Doug Pederson - Pro Football Rumors

Coaching Updates: 49ers, Eagles, April

January 17th, 2016 at 8:50am CST by Rory Parks

As has been widely speculated, it appears as though a number of Chip Kelly‘s assistant coaches from Philadelphia are expected to join Kelly’s 49ers staff. Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com tweets that former Eagles WR coach Bob Bicknell will become the new WR coach in San Francisco, while Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer confirms (via Twitter) that DL coach Jerry Azzinaro and QB coach Ryan Day are also expected to follow Kelly to the Bay Area. As Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com observes (via Twitter), former 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula was interested in hiring Bicknell as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator last season, but Bicknell’s preference at that time was to stay in Philadelphia.

Now let’s dive into some more coaching updates:

Expanding upon McLane’s tweet that PFR passed along along last night, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that, with the Chiefs now eliminated from the playoffs, Kansas City OC Doug Pederson is expected to be announced as the Eagles‘ new head coach within the next week.
As for Pederson’s new coaching staff, McLane tweets that the Eagles could keep RB coach Duce Staley, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp, and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, assuming Pederson is amenable to retaining them.
The Titans are prepared to hire Bobby April as their special teams coach, according to Marvez (via Twitter). April, who served in the same capacity with the Jets last season, was fired after Gang Green’s disappointing special teams performance in 2015. However, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com tweets, April has coached a number of strong special teams units in his remarkably long career. April has worked as a special teams coach/coordinator since 1991, when he first entered the NFL as a tight ends and special teams coach for the Falcons. Since that time, he has been employed by the Steelers, Saints, Rams, Bills, Eagles, Raiders, and Jets.

Extra Points: Eagles, 49ers, Titans, Raiders

January 16th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though the hire has already been widely-reported, the Eagles still have to work out a contract with new head coach Doug Pederson, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Now that Kansas City (Pederson’s current club) has been eliminated from the postseason, McLane expects a deal to come together soon, with a possible press conference on Tuesday.

As the Eagles prepare to bring in a new head coach, they are also bracing to lose an assistant, as quarterbacks coach Ryan Day is expected to follow Chip Kelly to San Francisco, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). According to Rapoport, Day will either serve as QBs coach or offensive coordinator with the 49ers.

Let’s take a look at some more news from around the league:

After removing the interim label from head coach Mike Mularkey‘s title earlier today, the Titans (with Mularkey’s input) have begun to make decisions on the rest of their staff. Per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Tennessee will retain defensive assistant Dick LeBeau, linebackers coach Lou Spanos, assistant offensive line coach Mike Sullivan, and assistant special teams coordinator Steve Hoffman. I’d guess that the fates of the remainder of the staff should be announced relatively shortly.
The Chargers appear to be on the verge of a move to Los Angeles, and a source tells Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link) that it’s highly doubtful that NFL owners would block the Raiders if they seek to relocate to San Diego. Bonsignore also notes (link) that Chargers owner Dean Spanos signed an agreement waiving his rights to San Diego if his club moves to LA.
The total outlay by the St. Louis stadium task force in its efforts to keep the Rams? $16.2MM, report David Hunn and Nicholas J.C. Pistor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Eagles To Pursue Doug Pederson

January 14th, 2016 at 12:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are moving on to a Plan C. After their reported top target Ben McAdoo accepted the Giants’ head coaching job and Tom Coughlin withdrew his name from consideration, the Eagles are expected to pursue Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as their next head coach, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.

A former Eagles quarterback, Pederson has only been connected to the Philadelphia job and none of the other NFL head coaching vacancies. In addition to having played for the Eagles, he also coached with the team during Andy Reid‘s tenure, serving as an offensive quality control coach in 2009 and 2010, then as the club’s quarterbacks coach in 2011 and 2012.

Having followed Reid to Kansas City, Pederson is in his third season as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), Reid confirmed that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie reached out to him to inquire about Pederson’s head coaching potential.

