Two years ago, Doug Pederson was three wins away from becoming the first coach to secure a Super Bowl title with two different teams. Now, he’s possibly one loss away from being fired for the second time.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, a “dramatic move” for the Jaguars could come as soon as this week, depending on the outcome of Sunday’s game against the Lions in Detroit.
The Jaguars are 14-point underdogs, the biggest spread of the season. And it feels like 14 points aren’t enough. If the Jaguars are embarrassed against the Lions, and with a bye coming up next weekend, it could be time for owner Shad Khan to make a change.
The question becomes whether Khan would fire only coach Doug Pederson or both Pederson and G.M. Trent Baalke. A clean sweep would set the stage for hiring someone like Bill Belichick, who would in theory be given the keys to the car — and perhaps the ability to put the entire band back together, gathering the likes of Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, Joe Judge, and Mike Lombardi in one of the weakest divisions in football.
Before the season started, owner Khan made his expectations clear: “Make no mistake, this is the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars, ever. Best players, best coaches. But most importantly, let’s prove it by winning now.”
That would seem to be an indication that he trusts the work of Baalke, who assembled the team. Still, a 2-8 record could land at 2-9 with a massive thud against a Lions team coached by Dan Campbell — who was hired in the same cycle that Khan got the bright idea to hire Urban Meyer. If that happens, Khan might decide the time is now to make it clear that he’ll be in the market for a new coach and possibly a new G.M. as of January.