When the Eagles moved on from Andy Reid after his 4-12 season in 2012, other organizations were so eager to bring in Reid that there were reportedly three jets on standby in Philadelphia ready to fly him to interviews. Reid had an unprecedented run of success in Philadelphia, but he had missed the playoffs in consecutive years, and the team was trending in the wrong direction.
Oh, and he failed to win the Super Bowl despite going to the playoffs nine times in 14 years and appearing in three consecutive NFC Championship games.
Doug Pederson doesn’t have 14 years of success as an NFL head coach under his belt, but he does have a Super Bowl ring and three trips to the playoffs in his first five seasons (assuming the Eagles continue to spiral and miss the playoffs in 2020, otherwise it’s four trips in five years). However, there are rumblings that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is frustrated and could be considering major moves this offseason.
Despite the Super Bowl win and recent trips to the playoffs, Pederson’s Eagles have been trending in the wrong direction for some time now. Playing in the dreadful NFC East has masked some of those shortcomings, but the falloff from the magical run in 2017 has been remarkable. As a result, Pederson could be headed for the same fate as Reid.
But also like Reid, there is likely to be immediate interest in Pederson around the NFL as soon as he becomes available. Cody Stoots, who covers the Houston Texans for Sports Illustrated, is already pounding the table for Pederson in Houston.
If Philadelphia made the mistake of moving on from Pederson, the Texans must pounce on what Stoots calls the “Pederson Plan.”
Stoots: “Doug Pederson should be the next head coach of the Houston Texans. He’s going to have the best resume. Now, you need some help for Pederson to even be in consideration. You need the Eagles to choose Carson Wentz over Doug Pederson … If it happens this offseason Doug Pederson has to be the head coach of the Houston Texans.”
Whether or not the Texans would actually be interested in Pederson if becomes available remains to be seen, but Pederson would undoubtedly receive a number of phone calls. The Texans, Lions, and Falcons have already fired their head coach and general manager (Bill O’Brien was both in Houston). The Jaguars fired their GM and are likely to fire their coaching staff, as well. And at least a handful of other organizations could be moving on from their head coaches between now and the end of the season (Jets, Broncos, Bears, and Chargers).
There could be as many as eight head coach vacancies around the NFL this offseason. Nine if the Eagles decide to move on from Pederson. And as Stoots points out, Pederson has the best resume if the criteria include success at the NFL level.
Doug Pederson will be a head coach in the NFL in 2021. The only question is whether or not it will be in Philadelphia.
***
Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.
