The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the middle of one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. And that disappointment could lead to significant changes sooner rather than later. The Jaguars suffered a 52-6 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, their worst loss in franchise history.
That doesn’t bode well for Jaguars brass entering the bye week, as CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones reported before the game that this could be the end of the Doug Pederson era in Jacksonville if the team lost to Detroit. Jones also noted that the expectation around the league is that they’ll be searching for a new head coach and general manager this offseason.
Trent Baalke will have a 30-64 record as the Jags’ GM with a loss against the Detroit Lions today, which is looking likely as Jacksonville is down 42-6 in the third. Baalke has just two playoff appearances and one playoff win since he took over the role in 2021.
This report of potential change comes off the heels of an NFL Media report that suggested the team could make a “dramatic move” as soon as this week. If the Jaguars were to move off Pederson, quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy could be a candidate to take over in the interim, given his prior head-coaching experience.
As for who could lead the team in 2025, Jones adds that they could be taking a look at two options today in Lions coordinator Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn.
An in-season change at either spot wouldn’t be uncommon for Jacksonville. In 2020, the franchise fired GM Dave Caldwell in late November after three seasons. Then, in 2021, the Jaguars fired head coach Urban Meyer less than a year into his tenure.
Pederson was brought in as the head coach in 2022 with the hope that he’d give the organization some stability and came to Jacksonville with a Super Bowl-winning background. However, the team has yet to reach the heights they’d hoped for under Pederson, which includes a 2-8 start to the 2024 season.
This rough stretch for the Jaguars also comes off the heels of the organization giving Trevor Lawrence and Josh Hines-Allen monster extensions this offseason. That led to Jaguars owner Shad Khan dubbing them “the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars ever” back in September, adding an extra sting to this well below .500 record.
Given that, changes are likely to be made, and it could reportedly come as soon as this week, especially after their historic loss Sunday.
