Former Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy criticized the Jacksonville Jaguars, calling them “clueless” for firing the wrong person.
On Monday, Jaguars owner Shad Khan announced the dismissal of head coach Doug Pederson after three seasons and a 22-29 record, including a disappointing 4-13 campaign this year. This marked the 11th time in the past 14 seasons that Jacksonville ended with double-digit losses.
“The league is confused right now,” McCoy said during Monday’s episode of The Facility. “All we care about is getting a quarterback because he plays the position, he’s up for a contract, or he’s a high draft pick. And now look at the result—Doug Pederson is fired. Doug Pederson is a really, really good coach, a winning coach. He comes from the Andy Reid tree, so you know what kind of pedigree he brings.
On Tuesday, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced plans to interview former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh for their vacant head coach position. Unlike Doug Pederson, Saleh is known for his defensive expertise, having served as the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to 2020. Before that, he spent three seasons as the Jaguars’ linebackers coach. Saleh, 45, is viewed as part of a younger generation of coaches, while the 56-year-old Pederson is often considered more “old school.”
Pederson, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory in just his second season as head coach in 2018, has a strong offensive background. Before taking the reins in Philadelphia, he served as the Eagles’ offensive quality control coach and quarterbacks coach from 2009 to 2012, overlapping with LeSean McCoy’s tenure with the team. Pederson also spent time as the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator before becoming a head coach.
“They didn’t win the Super Bowl with Carson Wentz; it was Nick Foles who got it done,” McCoy said. “… And then Pederson goes to Jacksonville, and they say, ‘We need someone to save our quarterback because he’s not really that good, but we drafted him No. 1 overall, so we have to fix it.’”
Since being selected first overall in the 2021 draft, quarterback Trevor Lawrence has struggled to meet expectations. In the 2024 season, he posted a 2-8 record, completed 60.6% of his passes, and threw for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Pederson’s inability to reverse Lawrence’s decline has been cited as a primary reason for his dismissal.
“You bring Pederson in to help Trevor Lawrence, but how much can you really do for a guy who’s just not that good?” McCoy added.
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