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Well, it took over a week before we learned Doug Pederson’s official fate in Philadelphia, and now that the Eagles and head coach are “parting ways,” rumors are heating up that the Super Bowl-winning coach could be the next leader of the New York Jets.
Keep an eye on Doug Pederson and the Jets where he has a great relationship with GM Joe Douglas
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) January 11, 2021
Jets/Doug Pederson partnership makes a lot of sense. He had a horrible 2020 campaign but he's a SB winning HC and has a great relationship with Joe Douglas.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 11, 2021
With Doug Pederson out in Philadelphia, does he immediately jump to the top of the Jets' head coaching wish list?
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) January 11, 2021
NFL sources expect Pederson to get a call from Joe Douglas soon
(@RVacchianoSNY) pic.twitter.com/JeUWfJvbwM
The Jets moved on from Adam Gase quickly after the team finished 2-14 and couldn’t even tank their way into the No. 1 overall draft pick this spring, and now it looks like Pederson could be on the short list for the job.
Pederson has a “strong relationship” with Jets’ GM Joe Douglas, according to Adam Schefter, which isn’t surprising given that Douglas was the Eagles’ Vice President of Player Personnel from 2016-2019 — the majority of Pederson’s tenure in Philly. They’ve both also spoken very highly of each other since Douglas moved on to the Jets in 2019.
Soon after Douglas was hired by the Jets, he spoke to Schefter about how Doug Pederson handled his first year as head coach, and how he’s a genuine person with an aggressive mindset.
“Just the way Doug handled his first year. We started off 3-0, things were looking great, we lost some guys, we hit some pot holes along the way, we finished the season 7-9 and the way that he attacked that offseason and how he was able to unify the team with his messaging. And the type of guy he is, he’s as genuine and authentic of a person as you’ll ever meet. He’s a guy who says what he means, and means what he says, and players believe in him and they believe in his aggressive mindset, and so I love how he managed the team.”
The Jets’ GM also recently had Pederson’s back during a WFAN interview when asked about the tank debate coming out of the Eagles’ Week 17 loss to the Football Team.
“I can speak to my time with Coach Pederson, and he had unbelievable cred with the players, being an NFL quarterback for so long. The players loved him, and that’s a big thing he has. He’s smart and has great relationships around the building. I’m not familiar with the situation there, but I have the highest regard for Coach Pederson.”
The respect between the men clearly goes both ways, with Pederson saying, “Our relationship has been great,” and how he was a big part of their collaborative scouting process back when Douglas was first connected to the Jets’ GM job.