(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
By Sam Britt
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has been fired, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Pederson had coached the Eagles for five seasons and led the franchise to its first Super Bowl in 2018.
In the two seasons following their championship, the Eagles failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs. This year they failed to qualify entirely with a record of 4-11-1, finished last in NFC East and had the sixth-worst record in the entire league.
Pederson also drew criticism during Week 17 for his substitution of quarterback Jalen Hurts for third-string quarterback Nate Sudfeld, leading many to accuse him of throwing the game. Two members of his defense had to be restrained after he announced the decision.
ESPN also reported that Pederson’s relationship with quarterback Carson Wentz eroded this season after Wentz was benched. League sources said that if the relationship was unable to be mended, Wentz would request a trade out of Philadelphia.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the decision boiled down to Pederson not liking being told what to do.
Yahoo! Sports reports that Pederson will likely be linked to the New York Jets head coaching job due to his connection with Jets general manager Joe Douglas.