Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars finished third for AP NFL Coach of the Year, losing the award to the New York Giants’ Brian Daboll.
The award was announced Thursday night during the NFL Honors show. Pederson was one of three finalists, along with the New York Giants’ Brian Daboll and the San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan.
Pederson, 55, finished with 75 points, making him a distant third place. The Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Nick Sirianni both finished with more first-place votes than Pederson.
AP NFL Coach of the Year voting breakdown:
5 points for 1; 3 points for 2; 1 point for 3.
First-place votes:
1. Brian Daboll – 16
2. Kyle Shanahan – 12
3. Doug Pederson – 5
4. Sean McDermott – 7
5. Nick Sirianni – 6
6. Kevin O'Connell – 1
7. Dan Campbell – 1
8. Andy Reid – 2 pic.twitter.com/iA6bkO9d8g— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 10, 2023
Pederson previously spent five seasons as the coach of the Eagles, helping to lead the team to a win in Super Bowl LII. After he was fired by Philadelphia in 2021 and spent a year out of coaching, Pederson was hired by the Jaguars during the 2022 offseason.
In his first season in Jacksonville, Pederson led a historic turnaround. The Jaguars became the first team in NFL history to finish with the worst record one season and win a playoff game in the next.
No player benefitted more from the arrival of Pederson than the Jaguars’ second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence. After leading the NFL in interceptions during a rough rookie season, Lawrence finished year two with 25 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a Pro Bowl nod.
Daboll led a similar turnaround in New York, leading the team from a 4-13 record in 2021 to a 9-7-1 record and a playoff berth in his first season at the helm.
