Insiders discuss if Jaguars' Doug Pederson could be fired after Patriots game

After the Jacksonville Jaguars fell to 1-5 on the season via Sunday's 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears in London, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested that Jaguars owner Shad Khan could fire head coach Doug Pederson if Jacksonville loses to the 1-5 New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium in London this coming Sunday. 

For a newsletter published on Monday, NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic touched upon Pederson's status. 

"Jaguars owner Shad Khan gave his head coach a vote of confidence before Sunday’s game in London," Russini explained. "And, according to Pederson, the owner still has his back after the Jaguars' lopsided loss to the Chicago Bears. The 1-5 Jaguars stay in London this week to prepare to face the 1-5 Patriots in Week 7. If the Jaguars don’t return to the U.S. with a split in the two games, Pederson could be the next coach fired in-season." 

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson shocked many in the NFL community when he fired head coach Robert Saleh last week with the team at 2-3. As for Pederson, the 2023 Jaguars went from 8-3 to 9-8 under his watch before the club lost four straight games and five of six to open the ongoing campaign. 

"They looked ordinary, flat and toothless against the Bears," Florio wrote about the Jaguars. 

Per Michael DiRocco of ESPN, Jacksonville safety Andre Cisco told television station WJAX-TV after the Chicago game that he felt certain defensive players showed "a lot of quit" at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Such a comment understandably could cause Khan to reconsider his stance concerning Pederson's future if Jacksonville falls to 1-6. 

As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk pointed out, first-year Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged on Monday his team is in the early stages of a multi-year rebuild. The same can't be said for a Jacksonville side that was supposed to compete for at least a playoff berth. 

Firing Pederson as soon as next Monday likely wouldn't save the Jaguars' season, but the move could allow Khan to begin the process of ultimately hiring Bill Belichick as the team's new head coach in January 2025. Recent stories have linked Belichick with the Jaguars, Jets, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. 

Khan making an in-season move next week could give him an advantage regarding Belichick's offseason decision assuming the 72-year-old is serious about returning to the sidelines next year.