Jaguars Head Coach Search: 5 Observations on Jacksonville Hiring Doug Pederson

What does the hiring of Doug Pederson mean for the Jaguars moving forward, and why is his hire so important?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a head coach. 

After weeks of searching for Urban Meyer's replacement, the Jaguars finally decided on former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson on Thursday night, with owner Shad Khan making it official before the day closed.

“Doug Pederson four years ago won a Super Bowl as head coach of a franchise in pursuit of its first world championship,” Khan said. “I hope Doug can replicate that magic here in Jacksonville, but what is certain is his proven leadership and experience as a winning head coach in the National Football League. It’s exactly what our players deserve. Nothing less.”

“Combine this with his acumen on the offensive side of the ball, and you have why I am proud to name Doug Pederson the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I know our fans will warmly welcome Doug and his family to Duval and I personally look forward to having Doug as part of everything we envision for the team, downtown and community in the years ahead.”

But what does the Pederson hire actually mean for the Jaguars? Was it the right choice after a year with Meyer at the helm? We break down below why we think this is a successful hire for the Jaguars and a good landing spot for Pederson.

The Jaguars did the right thing by Trevor Lawrence in the end and hired a good coach for his development

The Jaguars ultimately did the right thing for Trevor Lawrence and his development. While the head coach has more on his plate than developing the quarterback, it has been clear from the jump the Jaguars needed to make Lawrence the priority of their coaching search. And while it can be debated whether they truly did that or not, they did at least end the process with a head coach who should do wonders for Lawrence. Regardless of how long it took to get there, the Jaguars made an encouraging hire for Lawrence's future.

Simply look at the leap Carson Wentz made under Pederson, who helped develop him into an MVP-level quarterback. He also had success with Alex Smith, Josh McCown, Jalen Hurts, and of course Nick Foles. Pederson has been a starter, a backup, and a practice squad quarterback in the NFL. He has coached quarterbacks, called plays for them, and led them as a head coach. Frankly, there aren't many coaches more qualified to develop a quarterback than Pederson. He looks to be a good fit for Lawrence from a personality and leadership perspective, and unlike past coaches should build his scheme around Lawrence instead of the other way around. 

The Jaguars needed to exit this coaching cycle with a coach who can get the best out of Lawrence. They did that with Pederson, a result that should make both the Jaguars' brass and Lawrence hopeful for the future. 

The Trent Baalke domino still has to fall

While the Pederson hire is momentous, it hasn't done enough to ignore the shadow cast by controversial and embattled general manager Trent Baalke. It would be a surprise at this point if the Jaguars didn't also announce former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman in some kind of front office role. Adding both him and Pederson -- who SI.com's Albert Breer says had reservations about Baalke -- would suggest the Jaguars are still waiting for a domino to fall when it comes to Baalke. 

Jaguars and Doug Pederson were connected at the start—and Jacksonville was seen as a likely landing spot then. Pederson's interest cooled a bit with the Jags sticking with Trent Baalke.

Will be interesting to see if Pederson gets someone like Rick Spielman to come with him. https://t.co/WJSTEVIvsQ

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 4, 2022

If I had to guess, that domino will be Baalke remaining in his general manager role but having less influence and power than he did last season and even the year before. The Jaguars still have to officially sort out how Baalke and Pederson are going to coexist after it became clear that Baalke was a roadblock in the Jaguars' pursuit of a head coach. This should have some clarity provided sooner than later, but it speaks volumes that Baalke is still this much of a lightning rod topic, even after the Jaguars hired a Super Bowl-winning head coach.

Pederson could sway the No. 1 overall pick toward bolstering the offensive line

Could Doug Pederson impact the Jaguars' No. 1 overall pick already? There is a long way to go until the 2022 NFL Draft, but I do think the hiring of Pederson specifically means something for which direction the Jaguars could ultimately lean. And in my opinion, that lean would likely now go toward the offensive line prospects such as Alabama's Evan Neal, NC State's Ikem Ekwonu, or Mississippi State's Charles Cross. That isn't because I think Pederson is going to attempt to have a lot of personnel pull and sway, but because I think Pederson's plan for Trevor Lawrence likely includes an emphasis on protecting him.

Considering the massive success of the Eagles' offensive line during Pederson's tenure, with arguably the best tackle duo, best center, and best guard in football during their Super Bowl run, I could see Pederson selling the Jaguars on a vision of building up the offensive trenches for Lawrence. The Jaguars need pass-rush help, too, but they also have 60% of their starting offensive line set to hit free agency and question marks at center and right tackle. The Jaguars need to rebuild their offensive line and now have a coach who has seen first-hand the value of a dominant line, so I expect for this to become more and more of a focus and potentially even secure a lineman as the No. 1 overall pick. 

Jaguars become the latest example of "bad process, good result." Does it matter? 

To paint the Jaguars process as one built out of patience and due diligence would be naive, at least in my opinion. Instead, the timing of Pederson's interviews and the recent Rick Spielman buzz leads me to believe the Jaguars entered the process without much of a plan, found a few coaches they liked, and then had to pivot back to Pederson. Pederson is still a fantastic result, but the NFL community has had their way with the Jaguars over the last seven weeks for a reason. In short, the Jaguars had a bad process but still ended up with a result and a hire that is genuinely encouraging for the future. 

So if that is the case, does the process actually matter? Does it matter that Doug Pederson likely wasn't the Jaguars' top choice, or even their second choice? Yes and no. As for Pederson himself, it is simply more important for the Jaguars to hire a good coach over anything else. They did that with Pederson, so it shouldn't matter much when it comes to his success that he wasn't the Jaguars' first choice.

With that said, there is one person who will outlast anyone hired in Jacksonville, and that is owner Shad Khan. Even after this hire, Khan is going to have make momentous decisions on the future of the franchise on and off the field. If this process was a clue as to how those decisions might go, then the Jaguars have a lot of work to do. And that is why the process matters. 

Pederson is the most qualified hire the Jaguars have made in a long time 

Considering the last three Jaguars coaches were Gus Bradley (career defensive coordinator), Doug Marrone (offensive line coach by trade, middling NFL head coach in Buffalo) and Urban Meyer (college coach with zero knowledge of anything NFL-related), it is more than fair to say that Doug Pederson is the most qualified Jaguars head coach hire since Jack Del Rio. And Pederson's experience as a winning head coach and as a Super Bowl champion suggests he is even more qualified than Del Rio was. 

The Jaguars took a long and winding road to get to Pederson, but they should be happy. Not only was he the only real choice left, but he instantly gives them credibility in every phase. From having a proven quarterback developer for Trevor Lawrence to his skills as a relationship-builder, Pederson has already proven to be a better option than Bradley, Marrone, and Meyer ever were. That is a low bar, of course, but Pederson comes with legit credentials. For a team like the Jaguars that has scratched the bottom of the barrel in recent years when it comes to coaching searches, Pederson is a legit dynamite hire.