KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A week of speculation surrounding the vacant Philadelphia Eagles head coaching job officially ended Monday afternoon.
Jan. 16, 2016; Foxborough, MA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson on the sideline in the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Former Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson has been hired as Philadelphia’s new head coach, the Eagles announced Monday.
Pederson was linked as the leading candidate last week, but the Eagles couldn’t hire him until after the Chiefs were out of the playoffs, which occurred following Saturday’s 27-20 loss to the New England Patriots.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid on Sunday took a moment to discuss what made Pederson a valued member of the Chiefs coaching staff the past three seasons.
“He’s been with me as a player when he was a player, had an opportunity to coach him there,” Reid said. “Then as an assistant coach and then as a head coach, I brought him to Philadelphia and then brought him back as a quality control coach.
“So a young coach, just kind of learning the game there from the coaching side, and then watch him grow and develop into what he is now with a potential opportunity to be a head football coach. I mean, how great is that?”
The 47-year-old Pederson spent time as a quarterback with the Eagles in 1999 under then-coach Reid.
Pederson was also a member of the Eagles coaching staff as an offensive quality control coach (2009-10) and quarterbacks coach (2011-12) before following Reid to Kansas City in 2013.
For his part, Pederson said in a press conference in the days leading to the Patriots game his time under Reid afforded an opportunity to grow.
“He’s a great mentor of mine, obviously, as you know,” Pederson said on Jan. 13. “We worked together, I worked for him in Philadelphia, so I understand that market and that climate and that structure there.
“The things I’ve learned from Coach Reid, wherever, if it’s in my future to become a head coach, then there’s a lot of great examples of him leading a team and an organization that I can use in my future as well.”
With Pederson now with the Eagles, Reid said Sunday he doesn’t anticipate losing too many members of the Chiefs coaching staff to Philadelphia.
“I don’t foresee a lot of guys leaving to do that,” Reid said.
The Chiefs also need to identify a new offensive coordinator, and Reid indicated the eventual replacement is already in the building.
“I would probably say that,” Reid said.
Provided they don’t join Pederson in Philadelphia, likely candidates include quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy, spread game anlyst/special projects coach Brad Childress and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy.
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Herbie Teope is the lead Chiefs beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @HerbieTeope.
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