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Eagles Fire Doug Pederson After Five Seasons
The Eagles have fired coach Doug Pederson following their rocky 2020 season, the team announced on Monday.
"I have spent the last few weeks evaluating everything from this past year and looking ahead," owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. "Coach Pederson and I had the opportunity to sit down and discuss what the collective vision would look like moving forward. After taking some time to reflect on these conversations, I believe it is in both of our best interests to part ways."
Lurie added: "Everyone in the organization understands the type of man and coach that [Pederson] is, and how much he means to all of us as well as the City of Philadelphia. We look forward to the day he will be inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame as a Super-Bowl winning head coach."
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 11, 2021
Philadelphia went 4-11-1 to finish last in the unpredictable NFC East and was eliminated from postseason contention with a loss to rival Dallas in Week 16.
After the loss, many speculated if Lurie would move on from Pederson following the coach's five seasons with the franchise. Despite that, Pederson told reporters he "fully expects" to return as Philadelphia's head coach next season.
"There is always going to be [an] evaluation in the offseason, and my job is evaluated as well. ... I welcome the opportunity to get things right, get things fixed and take this team into next season," Pederson said.
Rumors of his shaky future with the team continued to swirl after Lurie reportedly was not sold on Pederson's plans to fix the offense and return the franchise to contender status. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Pederson met with Lurie for several hours in South Florida on Monday to discuss the team and the coach's vision for potential coaching staff changes. However, it was "not enough" for Lurie.
Pederson has coached the Eagles since 2016, amassing a 42-37-1 record. The team made playoff appearances in each of the past three seasons, and Philadelphia's Super Bowl LII win in 2018—its first—highlights his time with the organization.
The Eagles' struggles in 2020 saw the eventual benching of starter Carson Wentz, who was pulled in their Week 13 loss to the Packers and replaced by rookie Jalen Hurts. At the time of his benching, Wentz was having the worst season of his NFL career. He led the NFL in interceptions (15) and sacks taken (50) and was near the bottom of the league in completion percentage (57.4%).
This offseason, Wentz will reportedly ask for a trade, and his relationship with Pederson is allegedly fractured beyond repair.
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