Here’s why Jaguars coach Doug Pederson says he ‘owes a lot’ to Chiefs coach Andy Reid

Herbie Teope
David Eulitt/deulitt@kcstar.com

Chiefs coach Andy Reid is one of the winningest coaches in NFL history.

Reid, in his 10th season at the helm in Kansas City, boasts a 258-153-1 combined record (regular season and postseason) and is the first coach in league history to notch 100 games with two teams.

Seventeen of those wins have come at the expense of former staffers who’ve gone on to head coaching positions elsewhere, like current Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson.

Pederson, who is 0-1 against Reid, gets another shot at his mentor in Week 10, when the Chiefs play host to the Jaguars in a noon game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Jaguars’ coach is fully aware of Reid’s record against his former assistant coaches, and he offered a blunt explanation for it.

“He’s a better coach, flat out,” Pederson said during Wednesday’s teleconference with Chiefs media members before adding with a laugh: “That’s a joke, that’s a joke.”

Then Pederson got serious.

“Listen, he is a heck of a football coach and he’s had great football teams,” he said.

Like so many from Reid’s coaching tree, Pederson has deep ties to Reid.

Pederson was a backup quarterback with the Green Bay Packers when Reid was on Mike Holmgren’s coaching staff, and then followed Reid to Philadelphia in 1999. When his playing career ended in 2005, Pederson coached high school football before joining Reid’s coaching staff with the Eagles in 2009.

Pederson then followed Reid to Kansas City in 2013, serving as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2013-15. Philadelphia hired Pederson as head coach in 2016, and he led the Eagles to a win in Super Bowl LII — which came in the same 2017 season that Pederson’s team lost to the Reid-led Chiefs in Week 2.

The Eagles parted ways with Pederson in January 2021, and he spent a year away from football before accepting his current position with the Jaguars in February 2022.

Through it all, Pederson kept fond memories of his time with Reid, and the lessons learned from the man and coach.

“I owe a lot to Coach Reid and the things he taught me not only as a player, but I think as an assistant coach,” Pederson said. “When I became coordinator there in Kansas City, we spent so much time together in meetings and one-on-ones.

“Everything about him is about pouring himself into other people, and he did that with me and helped me prepare for my first job in Philadelphia, and that went a long way. And then, obviously, now here in Jacksonville.”

The respect between the two is mutual.

“Doug Pederson, we’re all familiar with and he’s a good friend,” Reid said. “I think he’s doing a heck of a job down there.”

Reid and Pederson are close friends, but they become competitors when their teams clash on Sundays.

Pederson, whose Jaguars enter this weekend’s game 3-6, are clear underdogs against Reid’s 6-2 Chiefs. And Pederson, seeking his first win against Reid, knows from personal experience that playing at Arrowhead won’t be easy.

“I’m just hoping that maybe this is the weekend that we can do it,” Pederson said. “Listen, it’s always fun to go up against Coach Reid. His teams are always well-coached, well-disciplined, great talent, all of that.

“It’s a tough task, plus coming into that stadium, as loud as it is, and the fan base ... it’s just a great atmosphere.”

REID’S RECORD VS. FORMER ASSISTANTS

  • vs. John Harbaugh 5-2

  • vs.Sean McDermott 3-3

  • vs. Ron Rivera 2-1

  • vs. Brad Childress 2-1

  • vs. Matt Nagy 1-0

  • vs. Doug Pederson 1-0

  • vs. Steve Spagnuolo 1-0

  • vs. Pat Shurmur 1-0

  • vs. Todd Bowles 1-1

  • vs. Leslie Frazier 0-1

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