JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars fired coach Doug Pederson however retained GM Trent Baalke on Monday, the crew introduced.
Pederson’s firing comes after the crew completed 4-13 this season; it has misplaced 18 of its previous 23 video games.
“I had the tough process this morning of informing Doug Pederson of my intention to rent a brand new head coach to steer the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Jaguars proprietor Shad Khan stated in an announcement. “Doug is an completed soccer man who will undoubtedly take pleasure in one other chapter in his spectacular NFL profession, and I might be rooting for Doug and his spouse Jeannie when that event arrives. As a lot as Doug and I each want his expertise right here in Jacksonville would have ended higher, I’ve an obligation at the start to serve the most effective pursuits of our crew and particularly our followers, who faithfully assist our crew and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new management is now.
“I strongly consider it’s doable subsequent season to revive the successful setting we had right here not way back. I’ll collaborate with General Manager Trent Baalke and others, inside and near our group, to rent a frontrunner who shares my ambition and is able to seize the extraordinary alternative we are going to supply in Jacksonville.”
Khan will now be trying to find his sixth head coach since he bought the crew in November 2011 and assumed management in 2012. Baalke is getting into the ultimate 12 months of his contract.
Khan had large expectations for 2024, telling the crew the evening earlier than coaching camp started final July that this was the “finest crew assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars ever” and that he anticipated the crew to make the playoffs. Those feedback grew to become public by way of an in-house documentary launched in early September. But as an alternative, his crew set an NFL report with 10 one-score losses, essentially the most in a single season within the Super Bowl period (since 1966).
Pederson went 22-29 in three seasons with the Jaguars, together with 9-8 data in his first two seasons. The Jaguars received the AFC South in 2022 — successful their final 5 video games — and rallied from a 27-0 deficit to beat the Chargers in a wild-card playoff recreation earlier than dropping to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs. After beginning the 2023 season 8-3, the Jaguars fell aside and missed the playoffs, going 1-5 to finish the season.
Last season’s struggles spilled over into 2024. A 37-point loss on “Monday Night Football” on the Buffalo Bills and a 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in London highlighted main points early on. A 52-6 loss at Detroit on Nov. 17 was the most important margin of defeat in franchise historical past (eclipsing a 44-point loss to Detroit within the 1995 inaugural season) and the protection gave up 645 yards, the second-most allowed in a recreation in franchise historical past.
The Jaguars have one of many NFL’s worst defenses, rating thirty first within the NFL in yards allowed per recreation (389.9) and final in passing yards allowed per recreation (257.4) below coordinator Ryan Nielsen, whom Pederson employed to exchange Mike Caldwell this previous offseason. Khan employed Pederson partly to assist Trevor Lawrence turn into one of many league’s prime quarterbacks, however Lawrence nonetheless struggles with consistency after three seasons in Pederson’s offense. Lawrence threw for two,045 yards and 11 touchdowns earlier than a shoulder harm and concussion ended his season on Dec. 1. His completion proportion (60.6%) is the second lowest of his profession and he continues to battle with turnovers.
Pederson additionally has confronted heavy criticism about offensive coordinator Press Taylor, who took over full-time playcalling duties in 2023. After saying he was going to re-evaluate the playcalling course of final February, Pederson refused to publicly say who was going to name performs in 2024, although it was later confirmed to be Taylor. Even Khan weighed in on the difficulty saying in June that he had a choice on who he wished to name performs however he would depart the choice as much as Pederson.
The Jaguars offense below Taylor completed this season as one of many worst within the NFL, rating twenty fifth in yards per recreation (305.8), twenty first in passing yards per recreation (204.5), and twenty first in third downs (37.3%). Season-ending accidents to Lawrence, receivers Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis, and tight finish Evan Engram performed a big function within the offense’s struggles, however the Jaguars ranked within the center third of the NFL in scoring, whole offense, speeding and passing by way of the primary 9 weeks earlier than Lawrence suffered a shoulder harm.
Backup quarterback Mac Jones began seven video games instead of Lawrence and the Jaguars averaged simply 15.0 factors per recreation and he has thrown for 1,409 yards and 6 touchdowns with eight interceptions in these begins. The lone brilliant spot on offense has been receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who led all rookies in receiving yards (1,282) and TDs (10). He additionally had 87 catches, and people marks set single-season franchise rookie data. Thomas was not too long ago named a primary alternate for the Pro Bowl.
Pederson is most identified for his tenure as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. He went 42-37-1, made three playoff appearances and received Super Bowl LII in 5 seasons in Philadelphia (2016-20). He was fired after the 2020 season and spent 2021 out of soccer earlier than becoming a member of the Jaguars in 2022.
Baalke joined the Jaguars in 2020 as director of participant personnel in February 2020 and was promoted to basic supervisor after Khan fired GM Gave Caldwell that November. Baalke’s tenure began with the number of Lawrence with the primary general choose in 2021 and included Urban Meyer’s calamitous 13-game span as head coach, the hiring of Pederson, an AFC South title, a rally from a 27-0 deficit to win a wildcard playoff recreation, the most important collapse in franchise historical past, and signing the most effective free-agent lessons in crew historical past.
But Baalke additionally made a questionable resolution by selecting defensive finish Travon Walker over defensive finish Aidan Hutchinson with the primary general draft choose in 2022 and signed some of the disappointing free-agent lessons in franchise historical past this season. He additionally was vital of the crew’s lack of id on offense and protection in 2023, however the identical drawback has plagued the crew this season.
Nine of Baalke’s 38 draft picks from 2021-24 have develop into full-time starters, together with Lawrence, working again Travis Etienne Jr. (twenty fifth general in 2021), cornerback Tyson Campbell (thirty third general in 2021), Walker, linebacker Devin Lloyd (twenty seventh general in 2022), proper sort out Anton Harrison (twenty seventh general in 2023), and Thomas Jr. (twenty third general in 2024). Lawrence is the one one to make a Pro Bowl.
