The following press release comes from the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.
Eagles Name Doug Pederson Head Coach
The Philadelphia Eagles announce the hiring of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as the team’s new head coach.
The Eagles will introduce Pederson as the team’s new head coach at a 2 PM press conference at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday.
The 47-year-old Pederson comes to the Eagles with a combined 19 years of NFL experience as both a coach and player, including the last three seasons as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. This will be his third stint with the Eagles, as he previously served as the team’s quarterbacks coach (2011-12) and offensive quality control coach (2009-10), and played quarterback for the team in 1999.
“We are excited to introduce Doug Pederson as our new head coach,” said Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie. “Doug is a strategic thinker, a compelling leader and communicator, and someone who truly knows how to get the best out of his players. All of these factors were what initially attracted us to Doug and we believe that he is the right man to help us achieve our ultimate goal.”
As the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2013-15, Pederson helped guide Kansas City to a 31-17 regular-season record and playoff appearances in 2013 and 2015. During his three seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator, the Chiefs ranked first in the NFL in rushing touchdowns (54), third in yards per carry (4.64) and seventh in total rushing yards (6,018). In 2015, Pederson helped the Chiefs rebound from a 1-5 start to win a team-record 11 consecutive games, including Kansas City’s first playoff victory in 22 years.
While Charles was already in the fold when Pederson arrived in Kansas City, the Chiefs acquired quarterback Alex Smith via trade in 2013 and the former No. 1 overall pick went on to post single-season career highs in passing yards (3,313) and passing touchdowns (23), while earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl in his first year under Pederson’s tutelage. During his three years in Pederson’s offense, Smith has notched three-consecutive 3,000-yard seasons, has thrown the second-fewest interceptions among quarterback with more than 1,000 attempts (20) and ranked fourth among all quarterbacks with 1,183 rushing yards.
As a first-time offensive coordinator for Kansas City in 2013, Pederson was part of a coaching staff that turned a 2-14 Chiefs team into an 11-5 playoff squad, marking the largest one-year turnaround in team history.
Prior to his tenure with the Chiefs, Pederson spent two seasons as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach (2011-12) and helped quarterback Michael Vick become the second quarterback in NFL history to top the 3,000-yard passing and 500-yard rushing plateaus in consecutive seasons. In 2011, the Eagles’ offense recorded the second-most net yards in team history (6,386) and a franchise-record 356 first downs.
Before coaching, Pederson enjoyed a 12-year playing career in the NFL with the Packers, Dolphins, Eagles and Browns. As a backup quarterback for the Packers, he was part of a team that won Super Bowl XXXI, captured two NFC Championships (1996 and 1997) and earned eight playoff berths and six division titles. During his playing career, Pederson was coached by three of the most successful coaches in NFL history: Don Shula, Mike Holmgren and Andy Reid. Additionally, Pederson played alongside Pro Bowl quarterbacks Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Donovan McNabb and Jim McMahon.
Pederson, a native of Bellingham, Washington, earned a degree in management from Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe) in 1990. He and his wife, Jeannie, have three sons, Drew, Josh and Joel.
