REPORT: Jaguars Are Left With the Most Painful Choice

Will the Jacksonville Jaguars hit the reset button? One insider thinks so.

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

While a number of other franchises across the NFL have made major changes to their coaching staff or their front offices, the Jacksonville Jaguars have elected, so far, to stand pat with head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler gave some insight into where things stand with Pederson following the team's brutal Week 11 loss to the Detroit Lions. Ultimately, Fowler reports, the feeling around the Jaguars is one of inevitable change.

"The prevailing theme from people I've talked to around the league is that Jacksonville will have little choice but to completely reset in the offseason and move on from both," Fowler said.

"Some within the team believe Pederson hasn't lost the locker room, and the back end of the schedule is manageable, with five of the six opponents currently holding a losing record. But that's probably too much optimism for this situation. This season has been a strain, though players were trying to stay upbeat through film sessions Monday. "There is talent here," a team source said. "But you have to make plays in this league, and we aren't making them."

The biggest piece of intrigue currently surrounding the Jaguars isn't whether owner Shad Khan will make a move, but when he will. As Fowler noted, some in the building were bracing for a move in the wake of the 52-6 loss to the Lions.

"The Jaguars' building was filled with curiosity Monday and Tuesday after the team lost 52-6 to the Lions, as people with the team braced for changes in light of the 2-9 record entering the bye. One source classified any potential firings as "deck chairs on the Titanic." In other words, no Week 12 tweak would be able to stop what seems like an inevitability: an overhaul in the offseason. But they were definitely bracing for some sort of change, which never came," Fowler said.

If the Jaguars were to make a decision on Pederson and pieces of his staff during their Week 12 bye week, there are other questions they would need to answer. Who would replace Pederson as interim head coach? Would Pederson move on from any of his staff?

"One open-ended question there: Even if Doug Pederson were spared, would he be asked to fire coordinators? And if so, would Pederson oblige? He has been loyal to offensive coordinator Press Taylor, his coordinator in Philadelphia when the Pederson regime got let go after the 2020 season," Fowler continued.

"The team had high hopes when hiring defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, whose Jaguars rank last in total defense. Defensive backs coach Kris Richard and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy would be interim coaching candidates, though right now that feels like a moot point. And where does GM Trent Baalke, on whom owner Shahid Khan has leaned heavily for football guidance in past years, fit into the equation should Pederson go?"

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