

Doug Pederson will get on the Jacksonville Jaguars charter flight back home from Sunday’s game at the Detroit Lions, but there is no guarantee he’ll ever coach the team again.

That’s because the Jaguars, 2-9 following Sunday’s blowout loss to the Lions, will spend some time during their bye week determining whether to fire Pederson. And, per one source in Jacksonville, the favor Pederson enjoyed with owner Shad Khan as late as a couple of weeks ago has nearly disappeared.

A serious evaluation is looming.

JACKSONVILLE, FL – JANUARY 14: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates on the field after beating the Los Angeles Chargers in an NFL wild card playoff football game at TIAA Bank Field on January 14, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Ownership To Evaluate Pederson

So Pederson’s job is on the line now rather than at the end of the season. Now.

The Jaguars’ next game is Dec. 1 at home against the Houston Texans. And there could be a new coach in Jacksonville by then.

Sunday’s blowout loss to the Detroit Lions may have been the final straw.

The Lions hosted what was supposed to be a desperate Jaguars team determined to show fight. But the Lions scored four touchdowns on their first four possessions to take a 28-6 lead into halftime. And then they poured on some more in the second half against a Jacksonville defense that is supposedly fully healthy.

It was never really close, and the outcome seemingly put on display how far from being competitive the Jaguars are.

Jul 24, 2024; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars  head coach Doug Pederson talks to media before the start of training camp at Miller Electric Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

A Mighty Fall For Pederson

A Pederson firing would be a mighty fall for a coach who two years ago promised to take his Super Bowl winning credentials from Philadelphia and have them translate in Jacksonville, thus making “Duval Special.”

That seemed to be the arc for the team in 2022 when Jacksonville made the playoffs. But last year the team wilted late in the season, losing five of its final six games. And this year has been more of the same.

The Jaguars were winless in September and finished 0-3 in November.

The Jaguars have been without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence the past two weeks due to a reported AC joint sprain in his left (non-throwing) shoulder.

Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence talks with head coach Doug Pederson during an NFL Week 2 game vs. the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Stadium in Florida. (Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Trevor Lawrence Has Regressed

 And Lawrence is expected back as early as the first week following the bye against Houston Texans on Dec. 1st,. But his season has been a disappointment as well.

Lawrence in the offseason received a $275 million contract that includes $200 million in guarantees and temporarily tied him with Joe Burrow and Jordan Love as the NFL’s highest paid players, averaging $55 million per season.

But the big bucks haven’t translated to good stats.

Lawrence has thrown only 11 touchdowns passes and 6 interceptions in nine games, which is modest at best. And his 87.9 passer rating is his lowest since his rookie season and worst under Pederson.

So this suggests no development. No improvement. 

It actually suggests the opposite. 

Regression.

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 05: Trent Baalke, General Manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars, looks on during a press conference introducing Doug Pederson as the new Head Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Stadium on February 05, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

GM Baalke Similarly At Risk

Is that all Pederson’s fault? Of course not.

But he has a hand in it. He owns part of it.

And, fairly or not, he’s judged by it.

So, with the team’s star under-performing just like the rest of the club, it shifts all the attention to the head coach and eventually the general manager. Because ownership isn’t going to fire one of the league’s highest-paid players or any players in November.

Even if Pederson survives the current bye week, there are clear indications his job status remains tenuous barring a late-season rally. And it’s not just Pederson.

General manager Trent Baalke is also in line for a serious evaluation after the season. The team’s record is 24-40 since he was hired in 2021 and one head coach was fired and another is seemingly on his way out.

Khan said before the season he believed he had “the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars ever.” But he also said it was important to prove that on the field.

The proof has not manifested.