The Jaguars are bringing in a player their head coach knows as well as anyone in the league.
Jacksonville announced on Monday that the club has signed tight end Josh Pederson — son of head coach Doug Pederson.
Josh Pederson entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2021, spending time with the 49ers, Saints, and Chiefs. But he received playing time in the USFL this year with the Houston Gamblers. He finished second on the club with 24 receptions for 325 yards.
The younger Pederson said in a Monday radio interview with KMLB 105.7 that he got a text from his father that the signing was coming. Then Josh got to break the news to his mother and brother.
He added that despite being the head coach’s son, he’s “hoping to fly under the radar.”
“But we’ll see how it goes. I asked my dad if I could change the D in our last name to a T just to kind of throw people off,” Josh Pederson joked, via Aaron Dietrich. “But no, I’m excited. My agent kind of had to talk me off a cliff. I didn’t want it to be thought [of] as a handout, but he had reminded me that I’ve been on three credible teams with three credible head coaches. And now with my production in the USFL, I belong here. And it took another outside guy to explain that to me and I really believe it and I’m really excited to be here.”
As a corresponding roster move, the Jaguars waived tight end Leonard Taylor with an injury designation. If he clears waivers, he’ll be placed on Jacksonville’s injured reserve.
