PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles have fired coach Doug Pederson, a source told ESPN’s Dan Graziano. The termination of a partnership that won the first and only Super Bowl title in the city’s history.
Pederson was expected to remain as coach despite a 4-11-1 finish, but over the past week Jeffrey Lurie, owner Jeffrey Lurie, has repeatedly met that he was not convinced Pederson had a good vision of the myriad problems that the team faces to address. , from the Carson Wentz situation to an offense that finished 26th (20.9 PPG) and 28th in passing yards (207.9 YPG) in 2020.
Lurie was also not sold according to Pederson’s plans regarding his coaching staff, sources said. Pederson is pushing for quarterback / quarterbacks coach Taylor Taylor to be promoted to attacking coordinator rather than bring in a more established candidate. The issue of the gap that defending coordinator Jim Schwartz, who plans to take down the year of football in 2021, was also unresolved.
Wentz fell dramatically in his fifth year and was replaced by rookie Jalen Hurts for the final quarter of the season. According to league sources, Wentz planned to ask for a trade in the off-season because his relationship with Pederson was irreparably broken. The trust issues between the two work both ways, sources said, though Pederson recently said his relationship with Wentz was good.
Pederson’s dismissal increases the chances that Wentz will stay in Philadelphia, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said. The situation has become clear that the two working together going forward will be difficult.
Sources describe a breach in 2020 that did not have an identity, in part due to a substantial and inconsistent group of assistants and consultants brought in last season who struggled to get on the same page. The absence of a central vision for what the offense should look like gave quarterback an uphill climb, and all the voices created a cacophony for Pederson and Wentz, sources said.
As for Hurts, a second round in April last year, there was no clear clarity about Pederson whether he had a feeling the franchise would have his quarterback of the future if Wentz’s Eagles moved on. Dealing with the final game of the season, in which Hurts drew in favor of Nate Sudfeld in a 20-14 loss to Washington, also left questions about whether Pederson had lost his players’ confidence.
In his first two years at the helm, Pederson became only the eighth NFL head coach to win a Super Bowl when the Eagles beat the New England Patriots to win the Lombardi Trophy during the 2017 season. It was the first of three straight playoff games for the Eagles under Pederson before the wheels came loose in 2020. He set a 46-39-1 record over five seasons with the Eagles, including four playoff games.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen contributed to this report.