Doug Pederson, the Super Bowl-winning coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, has dismissed reports that he has lost control of the dressing room amid a challenging start to the NFL season. The Jaguars have suffered four consecutive losses, including a heavy 47-10 defeat to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, raising questions about Pederson’s leadership.
Pederson, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl victory in 2018, has faced mounting criticism following the Jaguars’ 0-4 start. Sports journalist Jordan Schultz reported earlier this week on Bleacher Report that Pederson had “lost the locker room.”
Speaking on the Sharp Football Show, Schultz said: “I’ve talked to a few guys in that locker room over the last two weeks, not just after the Texans game, but during the last couple of weeks, and they’ve told me that the locker room is gone in regards to the head coach. So when I hear that, I hear again, a team and a franchise that is absolutely rudderless.”
Following the Jaguars’ latest defeat to the Houston Texans, Pederson responded to the speculation, telling journalists: “You can sit here and point the finger all you want.” However, he firmly denied the claims of a lost locker room later in the week.
“I see them every day, and no, I have not lost the locker room,” Pederson stated. “I think these guys have done everything I’ve asked. They continue to play and practise hard. It’s a good group with the right leaders, and they know what we need to do. They’re not making excuses, and I’m not going to make excuses. We’ve just got to go and do it.”
Star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, one of the highest-paid players in the NFL, also refuted the rumours, expressing frustration over the speculation. “You’ve got to do your job, so you’ve got to ask it, but I shouldn’t even have to answer it. I mean, not at all. I dunno where that’s coming from, so I don’t even want to really expand on something that’s just not true,” Lawrence said.
For Louis Rees-Zammit, a member of the Jaguars’ practice squad, the turmoil within the franchise is hard to ignore. The Welsh rugby star, who transitioned to American football after signing with the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, through the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme, is yet to make his NFL debut. While the Chiefs are sitting comfortably at the top of the AFC West with a perfect 4-0 record, the Jaguars find themselves at the bottom of the AFC South.
Rees-Zammit, not yet part of the 53-man roster, is working to rapidly adapt to his new sport, but the team’s fortunes will likely affect his experience as he navigates his rookie season in the NFL.
Despite Pederson’s reassurances, speculation about his future remains rife. With the Jaguars yet to secure a win, the pressure on him is unlikely to ease, especially with former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, an eight-time Super Bowl champion, currently available. Belichick, who was defeated by Pederson in Super Bowl LII, parted ways with the Patriots in 2023 after two decades with the franchise, during which they won six Super Bowls.
