By Avi Carr-Gloth

To Eagles fans, the memories of Nick Foles and the Philly Special are still clear. It wasn’t long ago the Eagles won their first Super Bowl ever over the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII. That was on February 4, 2018.

Less than three years after he hoisted the Lombardi trophy, Doug Pederson is out as the head coach in Philadelphia. Moving on from the only Super Bowl-winning coach in franchise history in such a short amount of time is stunning.

The fact that this is taking place over a week after their season ended shows that this move was about more than just their failings on the field. After losing to Washington in Week 17 to end the season with a 4-11-1 record, Pederson survived “Black Monday”, the day after the season when many coaches and executives lose their jobs. That didn’t mean Pederson was safe, as he still planned to meet with owner Jeffrey Lurie to discuss “Pederson’s vision” for the team. Clearly, he was not sold on his plans for the future and the decision was made to move on.

Pederson came under fire after their season-ending loss to Washington when he replaced starting quarterback Jalen Hurts with Nate Sudfield despite only trailing by three points in the fourth quarter. While he claimed the move was made with winning intentions, it outraged players in the locker room. Even though the Eagles were already eliminated from playoff contention, Pederson lost the trust of the locker room for benching Hurts. Players and media alike did not believe he was trying to win that game and was instead trying to get a better draft pick. 

Again, this is the guy that beat Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in a Super Bowl.

This is all before considering the fractured relationship between Pederson and quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz was drafted second overall in 2016, the same year Pederson took over as head coach. He had a promising rookie campaign before exploding into the MVP conversation in 2017. Wentz only played in 13 games that season before going down for the season with a torn ACL. He missed the team’s Super Bowl run but came back to lead Philadelphia back to the playoffs in each of the following two seasons.

The 2020 season was a different story though. Wentz’s completion percentage tanked. He started in just 12 games and still tied for the league lead with 15 interceptions. He was sacked 50 times, more than any quarterback in the league. He finished 28th in QBR and 34th in passer rating. He was eventually benched for the rookie Hurts during their Week 13 loss at Green Bay and never saw the field again. He was a healthy scratch for the finale against Washington. While Pederson isn’t solely to blame for Wentz’s descent, it was clear the two could no longer co-exist.

Wentz signed a four-year deal worth $128 million in June 2019 which will make it difficult to move him. Philadelphia needs to make that move before mid-March when his 2021 salary is guaranteed and his $10 million roster bonus gets paid out. The Eagles may give Hurts a full season to show if he’s ready to be the new face of the franchise but that will be difficult if they cannot find a taker for Wentz who could seemingly stay now that Pederson is gone.

Even with all their struggles, the Eagles were in contention most of the season to win the dumpster fire division known as the NFC East. Washington won the division with a 7-9 record, becoming just the fifth team ever to make the playoffs with a losing record. The Eagles couldn’t win a division that now has Ron Rivera as the division’s longest-tenured coach. Rivera was hired on January 1, 2020, slightly ahead of Mike McCarthy and Joe Judge. 

Pederson finished his Eagles tenure 42-37-1 with a 4-2 playoff record, including a Super Bowl win, in five seasons. He will be best remembered for his title run, but Philadelphia fans will not soon forget his dreadful exit.

Avi is a sports contributor for La Tonique Media