The Jets’ search for a new head coach got an interesting wrinkle on Monday.
The Eagles fired coach Doug Pederson, sparking immediate speculation by fans and media that the Jets might be interested in him. The connection is easy to make. Jet’s general manager Joe Douglas worked with Pederson from 2016-19 in Philadelphia and the two won a Super Bowl together there in 2017.
Douglas has spoken publicly of Pederson in praise, but there is nothing more than speculation at this point that Douglas would be interested in hiring Pederson. The Jets completed interviews with Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Saints secondary coach Aaron Glenn on Monday. That brings the total to nine known candidates who have been interviewed.
The Jets went in search of a broad search and have followed up. They interviewed candidates with experience on both sides of the ball. They only interviewed one candidate with previous experience as a head coach: Marvin Lewis.
The belief that the Jets would seize the opportunity to hire Pederson is false. That’s not to say he won’t be a candidate. They were able to interview him and eventually hire him. But it’s no slam dunk that Pederson will be the next Jets coach, as some have made it seem. Just because Douglas and Pederson worked closely together doesn’t mean Douglas wants him as his coach.
There have been several reports that Douglas and Pederson have a strong relationship, and Douglas praised Pederson on Adam Schefter’s 2019 podcast.
“Just like Doug treated his freshman year,” Douglas said. “We started 3-0, it looked good, we lost some guys, we hit some potholes along the way, we finished the season 7-9 and the way he attacked that off-season and how he could unite the team . with his messages. And the type of guy he is, he’s just as genuine and authentic as you’ll ever meet. He’s a man who says what he means and means what he says and players believe in him and they believe in his aggressive mindset, so I love how he led the team. “
52-year-old Pederson is more of a well-known entity than most of the coaches the Jets interviewed. He went 42-37-1 in five years with the Eagles and 4-2 in the playoffs, including the team’s only Super Bowl win after the 2017 season.
The Eagles hit rock bottom this season going 4-11-1 and quarterback Carson Wentz had a terrible year. The Eagles property reportedly had concerns about the direction of the crime and Pederson’s vision for the future, particularly with its staff. There was also disagreement between Wentz and Pederson and a belief that the two could no longer coexist. Pederson closed the season with one of the more curious coaching decisions in memory, quarterback Jalen Hurts against Washington when the game was still within reach for backup Nate Sudfeld. It appeared that Pederson was deliberately trying to lose the game, infuriating many, including some of his players and many Giants fans and their coach, Joe Judge.
The Jets may be reluctant to also hire a coach who has just been fired. They did that with Adam Gase two years ago and the reaction from the fans was extremely negative. The Jets shouldn’t get caught up in the perception of this hiring, but perhaps after the experience of the past two years of how unpopular Gase was.
The opening of the Eagles now means there are seven teams in the NFL with a head coaching vacancy. The Jets are not known to have any more interviews planned. It looks like they will now regroup and decide whether to add more candidates, including Pederson, or invite coaches for a second interview. The first round of interviews was done remotely. The Jets are believed to be bringing in a few finalists for face-to-face interviews at Florham Park, but coaches of teams still living in the playoffs will not be able to interview face-to-face just yet.