The Philadelphia Eagles fired Doug Pederson on Monday, but did the head coach deserve it?
Well, not according to Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie... wait, what?
"Did Doug deserve to be let go? No, he did not," Lurie, the person who made the decision to fire Pederson, said, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. "That's not the bar in the evaluation process.
"I actually think it's better both for the organization and for Doug," Lurie added, noting it was about the team's future.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport added some context to the firing earlier in the day, noting how Pederson "would have wanted out" if he was not fired.
Even still, to say someone doesn't deserve to be fired the same day you fired them is a little bizarre, no?
Pederson released a statement Monday afternoon thanking Lurie for the opportunity and reflecting on his five years with the Eagles. Most notably, Pederson referenced the team's Super Bowl title which Philadelphia won just three years ago.
The Eagles went 42-37-1 during Pederson's tenure and reached the postseason in three of five seasons. Philadelphia, however, went 4-11-1 during the 2020 campaign.
Lurie also expressed, as noted by Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane, that he doesn't think Pederson will be on the open market for long. It just won't be in the City of Brotherly Love.
