Kansas City Chiefs: Ranking head coaches from Andy Reid's tree
By Jacob Milham
3. Doug Pederson
Most coaches first interacted with Reid as an assistant coach. Doug Pederson is one of the few to actually play for Reid first—and the only one to do so twice.
Pederson played quarterback in both Green Bay and Philadelphia, serving as Reid's first starter with the Eagles. He only lasted a year in Philadelphia, making way for Donovan McNabb to take the reins. Ultimately, Pederson was never a star but managed to stay in the NFL for more than a decade. He quickly segwayed into coaching, albeit at the high school level. Pederson would coach in Louisiana for four seasons before returning to Philadelphia.
On Jan. 29, 2009, Pederson joined the Eagles as the offensive quality control coach, reuniting with his former head coach. He later became the quarterbacks coach on Feb. 8, 2011, taking over from James Urban, who was promoted to assistant offensive coordinator. Pederson stayed with Reid, earning a promotion to offensive coordinator of the Chiefs in 2013. Things started rocky for the Reid-Pederson duo, but some strong seasons earned Pederson his first NFL head coaching job back in Philadelphia.
In his first season as head coach, Pederson led the Eagles to a 7-9 record. However, he made significant progress in the following seasons. In 2017, Pederson guided the team to a remarkable turnaround, finishing the regular season with a 13-3 record and securing the top seed in the NFC. The Eagles went on to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history, defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Pederson had a 42-37 record leading the Eagles, but a poor 2020 season ended his tenure after five seasons. He still recorded three playoff appearances in that span, the most since Reid's time in Philadelphia. Pederson decided to take the 2021 season off, despite receiving interest for various roles in the league. He returned ahead of the 2022 season as the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach. He picked right back up, as the Jaguars won the AFC South and won a postseason game in his first year.