Black Monday has once again arrived in the National Football League, and while no one is certain just how many head coaches will be shown the door this year, the Jacksonville Jaguars have made their decisions shortly after the conclusion of the regular season.
Head coach Doug Pederson's tenure with the Jags was terminated on Monday after three complete seasons and a final record of 22-29.
Gotta wonder if the Chiefs will give Doug Pederson a place to land after being fired.
The Jags' decision is hardly surprising. The AFC South isn't exactly a difficult division, and the Jags looked primed to ascend to the top with a bright young core of talent led by Trevor Lawrence and company. Yet somehow the wheels fell off on the season early and the Jags finished with a shocking 4-13 record.
Pederson is, of course, a familiar face to Chiefs Kingdom as part of Andy Reid's coaching tree. He was with Reid in Philly with the Eagles as an offensive assistant for a few seasons before becoming his quarterbacks coach from 2010-12. He took over as offensive coordinator in 2013 when Reid was hired by the Chiefs and he maintained that role before being hired away by Philly to return as head coach.
Pederson is now a free agent himself with a Super Bowl ring as head coach on his resume from his stint in Philly and now a failed run with the Jags to put a young team over the top. While Pederson might yet get another chance down the road, it feels like an interim stop is next for him, if he wants to keep coaching at the pro level.
Given that Matt Nagy is already earning interest as a potential head coach himself, the Chiefs could turn to an old friend to refill the offensive coordinator role if they so desired. Then again, being K.C.'s OC from 2013-2015 is quite different from the Mahomes' years. Yet Pederson's perspective after a decade away from the team with head coach experience could be a nice import as well.
Pederson has plenty of friends around the league, but maybe a return to hanging out with Andy Reid for a spell would be a nice place to land after the devastating news of Black Monday.