The Philadelphia Eagles have made a significant change after finishing a 4-11 season. The team parted ways with head coach Doug Pederson on Monday. His tenure with the Eagles comes to an end after five years and a Super Bowl LII victory.
A source told NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero that Pederson “is out” as the Eagles coach after accumulating a 42-37-1 record in five years. A source confirmed to ESPN that the team had fired Pederson. NFL insider Ian Rapoport said that the firing was about more than on-field performance. He said that the decision was about staff changes and how the team would move forward for the future.
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From NFL Now: The Eagles fired coach Doug Pederson. Why? pic.twitter.com/OqgtkpaWT1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2021
A former offensive assistant coach for both the Eagles and Chiefs under Andy Reid, Pederson landed the head coaching job in Philadelphia in January 2016. He replaced Chip Kelly and set about making immediate changes. He and GM Howie Roseman drafted quarterback Carson Wentz second overall and traded Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles went 7-9 during Wentz’s rookie season and missed the playoffs.
The 2017 season was the peak of Pederson’s tenure in Philadelphia. He led the team to a 13-3 record, the NFC East championship and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Wentz played like an MVP for most of the season but tore his ACL in a Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Backup Nick Foles took over and finished out the year as the starter, leading the Eagles to a 41-33 victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
The Eagles returned to the playoffs twice more during Pederson’s tenure. The team reached the Divisional round in 2018 after upsetting the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card. However, the team lost to the New Orleans Saints, marking the first postseason loss of Pederson’s career.
The Eagles returned to the playoffs after a 9-7 record in the 2019 season. Pederson led the team to another division crown after overcoming multiple injuries on both offense and defense. The team reached the Wild Card round of the playoffs but lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
With the news that the Eagles no longer employed Pederson, there were questions about his future. Some analysts predicted that he would head to the New York Jets and join General Manager Joe Douglas. The two men previously won a Super Bowl together in 2017 before Douglas headed to the AFC East.
