Jaguars coach Doug Pederson is looking forward to return to Philadelphia for the first time since he was fired in 2020. His new team will face off against his former team, the Eagles, on Sunday.
The 54-year-old coach helped bring the Eagles their first franchise Super Bowl title back in 2017–18.
Now, in his first season as the head coach in Jacksonville, Pederson is hoping the Eagles fans give him a warm welcome, similar to what Chiefs coach Andy Reid received when he returned to Philadelphia for the first time after leading the team from 1999–2012.
“Hopefully it’s in that realm [of the standing ovation Reid got],” Pederson said, via Eagles Today. “But look, it’s Philly, anything’s possible with these fans. I’m just looking forward to running out of that tunnel with the Jaguars and getting ready to play a game.”
Pederson spent a total of nine years working for the Eagles. He started out as an offensive quality coach on Reid’s staff from 2009–10, then worked as the quarterbacks coach from 2011–12 before finally leading the team as head coach from 2016–20.
After the ‘20 season, Pederson was fired from his position with the Eagles. He admitted that he has no hard feelings against his former team, though.
“That was a long time ago, two years ago,” Pederson said. “I have to get my team prepared and I’m personally looking forward to coming back to Philly. Obviously have a lot of fond memories there and what we did in 2017 is something that we’ll always remember, even you (the media). I’m excited about that.”
The Jaguars come to Philadelphia with a 2–1 record, their first winning record since the beginning of the ’20 season. The Eagles are one of the two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL this season.
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