Last month, following five years with the program, Doug Pederson, Eagles head coach, was fired by the Eagles organization. Reports stated that Pederson was fired for lack of offensive production after finishing 26th in scoring and 28th in passing yards per game with 20.9 and 207.9 respectively. In addition, Doug Pederson reportedly also shared a different vision for the future compared to the organizations which played a key role in his dismissal. This can all be traced back to the quarterback controversy between rookie Jalen Hurts and veteran Carson Wentz. 

When Pederson was hired, he left his position as offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs and took the place of fired EagleChip Kelly. In his first year as head coach in 2016, Pederson drafted Carson Wentz as the second overall pick from North Dakota State University and led the team to a 7-9 record just barely missing the playoffs. The following season was by far Doug Pederson’s best and most memorable in which he coached the team to a 13-3 record which landed them the number one seed in the NFC. In this year, he coached the Eagles through the playoffs which resulted in the winning of Superbowl 52 in 2018 for the first time in franchise history. This monumental win was against Tom Brady causing him to lose his third Superbowl in his career. The following season was riddled with injuries; however, Pederson led the team to a 9-7 record earning them a spot in the playoffs where they were eliminated after the second round but not after the double doink. This was a missed field goal in the first round of playoffs against the Chicago Bears by Bears kicker Cody Parkey which advanced the Eagles. Similarly, in 2019, Pederson finished the season 9-7 winning another NFC East division title. 

Pederson’s coaching career has been extraordinary; however, in the 2020 season, it began to fall apart. The big storyline this year was the benching of former MVP candidate Carson Wentz for an unproven rookie which many members of the organization disagreed with. This surrounded Pederson’s final season in Philadelphia in a mass controversy that only grew strong after the intentional loss against the Washington Football Team that occurred in week 17. Pederson finished the season 4-11-1 which tainted his accomplished career coaching record making it 46-39-1. 

When it was all said and done, Doug Peterson finished as the coach of two-time NFC East Champions and the coach of the Superbowl 52 Champions. Although Pederson’s last season in Philadelphia was a terrible one, he will always be remembered and thanked by fans of the Eagles with his statue standing high outside Lincoln Financial Field.

On January 21, 2021, Doug Pederson’s head coaching position was replaced by Nick Sirianni who served as the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts this season. Sirianni is unproven with never holding an NFL head coaching job, but the excitement surrounding the uncertainty of next season is growing, making the 2021 season highly anticipated.