PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles fired coach Doug Pederson, an ESPN source told Dan Graziano, ending a partnership that earned him the first and only Super Bowl title in the city’s history.
Pederson was expected to remain a coach despite finishing 4-11-1, but several meetings with owner Jeffrey Lurie last week have not left his boss convinced that Pederson had a solid vision of how to deal with the numerous problems he faced. by the team, the sources said, from navigating Carson Wentz’s situation to repairing an attack that ended in 26th in score (20.9 PPG) and 28th in passing yards (207.9 YPG) in 2020.
Lurie also disliked Pederson’s plans for his technical team, the sources said. Pederson pushed for coach Press Taylor, match coordinator / quarterbacks, to be promoted to offensive coordinator, rather than bringing in a more established candidate. The question of how to fill the void left by defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who plans to take the year off football in 2021, has also not been resolved.
Wentz regressed dramatically in his fifth year and was replaced by newcomer Jalen Hurts in the final quarter of the season. Wentz planned to request an off-season exchange because his relationship with Pederson is fractured beyond repair, according to league sources. Trust issues between the two work both ways, the sources said, although Pederson recently said his relationship with Wentz was fine.
Pederson’s dismissal significantly increases Wentz’s chances of staying in Philadelphia, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The situation was clear: the joint work of the two forward would be difficult.
Sources describe a crime in 2020 that had no identity, partly as a result of a sizeable and incompatible group of assistants and consultants brought in last season struggling to get on the same page. The absence of a central vision of what the attack should look like made the quarterback a steep climb, and all the voices created a cacophony for Pederson and Wentz, the sources said.
As for Hurts, a runoff choice last April, there was no firm clarity on whether Pederson felt the franchise would have its future quarterback if the Eagles left Wentz. The conduct of the final game of the season, in which the Hurts were pulled in favor of Nate Sudfeld in the 20-14 loss to Washington, also left doubts as to whether Pederson had lost his players’ confidence.
Pederson became only the eighth NFL coach to win a Super Bowl in his first two years in charge, when the Eagles won the New England Patriots to win the Lombardi trophy during the 2017 season. This was the first of three consecutive appearances in the Eagles playoff under Pederson before the wheels exploded in 2020. He has compiled a 46-39-1 record in five seasons with the Eagles, including four playoff wins.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen contributed to this report.