It turns out that one Lombardi Trophy will earn you a whole lot of trust in the City of Brotherly Love.
After leading the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory in February, head coach Doug Pederson has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with the team through 2022. If Pederson coaches every Eagles game for the duration of the deal, he’ll become the franchise’s second-longest tenured coach behind Andy Reid.
Announced along with an extension for personnel chief Howie Roseman, the move rewards Pederson for his historic 2017 campaign, which saw the 13-3 Eagles overcome a rash of injuries to defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Most of all, it solidifies the team’s title-winning staff for the long haul.
Hired in 2016 to replace Reid’s initial successor, Chip Kelly, Pederson went 7-9 in his first year at the helm of the Eagles. Credited with helping to draft and develop Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Wentz, he then capitalized on an upgraded roster in 2018 to make Philadelphia playoff material a year ahead of schedule. He’d originally been signed through 2020 after the Eagles exercised a fifth-year option on his contract.
Like Wentz and other prominent Eagles he’s coached, Pederson has been outspoken about the importance of faith in his life. Once the head coach at Calvary Baptist Academy in Louisiana, he said after the Super Bowl win that his Christian beliefs keep him “grounded every single day.”
“It’s all about the faith, it’s all about the family and it’s all about the Philadelphia Eagles, and it is in that order,” he said.
Upon winning the Lombardi, Pederson’s first public thank-you went out to “my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
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