The head coach was fired after five seasons and headed the franchise to a Super Bowl title
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Eagles have fired head coach Doug Pederson, the team announced Monday., concluding a partnership that offered the first and only Super Bowl title in the city’s history.
Pederson was expected to remain coach despite the end of the 4-11-1 season, although multiple meetings with owner Jeffrey Lurie over the past week left his boss cautious that Pederson had a clear vision of how to deal with the countless issues with facing the teamsaid the sources ESPNFrom leading the Carson Wentz situation to remedying a crime that finished 26th in points scored (20.9 per game) and 28th in yards (207 meters per game) in 2020.
Lurie was not even convinced by Pederson’s plans for his assistant staff, sources said. Pederson lobbied for the passing coordinator / quarterbacks coach Press Taylor to be elevated to offensive coordinator instead of bringing in a more established candidate. The issue of how to fill the gap left by defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who plans to move away from a football year in 2021, has also not been resolved.
– Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 11, 2021
“We’ve spent the last few weeks evaluating everything from this past year and looking ahead. We’re very disappointed with how our season ended and eager to change things, not just for next season, but for the future franchise,” Lurie said in -a statement. “Coach Pederson and I had the chance to sit down and discuss what that collective vision would look like in the future. After taking some time to reflect on these conversations, I think the best thing for both of us is to break up..
“I’ve known Doug and his family for over 20 years and they will always be a family to me. I have a lot of respect for him and everything we’ve done together in the last five seasons. Everyone in the organization understands the kind of person and who he is and how much he means to all of us, as well as to the city of Philadelphia.We are all looking forward to the day he will be included in the Eagles Hall of Fame as the winning Super Bowl head coach and we are confident he will succeed with the next team.
“But as the leader of this organization, it’s imperative for me to do what I think is best for everyone, as we look to the future and move on to our next chapter. I know we have work to do. get back where we want to be, but I also think we have an extremely strong group of people in this organization who can help us prepare for future success. “
Wentz had a dramatic setback in his fifth year and was replaced in line by rookie Jalen Hurts in the final quarter of the season. Wentz intends to request an out-of-season transaction because his relationship with Pederson is irreparably fractured, according to league sources. The trust issues between the two have diminished both directions, sources said, although Pederson recently noticed that his relationship with Wentz was good.
Sources describe an unidentified 2020 offensive, in part as a result of a sizeable and unequal group of off-season assistants and consultants struggling to be on the same page. The lack of a central vision of what the offense should look like made the defender in an upward position, and all voices created a dissonance for both Pederson and Wentz, sources said.
As for Hurts, who was drafted in the second round of the project last April, Pederson had no clarity as to whether he felt the franchise was the defender of the future if the Eagles parted ways with Wentz. The handling of the last game of the season in which Hurts was scored for Nate Sudfeld’s entry in a 20-14 loss to Washington also left questions as to whether Pederson lost the confidence of his players.
Pederson became the eighth head coach to win a Super Bowl in his first two years in office when the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots to win the Lombardi trophy during the 2017 season. This was the first of three consecutive appearances. in the playoffs for the Eagles under Pederson before everything derailed in 2020. Pederson was 46-39-1 in five seasons with the Eagles, including four playoff wins.
The information from Chris Mortensen was used to write this note.