While McAdoo and Coughlin appear to have impressed the Eagles during the team’s head coaching search, Pederson shouldn’t necessarily be viewed a fall-back option for the club. One weekend report indicated that the Kansas City OC entered the process as Lurie’s favorite among non-head coaches. Since then, the team has seriously considered McAdoo and Coughlin, but saw the former promoted by the Giants, while the latter pulled out of the process.

Even if the Eagles decide to hire Pederson, the team can’t officially get anything done with him quite yet, with his Chiefs still alive in the postseason. If Kansas City is eliminated this weekend by the Patriots, Philadelphia would be able to move forward with Pederson, but if the Chiefs pull off an upset, Lurie and company would have to wait at least one more week.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coach Rumors: Hue, Giants, Saban, Campbell

January 12th, 2016 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

Hue Jackson, who has received legit interest from the 49ers and Browns, will fly to New York this week and will meet with the Giants no later than Thursday morning, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Giants, who will talk to Jackson once the owners meetings in Houston conclude, are “serious” about the Bengals offensive coordinator, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.

Here are a few more Tuesday morning coaching updates:

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Nick Saban will be any more open to an NFL return after adding another NCAA championship win to his résumé on Monday night. For what it’s worth, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the Buccaneers are considering almost every head coaching possibility, including Saban.
Former Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell is free to seek other job opportunities, and has received inquiries from the Vikings, Cowboys, and Chargers, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. A Monday report indicated that Campbell is likely to move on from the Dolphins.
For now, the Eagles aren’t planning any more head coaching interviews, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who tweets that the club will regroup and assess its options after this week’s owners meetings. La Canfora and ESPN’s Bill Williamson (Twitter link) both identify Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as a strong candidate for the job.
The Colts are interviewing former Bears defensive backs coach Jon Hoke today, after having spoken to Bills DBs coach Donnie Henderson on Monday, per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links). While Henderson may not end up in Indianapolis, he won’t return to the Bills, a source tells Marvez.

East Notes: Hatcher, Eagles, Edelman, Gase

January 10th, 2016 at 9:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is the latest coming out of the Eastern divisions as the eight remaining teams begin full preparations for their divisional-round matchups.

After Washington‘s wild-card loss to the Packers, Jason Hatcher will consider retirement, Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets. The 33-year-old defensive end had a postgame conversation with GM Scot McCloughan, and Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com notes Washington may have to convince him to return next season. “I’ve been thinking lately about this being my last year, you know, retiring,” Hatcher told media. “One thing I’ve got to pray about. [McCloughan] said he wanted me around. I’m not going to hold them up on my decision. I’m going to make it pretty quick.” Hatcher just completed the second season of a four-year, $27.5MM contract. He’s set to occupy an $8.73MM cap number in 2016.
Now a free agent, Alfred Morris was noncommittal about a Washington return, John Keim of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). “When I first came into the league, no matter what team I went to … I just wanted to do my whole career with the same team. That’s still my goal. I would love to return, but a lot goes into that. I haven’t thought about that,” Morris told media. Coming off by far his worst season as a pro, Morris enters free agency in a class with Matt Forte, Lamar Miller, Chris Ivory and probably Marshawn Lynch. A former sixth-round draft pick, Morris averaged a career-low 3.7 yards per carry and would likely not command a high salary despite being set for his age-27 season come training camp.
Ryan Mathews recently underwent groin surgery, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). First listed with the malady on the Eagles‘ injury report in Week 6, Mathews played 13 games this season. He finished with a career-best 5.0 yards per carry, although the 107 totes represented Mathews’ lowest number in a season in which he played at least 12 games.
The Eagles’ new coaching search resembles safer, Andy Reid-type candidates than Chip Kelly-esque innovators, Les Bowen of Philly.com writes. Adam Gase did not receive an offer from the Eagles, and Doug Pederson, someone who Bowen doesn’t think would have captured the Eagles’ attention in 2013, entered the process as Jeffery Lurie‘s favorite among non-head coaches. Pederson reportedly interviewed with the Eagles for 4 1/2 hours from Kansas City.
Cleared to play in the Patriots‘ sixth straight divisional playoff game, Julian Edelman will do so with a steel plate in his left shoe in an attempt to prevent re-fracturing his foot, WHDH’s Joe Amorosino reports (via WEEI.com). Edelman missed the Pats’ final seven regular-season games after breaking a bone in his foot Nov. 15.
Gase’s innovative offensive methods notwithstanding, sources tell SI.com’s Don Banks the 37-year-old coach’s intellectual approach may struggle from a leadership perspective, considering the kind of year the Dolphins just had and the fact that the mild-mannered Joe Philbin didn’t exactly win over the team.

