Getty Doug Pederson during a 2020 playoff game.
The Detroit Lions, like the rest of the NFL, saw a major shakeup on Monday when Doug Pederson was let go as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Pederson was fired in spite of the fact that he looked safe just a week ago, and that introduces a coach with major experience into the marketplace. That could get the attention of the Lions, who are moving through their process to hire a coach with more interviews this week.
After Pederson’s firing, some new odds have surfaced regarding where he could land. While the Lions aren’t the current favorites, they do sit at a solid 5-1 in the odds, just barely in fourth position according to betonline.ag.
Odds that Doug Pederson is next HC of the Lions, per @betonline_ag
The Lions have been said to perhaps crave experience in either their head coach or general manager hires, and Pederson just became the most experienced and most successful coach on the market. Thus far, the most experienced name the Lions have been connected with is Marvin Lewis. Pederson also has the advantage of being an offensive-minded head coach, which could make sense for the Lions.
Certainly, it wouldn’t hurt the Lions to kick the tires on Pederson and see if he has interest. He could immediately become the most accomplished head coach the team has looked at in decades.
Writer: Doug Pederson Could Make Sense for Lions
Would Pederson make sense for the Lions? The answer to that question recently for a beat writer is an unequivocal yes. Detroit Free Press columnist Dave Birkett posted that if the coach was indeed set to be fired and is on the outs in Philadelphia, he could easily be on the ins in Detroit.
Now that it happened, is that still the case?
The Lions’ coaching search has progressed decently but hasn’t concluded, and that could play to Detroit’s advantage in this particular case. Plenty of teams need coaches, but Detroit being thorough and not making a panic hire seems to have helped them in this case. Now that Pederson has hit the market, he could fit the mold of what the Lions could look for given he has been successful at his other stops and won plenty of playoff games including a Super Bowl. Experience could be paramount in this search for Detroit, and Pederson immediately becomes the most established name the Lions could talk to in this cycle.
Before he was even available, many thought he could make sense for the Lions. Now, it will be interesting to see if there is any truth to that thought.
Doug Pederson Career Biography
A former quarterback in the league from 1991-2004 in mostly a backup role, Pederson retired in 2005 and worked in Philadelphia for a couple years on the offensive side of the ball before becoming the Kansas City offensive coordinator from 2013-2015 under Andy Reid. In 2016, he became the Eagles’ head coach and quickly righted the ship for the franchise, winning Super Bowl LII in his second year on the job. Since, the Eagles have had a couple 9-7 finishes but have made the playoffs both times. Overall, Pederson has a 41-34 record as a head coach including a 4-2 mark in the postseason. The 2020 Eagles have fallen hard, however, and Pederson is shouldering plenty of the blame for the failure.
All those questions aside, Pederson checks off lots of what the Lions could be looking for in a boss.
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Super Bowl Winning Coach Given High Odds to Land With Lions