The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson in what’s likely to be the first of multiple “Black Monday” terminations across pro football.
Pederson and New England’s Jerod Mayo were the first casualties of the NFL’s dark annual ritual of finding fall guys for a disappointing 2024 season, which came to an end on Sunday.
The Patriots jumped the gun, axing their rookie head coach Mayo on Sunday, moments after completing their 4-13 campaign.
Pederson ended his three-year Jacksonville tenure with a disastrous 4-13 season after going 9-8 in both 2022 and 2023.
It’s been a long fall from grace for Pederson, once the wunderkind field general who led the Philadelphia Eagles to the 2018 Super Bowl title.
He’ll always be credited for calling the “Philly Special,” a fourth-and-goal trick play that paid off in Philadelphia’s title game win over the New England Patriots.
Head coaching jobs with the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys could also open later on Monday.
The New York Jets, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints were already operating with interim coaches and are expected to start searching for permanent replacements on Monday.
The New York Giants took themselves out of the Black Monday carousel, announcing that coach Brian Daboll would stay for his fourth season at the Big Blue helm. The Giants went 3-14 this past season and Daboll’s three-season record stands at 18-32-1 (.363). The team set a franchise record for losses this season and will have the third pick in the upcoming draft.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
