Should the NY Jets make Doug Pederson the team’s next head coach?

Should the NY Jets hire the recently-released Doug Pederson this offseason?

The Philadelphia Eagles have fired head coach Doug Pederson. The NY Jets are currently searching for a head coach — should they hire Pederson?

Pederson is less than three years removed from winning a Super Bowl with a backup quarterback. The Eagles had the NFC’s best record in the 2017 regular season under the guidance of their newly-released coach.

They were not expected to make a deep playoff run after Carson Wentz tore his ACL, which ended his season. Nick Foles replaced Wentz and the Eagles won their first Super Bowl in franchise history that same season.

After winning the Super Bowl in 2018, the Eagles made the playoffs in each of the following two seasons. And after missing the playoffs this season, the Eagles decided to fire Pederson.

This was definitely a disappointing season for the Eagles, but firing Pederson seemed like a rash decision. The Los Angeles Rams made the Super Bowl in 2019 but missed the playoffs the following season.

The 49ers won the NFC last season but will not be participating in the 2020-21 playoffs. Did the Rams and 49ers respectively decide to fire Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan because of those results? Also, unlike Mcvay and Shanahan, Pederson won the Super Bowl he appeared in.

Before joining the Eagles, Pederson was on Andy Reid’s coaching staff with the Kansas City Chiefs. Many of those that previously coached under Reid gone on to be very successful.

John Harbaugh, Ron Rivera, Sean McDermott, and Matt Nagy have all had success as head coaches after spending time around Reid. If history repeats itself, Pederson should be a successful head coach for a very long time.

The success Pederson has had with multiple quarterbacks should get the Jets’ attention. Wentz was one of the best quarterbacks in football in 2017 under Pederson. Nick Foles won a Super Bowl MVP when coached by Pederson.

Foles has regressed after leaving Pederson in 2019. Even this season, Jalen Hurts had success in his first career starts in the NFL under his now-former head coach. Wentz, Foles, and Hurts all have different skillsets and Pederson has gotten effective play out of all of them.

There are reasons for the NY Jets to be skeptical about Doug Pederson as well

While there are reasons why the Jets should hire Pederson, there are also reasons to be skeptical. If the Jets hire Pederson, he won’t be allowed to reflect on the mistakes that might have been made this past season.

This is similar to how the Jets hired Adam Gase in 2019 shortly after he got fired by the Miami Dolphins. As we know now, the hiring of Gase was a mistake. Would Pederson be willing to adapt upon receiving a brand new head coaching job?

When the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, the team’s offensive coordinator was Frank Reich. After that season, Reich accepted a head-coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have made the playoffs in two of three seasons with Reich.

The Eagles won a Super Bowl with Reich in 2018. Afterward, the team had two consecutive 9-7 campaigns and only four wins this season. Was the Eagles’ offensive success in 2018 more so due to Reich than Pederson?

Additionally, players around the league might view the Jets in lower regard if they hire Pederson after what transpired in the Eagles’ final game of the season. Some on the Eagles were not happy about what had happened.

Whoever the Jets end up hiring will ultimately have a big role in how the team will fare in the future. Would hiring Pederson be the start of something great for the Jets?

As outlined above, there are reasons to be skeptical. Regardless, it’s extremely rare for a coach that is less than three years removed from a Super Bowl victory to be available.

The Jets have a very interesting decision to make.