Doug Pederson's job as Eagles' coach could be in jeopardy after meeting with Jeffrey Lurie, report says

Eagles coach Doug Pederson isn't guaranteed to return as head coach after all, according to an ESPN report Sunday.

The report said that Pederson will have a second meeting with Eagles president and CEO Jeffrey Lurie this week, a sign that the first meeting, held last Tuesday, didn't go so well. 

In addition, the report said that the issues go beyond that of quarterback Carson Wentz, who was benched for the final 4½ games in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts. The issues also include personnel and the assistant coaches.

While decisions on head coaches around the league have typically been made by now, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for the Eagles to move on from Pederson, who three seasons ago coached the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl victory.

There are six head coaching vacancies in the NFL. And if Lurie were to believe that Pederson didn't have the right vision for fixing the Eagles' problems, then it's likely that he would already have some candidates in mind who do have that vision.

That could include coaches in the college ranks. 

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For example, if Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman were to decide to move forward with Hurts as the QB and thus trade Wentz, they could look to Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, who coached Hurts, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield from 2017-19. 

Murray and Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma, while Hurts finished second.

As for Wentz, an ESPN report last week said the relationship between Wentz and Pederson is "fractured beyond repair," and that Wentz would seek a trade during the offseason. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that Wentz wanted to take a step back and that there was hope the relationship wouldn't "end in a divorce."

Pederson spoke to the media last Monday, one day after the Eagles concluded their 4-11-1 season, and before he met with Lurie. That day, Pederson denied that there was a fractured relationship with Wentz.

Pederson had also said during the course of the season's last week that he was "fully confident" that he would return, saying often that his top priority is fixing Wentz, who had by far the worst season of his five-year career.

"Listen, I'm not going to speak for Carson, obviously, but I can speak for myself and say that, yeah, the relationship is good. It's fine," Pederson said last Monday. "It's something that we're going to continue to build upon.

"Listen, I know Carson's disappointed. It's not the season that he had anticipated. It's not the season I had anticipated as the head coach. There were a lot of moving parts. It's not about one guy here. It takes all of us and that's something that we've stressed a lot here.

"But at the same time, I've been hired as the head coach. I've been challenged as the head coach – personally challenged myself – to get things right, to get him right and to make sure that as we move forward, that we're doing everything in the best interests of the team."

So far, the Eagles are in the process of making changes on their coaching staff.

They are reportedly not bringing back senior offensive assistants Rich Scangarello and Marty Mornhingweg. In addition, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz announced that he won't return, and there were reports that linebackers coach Ken Flajole won't be back, either.

The Eagles did not hire an offensive coordinator last year after firing Mike Groh. Instead, they used Scangarello, along with quarterbacks coach Press Taylor, who was given the added title of passing game coordinator.

Pederson, as he had done since becoming the head coach in 2016, called the plays on offense, although he admitted late in the season that Scangarello and Taylor called plays from time to time.

The Eagles had their worst offensive performance under Pederson in 2020, finishing 26th in scoring with an average of 20.9 points per game, and 28th in passing, averaging 207.9 yards per game.

Wentz, meanwhile, ranked near the bottom of NFL quarterbacks in completion percentage (57.4) and passer rating (72.8). He also tied for the most interceptions thrown (15) and led the league in times sacked (50).

The season concluded in controversy as Pederson benched Hurts in the fourth quarter with the Eagles trailing by three points and replaced him with third-string quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who was playing for the first time in two years.

It was an obvious attempt to "tank" the game in order to get a better draft pick. By losing 20-14 to Washington, the Eagles moved up to the No. 6 pick in the first round of the 2021 draft. Had the Eagles won, they would have picked ninth.

Afterward, Pederson said it was his plan all along to get Sudfeld into the game, even though the move handed Washington a victory, along with the NFC East division title.

Some players expressed their surprise at the decision, which was criticized heavily by national media. Giants coach Joe Judge, whose team would've won the division had the Eagles won the game, said he would never "disrespect the game" when asked about the Eagles.

Others, like veterans Jason Kelce and Brandon Graham, said they knew Pederson's plan all along and were fine with it.

It's likely that Pederson would not have made that decision if he didn't get approval from Roseman and/or Lurie.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.