Jaguars' Doug Pederson on Chiefs' Andy Reid: 'It's A Hall of Fame Career'

Doug Pederson and Andy Reid have a long-running relationship built on mutual respect.

Sep 17, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson talk before a game at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs have met three times in the last two seasons, with mentor Andy Reid facing off each time against one of his greatest proteges in Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson.

The Jaguars and Pederson have put up a fight each time, even taking Reid and the Chiefs down to the wire at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Divisional Round in 2022. But to this point, the teacher has defeated the student each time.

This year, the two sides will only meet in preseason action, meaning that the only time the two might play for real stakes in 2024 would be the AFC Playoffs. And if there is a fourth bout between the two, expect for the game to be filled with plenty of mutual respect after Pederson's time spent under Reid as a player and as a coach.

Speaking with USA Today's Chiefs Wire, Pederson reflected on exactly what Reid's influence and impact has meant to his career.

“As the oldest coach in the National Football League right now, I mean, it’s for a reason, and it’s because of the success that he’s had on the football field, and obviously, he’s to me, it’s a Hall of Fame career, hands down," Pederson said. "I’ve learned so much as a player from him when he coached me and Brett Favre in Green Bay, which are still some of the things that I use as a head coach now in Jacksonville.

“Then, when I got to work for him in Philadelphia when he was the head coach there, and I became an assistant coach for him, just watching how he comes to work every single day and his attention to detail and his focus and drive, and how he leads his football teams.”

Pederson has found success on his own since leaving Reid's tree to become a head coach. But no matter how much success he finds, he will still look at Reid as one of the biggest and most important influences on his life and career.

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