With Recent NFL Firings, Is Jaguars' Doug Pederson's Seat Hotter?

What could the recent firings in the NFL mean for Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson and his staff?

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson on the field at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Being an NFL head coach is a lonely place -- especially when the chopping block comes out.

In a productions-based business and sport like the NFL, team owners have become more and more quick-trigger and ready to cut the chord on the men hired to lead their teams. Wins are a premium, and there are few owners who will put up with consistent losing.

The NFL has already proven that again in 2024; the New York Jets fired Robert Saleh last month, while the New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday after a 2-7 start to the season.

For both teams, the firings meant a reset. A chance to turn things around in the rest of the 2024 season, but also a chance to wash their hands of the past. A chance to provide a new voice at the top of the franchise and hope something -- anything -- changes.

With two head coaches already fired, there might be more teams and owners who now feel closer to vindication for change. No team wants to be the first team to fire their coach in-season. But once the first blow has been made, the NFL has proven to be an endless churn of sacrifice in the name of the greater good.

This brings us to the Jaguars and head coach Doug Pederson. Pederson brought magic to Jacksonville with an AFC South title and a playoff win in 2022, but 2023 saw the Jaguars fumble an 8-3 start and miss the playoffs completely.

Then, the 2024 nightmare hit. The Jaguars are currently 2-7 and in the cellar of not just the AFC, but the NFL in general. Over the last 15 games, the Jaguars are 3-12. Few head coaches can recover from that; even ones with Super Bowl rings like Pederson.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan wants a winner badly; he has diverted enough resources on and off the field to prove that. So, how much longer will he wait on Pederson to turn the Jaguars into one when some of his peers are already jumping ship on their coaches?

If the Jaguars continue to play close games like they have the last two weeks against legit playoff teams, it would make sense of Khan decides to wait the season out. But if the Jaguars start to get blown out week in and week out, Pederson could reasonably be in danger.

It isn't just Pederson, either. The Las Vegas Raiders fired three different offensive assistants on Sunday evening, including offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. If Pederson were to get a pink slip, could offensive coordinator Press Taylor or Ryan Nielsen join him?

Pederson and Taylor have long been connected at the hip in Jacksonville. If Pederson was fired in-season, Taylor would likely join him. That is the state of today's NFL, where losses and expectations have led to more than just the head ball coach as the only one to answer the tough questions.

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