Doug Pederson’s Jaguars tenure on life support; LeSean McCoy honored by Saquon Barkley’s Eagles

One of the cruelest developments in recent NFL history could come to pass this weekend and in the days that follow. If the Eagles dismantle the Jacksonville Jaguars in Philadelphia on Sunday, which, as seven-point favorites they are predicted to do, their play could bring about the firing of the most successful coach in franchise history — again.

Doug Pederson will be forever adored in Philly as its only Super Bowl winner, and his “Philly Philly” play call in Super Bowl LII will always be a thing of legend, but his seat in Jacksonville is hotter right now than Florida in August.

» READ MORE: Doug Pederson shares his advice for Nick Sirianni and explains why he hasn’t visited his Philly Special statue

The Jaguars have lost 11 of their last 14 games dating back to a 2023 collapse. They’re 2-6 this season, and lost by 37 in Buffalo and by 19 in Chicago.

The Eagles fired Pederson after the 2020 season, and he was hired by the Jags in 2022 to jump-start one of the worst-run organizations in all of sports, and to do so in a town that is largely indifferent to its efforts.

Early returns were promising; Despite a loss in his return to Philadelphia in 2022, the Jags surged and went 9-8. But a playoff win after the 2022 season is a distant memory as franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence seems to be regressing the same way Carson Wentz did. As such, Pederson could find himself dismissed twice in four years after a contest that included the Eagles.

Of course, a win Sunday and a late run could save him, but with the Eagles, Vikings, and Lions on tap, Pederson’s more likely to be back on his fishing boat after the bye week.

» READ MORE: Could Doug Pederson, fired by the Eagles, be done with the NFL for good? | Marcus Hayes

I believe Pederson is a good coach. I know him to be a very good person. He deserves a better fate than what he might receive in the next few days, but such is the nature of a cruel business. Remember, Jeffrey Lurie fired Pederson just three seasons after that Super Bowl win and fired him despite making the playoffs in three of the four previous seasons.

Back then, Pederson might not have been ready to handle the success of being a champion, but he did command the locker room, he did have a knack for connecting with players, and he certainly knew how to amplify the strengths of the players under his command. The only reason he didn’t survive in Philadelphia is because Wentz’s character and body were too weak.

Pederson is only 56. As a product of the Andy Reid coaching tree, he’s very well-connected and has the pedigree to coach in the NFL for the next decade in some capacity. Maybe he’ll even get a third shot as a head coach.

It would have to be a perfect fit. Pederson doesn’t seem to be head-coach material for a team that is rebuilding or one with a quarterback who needs to be built. Maybe he’s one of those guys who can navigate big egos and big contracts better than he can navigate development and progress. After all, that’s the profile of the Eagles team that won it all.

» READ MORE: Ranking LeSean McCoy’s top 10 moments with the Eagles

On Sunday the Eagles will induct the greatest running back in their history, LeSean McCoy, into their Hall of Fame. He deserves it. He might be the least-appreciated star in Eagles history. He holds team records for rushing yards, with 6,792; rushing yards in a season, with 1,607 in 2013; and rushing yards in a game, with 217 in the 2013 “Snow Bowl” against the Lions. He was elusive, explosive, and a superb receiver; he averaged 50 catches for 380 yards in his six seasons as an Eagle.

» READ MORE: From the Snow Bowl to the secret back steps, the Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field, in the eyes of a writer

“Shady” will be inducted at halftime of a game against the fourth-worst defense in the NFL. It is a game in which Saquon Barkley might challenge his single-game rushing record (Barkley had 176 in less than three quarters at the Giants), and in a season in which Barkley is pace for a record-shattering 1,860 rushing yards. That, of course, would include 17 games, and Shady played in only 16 games in 2013. However, Barkley’s 16-game pace is 1,750, which still would shatter the record.

Eagles play in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.