Eagles Interview Doug Pederson, To Interview Tom Coughlin

January 10th, 2016 at 5:33pm CST by Ben Levine

SUNDAY, 5:33pm: The Eagles are progressing with this idea and will officially interview Coughlin on Monday, Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reports.

The Eagles also met with Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson in Kansas City on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). A former Eagles quarterback, Pederson has only been connected to the Philadelphia job. He’s in his third season as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator.

SATURDAY, 9:56am: Coughlin also has an offer from the Giants to stay with the organization, reports Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). However, Coughlin is reportedly seeking a head coaching gig.

SATURDAY, 8:42am: Former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is expected to speak with the Eagles this week about their head coaching vacancy, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. Since the 69-year-old resigned with a year left on his contract, the Giants still technically hold his rights, and that means the organization would be able to deny any interview requests. However, it appears as if the Eagles request was granted. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the two sides will meet Monday, describing the meeting as more of a “feeling-out for both than an interview.”

When Coughlin stepped down as head coach of the Giants earlier this week, it was uncertain if the 69-year-old would ever coach again. The two sides parted mutually, but the head coach made it clear that he was “resigning,” not retiring.

Coughlin has compiled a 169-146 record in his long coaching career, including a 102-90 mark with the Giants. He has won three Super Bowls, including a pair as head coach of the G-Men. The last few seasons haven’t been as successful, as the team has finished in third place for three straight years and hasn’t reached nine victories since 2012.

Of course, things weren’t much better for the Eagles in 2015, as the squad finished with a disappointing 7-9 record. This led to the dismissal of head coach Chip Kelly, a move that surprised Coughlin.

“Quite frankly, I’m not surprised by anything in this business,” Coughlin said (via Garafolo). “But that one was close.”

Coughlin isn’t the only candidate for the gig, as the Eagles also have interest in former quarterbacks coach Doug Pederson.

Latest On Eagles’ Coaching Search

January 7th, 2016 at 8:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo interviewed for the Eagles’ head coaching job Thursday, the team announced (link to press release). McAdoo, who talked to the Giants about their head coaching vacancy earlier this week, is the fourth different candidate to interview with the Eagles, joining two in-house names – interim head coach Pat Shurmur and running backs coach Duce Staley – and Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase.

One obvious similarity McAdoo, Shurmur, Staley and Gase share is that they’re all offensive-minded coaches. The same holds true for longtime head coach Jon Gruden, who has expressed interest in the Eagles’ job to owner Jeffrey Lurie through an intermediary, Paul Domowitch of Philly.com reports. Gruden has a fan in Lurie, according to Domowitch, but Lurie is unsure if Gruden and executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman would be able to work well together. Gruden has told people he and Roseman would be able to get along, per Domowitch, who notes that ex-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said the same thing before taking over in 2013. That didn’t turn out well, of course, as Kelly and Roseman were at loggerheads during Kelly’s short run in Philadelphia. Regardless, Domowitch writes that Lurie’s focus right now is on the assistants the Eagles have interviewed and the ones they’ve yet to interview.

While Gruden could be a Plan B option if Lurie doesn’t end up smitten with any of the other candidates, the owner is currently bullish on Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson – who is scheduled to interview Sunday – and Gase. However, contrary to a previous report, the Eagles won’t conduct a second interview with Gase this weekend, according to Les Bowen of Philly.com.

