Doug Pederson is back on the interview circuit, less than a week after the end of his five-year stint as an Eagles coach. Pederson met with the Seahawks about his position as an open offensive coordinator, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. And although he may be content to assume a position of coordinator, Pederson can still be considered for one of the remaining head coach positions.
The day after the Eagles split with Pederson, the Seahawks cut ties with veteran offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who had spent the past three seasons in Seattle. The Seahawks’ attack had considerable success with Schottenheimer before hitting a wall during the second half of the 2020 season. Seattle failed to reach a total of 300 yards in their last three games of the season and gained just 278 yards in Saturday’s defeat. by 30-20 for Los Angeles.
While two of his best statistical seasons took place under Schottenheimer, Seahawks quarterback Russel Wilson seemed to regress during the final 12 games of the 2020 season, including the team’s defeat as a wild card. In the first five games in Seattle, Wilson averaged 300 yards of passes per game, completing 72.8% of his passes. He also made 19 touchdowns against just three interceptions, while leading Seattle to a 5-0 start. In the last 12 games, Wilson averaged just 240 passing yards per game, completing 65.4% of his shots. He launched 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and Seattle posted a record of 7-5.
Pederson had success with several different quarterbacks during his coaching career. After serving as Michael Vick’s coach in Philadelphia, he helped Alex Smith win his first Pro Bowl selection as Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in 2013. In Philadelphia, Pederson had initial success with Wentz, who was having an MVP season before suffer an end of season injury near the end of the 2017 regular season. Wentz’s injury opened the door for Nick Foles, whose unlikely post-season streak helped the Eagles win their first Super Bowl title.
Pederson is the second newly fired coach whose name has been linked to the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator position. On Friday, Pelissero reported that coach Pete Carroll had been in contact with former Chargers coach Anthony Lynn, who was fired by Chargers shortly after the end of the regular 2020 season. Lynn, who has just completed his 21st season as an NFL coach, he served as an offensive coordinator for Bills in 2016 before becoming Chargers’ head coach.