Despite being linked to the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator opening, former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson says he’s leaning toward taking this upcoming season off.
Pederson, 52, said as much to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Les Bowen on Tuesday night.
The former Eagles head coach texted that he’s “leaning toward taking the next year off and preparing for [the] next season.”
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It has previously been suggested that Pederson wouldn’t rush into his next job and the Eagles certainly didn’t do him any favors by waiting a week to fire him. By then the other coaching searches were well underway.
“I really, really expect him to be a successful head coach in this league, and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he is on another NFL team later this week,” Eagles owner Jeff Lurie said hours after firing Pederson. “I'm certainly there for any owner that wants to talk about hiring Doug, because I will be a major fan.”
While Pederson reportedly spoke to the Seahawks about that offensive coordinator position, he was never seriously linked to any of the head coach job openings this offseason. Some thought maybe the Jets would be in play because of the Joe Douglas connection, but that never materialized.
And now there are just two head coaching jobs available: Texans and Eagles. The Eagles obviously aren’t hiring him and the Texans haven’t shown interest.
Remember, Pederson is still going to get pay checks from the Eagles:
So perhaps it’ll be in Pederson’s best interest to take a year off, regroup and then enter the fray for a head coaching position in 2022. Pederson is represented by coaching super agent Bob LaMonte so he shouldn’t have too much trouble getting interviews next offseason.
And besides, Pederson has a pretty strong resume. He comes from the highly regarded Andy Reid coaching tree and had a successful five-year run with the Eagles. He made the playoffs in three of five seasons here and won the first Super Bowl in franchise history. That ought to be enough for a team to give him a look next year when he’s ready to return.
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If he can’t get a head coaching job, there will also likely be some opportunity at the coordinator level. Honestly, the Seahawks job is a pretty attractive one, getting a chance to work with Russell Wilson. And maybe he’ll still end up getting that gig. But if not, Pederson will probably sit out the 2021 season and return in 2022.
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