Doug Pederson fired: 3 best replacements Jaguars should consider for 2025

Not that it was a surprise, but the Jacksonville Jaguars announced this morning that they are moving from head coach Doug Pederson. Pederson was hired by the team prior to the 2022 season after they fired Urban Meyer.

Pederson led the Jaguars to an AFC South title in 2022 and finished the following season with the same record. Despite starting the year 8-3, Jacksonville missed the playoffs. This season, Pederson went 4-13 making, the Jaguars a top-five team in the 2025 NFL Draft. He went 22-29 in his tenure with Jacksonville.

Despite firing Pederson, the Jaguars made somewhat of a surprise by retaining general manager Trent Baalke, who many thought would have been fired as well.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan announced this morning:

“I will collaborate with General Manager Trent Baalke and others, within and close to our organization, to hire a leader who shares my ambition and is ready to seize the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville.”

Khan also said the new head coach will report directly to him and not Baalke. The new coach will inherit a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, a young team that includes players such as Trevor Lawrence and Brian Thomas Jr., and will have nearly $40 million in cap space.

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3 replacements Jaguars should target to hire after firing Doug Pederson

Aaron Glenn during Detroit Lions v Chicago Bears - Source: Getty

The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially become the second team since the season ended yesterday to fire their head coach after firing Doug Pederson this morning. With the regular season over, teams can officially request interviews for coaches that are on other teams.

Here are three coaches the Jaguars should consider targeting to replace Doug Pederson:

1] Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions

Ben Johnson is one of the best offensive coordinators in football today. Johnson became a popular name in last year's coaching cycle but opted to remain with Detroit.

This off-season, Johnson is an even hotter name and maybe the biggest coaching target. He had a ton of success with Detroit's offense, ranking second in most total yards (409.5) while having the highest-scoring offense (564 points.)

The Jaguars saw firsthand how good a Ben Johnson-ran offense is as the Lions scored 52 on them earlier this season.

2] Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions

Another Detroit coach that could get a head coaching job is defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn. Glenn, a former NFL Pro Bowl cornerback, has had some success as Detroit's defensive coordinator.

While Detroit gave up the 13th-most yards per game, they ranked seventh-best in scoring defense, only allowing 20.1 points per game. Glenn also had one of the most injury-plagued defenses in the NFL this season but managed to keep them good enough for the team to balance out a 15-2 record.

*Side note* The Chicago Bears have already requested interviews from both Johnson and Glenn so far. The Jets and Saints have also requested interviews for Glenn.

3] Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator

Joe Brady, a Florida native, could be another good option for the Jaguars to target. He took over as Buffalo's offensive coordinator midway through the 2023 season and has helped them compile a 20-6 record since.

He's been credited with helping elevate Josh Allen's game, relying on a heavy pass-attack-style offense. Brady helped lead the Bills offense to being the second-highest scoring unit (30.9) and averaged the 10th-most yards per game (359.1.)

Brady is also only 35 years old and has plenty to learn and grow in the coaching world.

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