By Michael Lipinski, Sports Talk Philly Contributor
Former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson's name is one of the hot names in the early NFL coaching carousel. The only coach to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship, Pederson has been tied to at least three openings and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his name tied to more. Pederson was fired shortly after the conclusion of the 2020 season after a 4-11-1 season.
Many assumed Pederson would procure a job during the last coaching carousel however he decided to take all of the 2021 season off. It's almost a certainty that Pederson will return to the sideline during this cycle, he's already interviewed with Jacksonville. Here's what we know about Pederson's potential employment for 2021-22.
Per NFL Network's Tom Pellissero, Pederson will interview with the Chicago Bears. The Bears fired Matt Nagy on Monday after 4-sesasons in the Windy City. A bit of irony, Nagy was elevated to offensive coordinator in Kansas City when Pederson took the Eagles job. More irony, if Pederson were to take the Bears job he would be reunited with former quarterback Nick Foles. Foles has one-year remaining on his contract in Chicago.
The #Bears plan to interview former #Eagles coach Doug Pederson for their head coaching job, per source.
It'll be the second interview in this cycle for the Super Bowl winner Pederson, who also is a candidate with the #Jaguars.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2022
CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora adds that in addition to Chicago, Pederson will also interview with Denver and Minnesota. Denver fired head coach Vic Fangio on Sunday and Minnesota relived Mike Zimmer of his duties on Monday.
Doug Pederson is scheduling interview with Bears and will end up interviewing with the Vikings and Broncos as well. Already met with Jacksonville
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 11, 2022
Unlike Jacksonville and Chicago, Denver and Minnesota have serious issues at the quarterback position which may not be something a veteran coach like Pederson would want to deal with. Two other openings worth keeping an eye on are Miami and New York. The Giants could be a fit especially considering Pederson's past in the division and the Mara's knowledge of what Pederson brings to the table.