In 2017, Doug Pederson led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl. On Monday, he lost his job, this after going 4-11-1 – the franchise’s worst finish since 2012.
CBS Sports NFL insider Will Brinson was stunned.
“It was certainly shocking news when it dropped,” Brinson said on Reiter Than You. “It really does feel like the Eagles made a very conscious decision to say, ‘It’s got to be Carson Wentz or Doug Pederson.’ We probably should have seen that coming . . . with all the tension surrounding those two as they headed into the end of 2020 season.”
Wentz struggled mightily this season, prompting Pederson to bench him for Jalen Hurts. The rookie quarterback gave the Eagles a jolt, but Pederson benched Hurts for Nate Sudfeld in the final game of the season.
“I don’t know if Doug Pederson said, ‘It’s either him or me’ or if Carson Wentz said, ‘It’s him or me’ or if Doug Pederson said, ‘Hey, look, Howie Roseman hasn’t exactly done a great job grocery shopping the last couple years. We got one Pro Bowler since 2016,’” Brinson said. “Whatever those conversations [were], it became clear it wasn’t going to work with the current iteration of personnel, front office and coaching staff moving forward. So it made sense for Doug Pederson to part ways.”
It remains to be seen if Wentz, Hurts, or someone else will start at quarterback for the Eagles in 2021. But that will not be Pederson’s decision.
“The Eagles took the path of least financial resistance by parting ways with Doug Pederson instead of dealing with the financial cap ramifications that come with trading Carson Wentz or cutting Carson Wentz,” Brinson said. “You have to wonder where does this leave them moving forward? Now you have a franchise that, while they won a Super Bowl a couple years ago, is saying, ‘All right, our best outcome to try to fix this is by doubling down on Carson Wentz.’ It doesn’t feel like there’s a quick fix here. . . . It’s crazy how bad the Eagles’ job really is.”