Eagles Officially Hire New Head Coach

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- The Philadelphia Eagles officially hired Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as their new head coach, they announced Monday.

Pederson, 47, spent the last three years in his position with the Chiefs under former Eagles head coach Andy Reid. He saw significant success in Kansas City, guiding his offense to an 11 game winning streak which only ended with a 27-20 playoff loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

“We are excited to introduce Doug Pederson as our new head coach,” Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. “Doug is a strategic thinker, a compelling leader and communicator, and someone who truly knows how to get the best out of his players. All of these factors were what initially attracted us to Doug and we believe that he is the right man to help us achieve our ultimate goal.”

Pederson was considered the favorite ever since former Giants coach Tom Coughlin withdrew his name from consideration.

The Eagles could not officially hire Pederson until the Chiefs season ended.

Pederson will replace Chip Kelly, who was fired one week before the end of a disappointing 7-9 season. Kelly has since moved on and was hired last week as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

Pederson has had three previous stints with the Eagles. He played quarterback for the team in 1999, then rejoined the squad in 2009 as the offensive quality control coach, before moving on to become the quarterbacks coach in 2011.

Pederson’s 12-year playing career also spanned time with the Browns, Packers, and Dolphins.