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Speaking to the media after firing Doug Pederson on Monday, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said “it wouldn’t surprise [him] in the slightest if [Pederson] is on another NFL team later this week.”
And we’ve already heard that the New York Jets might be a landing spot for the Super Bowl winning head coach.
But it sounds like Pederson might be out of a job entirely in 2021, by his own choosing:
Source close to Doug Pederson said it wouldn't surprise to see the recently fired #Eagles coach take a year off. He might get intrigued by one of the HC openings but, as the source said, it's been a loooong year for Pederson.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 13, 2021
Some might say that Pederson is willing to take time off because he’s not a strong candidate to get a new job in this year’s hiring cycle. That might be true. We haven’t heard of Pederson interviewing with other teams thus far.
Given how Pederson exited the Eagles, though, it genuinely makes sense that he’d want to take some time off. Again, this is a guy who didn’t really seem all that torn up about losing his job earlier this week. Pederson had to put up with a lot of BS in Philly. The soon-to-be 53-year-old has been coaching non-stop since 2005 and can probably use a break.
On one hand, I’d like to see Pederson get a head coaching job elsewhere and thrive with his new team. On the other hand, Pederson deserves some rest. He’s getting paid by the Eagles through the 2022 season so it’s not like he needs to rush into a new job.