Gruden hasn’t coached since 2008, having served as an analyst instead, but he had a successful tenure from 1998 until then atop the Raiders and Buccaneers, respectively. The 52-year-old compiled a 95-81 regular-season record, five playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title with Tampa to cap off the 2002-03 season. He also won eight-plus games in eight of his 11 seasons at the helm in Oakland and Tampa. Immediately prior to his time as a head coach, Gruden worked in Philly as its offensive coordinator from 1995-97.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coach Rumors: Gase, Eagles, Pederson, Jets

January 7th, 2016 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles have not yet scheduled a second interview with Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase for their head coaching position, a league source familiar with the club’s thinking tells Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. While Frank suggests that this contradicts a previous report on Gase, that Wednesday report didn’t actually say a second interview had been formally set up by the Eagles — just that the team wanted to bring him back for a second meeting.

Although it hasn’t been scheduled yet, a second interview between Gase and the Eagles could still happen. However, Frank suggests that the club may not finish its first round of interviews and regroup until next week sometime.

In other coaching news out of Philadelphia, Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson will interview with the Eagles on Sunday for their head coaching job, regardless of how Kansas City does in its playoff game, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

Here are several more coaching-related updates from around the NFL:

The Jets have parted ways with special teams coach Bobby April, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Special teams assistant Steve Hagen and assistant offensive line coach Ron Heller have also been let go by the club.
If he doesn’t get a head coaching job somewhere, look for ex-Falcons head coach Mike Smith to be a candidate for the Buccaneers‘ defensive coordinator job, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Leslie Frazier is on his way out in Tampa Bay.
Panthers GM Dave Gettleman says he has talked to several teams looking for a head coach about defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. At the moment, only the Browns have formally asked for an interview, as David Newton of ESPN.com writes. McDermott has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Eagles and Giants as well.
Per Mike Wells of ESPN.com, the Colts have officially confirmed several previously-reported changes to their coaching staff, including the dismissal of defensive coordinator Greg Manusky. The club also announced it has parted ways with strength and conditioning coach Roger Marandino and running backs coach Charlie Williams.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Coaching Updates: 1/3/16

January 3rd, 2016 at 10:42am CST by Rory Parks

After learning this morning that the 49ers are expected to fire Jim Tomsula and that Jim Caldwell is more likely than not to return to the Lions in 2016, let’s dive into a few more notes on the league’s head coaching carousel:

A “plugged-in source” tells Pro Football Talk that Chip Kelly could be headed to the Browns (Twitter link).
Before that somewhat mysterious tweet from PFT, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted out a list of a few candidates the Browns are expected to interview in the coming days after they formally fire Mike Pettine. That list includes popular targets Adam Gase, Teryl Austin, and Doug Marrone. Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the team is especially interested in Gase and has already laid the groundwork for an interview with the Bears’ offensive coordinator. It was something of a surprise that Gase did not land a head coaching job last year, but it looks like 2016 will find him in charge of his own club.
Rapoport also passes on some news on the Colts (via Conor Orr of NFL.com), reporting that if Indianapolis parts ways with Chuck Pagano, the team will make Sean Payton and Nick Saban say no before turning its search in another direction. Although the presence of franchise quarterback Andrew Luck could alter his thinking somewhat, Saban, as Rapoport tweets, has been approached by NFL clubs countless times in recent years and always says no.
Current Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson is “a name to watch” as the Eagles attempt to fill their new head coaching vacancy, per Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who adds that the team would have to do some “fence-mending” to lure Sean McDermott, one of the hottest head coaching candidates, away from Carolina (Twitter links). ESPN.com news services confirms the team’s interest in Pederson, who spent four seasons as an offensive assistant under Andy Reid in Philadelphia, and adds that interim head coach Pat Shumur has not been ruled out.
The Titans will look at interim head coach Mike Mularkey as a legitimate candidate to become the team’s permanent head coach, as Rapoport writes in his Black Monday primer.
In the same piece, Rapoport writes that Mike McCoy has a much better chance to stay with the Chargers than originally anticipated. The NFL.com scribe reports that San Diego brass will step back and look at factors like the injuries the team has endured, the close losses it has suffered, and the omnipresent Los Angles dilemma before making a final decision. While McCoy could still be fired, it appears as though he will at least get a thorough evaluation before that happens.