Doug Pederson is the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and with that responsibility comes the pressure of being on solid ground with the team’s franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz. Pederson recently sat down with Zach Berman from The Athletic, and the subject of his signal-caller was raised, with the Eagles head coach shedding some insight into their relationship, post-Nick Foles.
“Especially head coach-quarterback, and you’ve seen the great ones in the NFL that have been together for a long time,” Pederson said. “It’s not always easy. There’s going to be discussions, there’s going to be heated discussions, but you know what? It’s like anything. Any family structure. You’re going to have an argument but you’re going to walk out and you’re going to be united when you go out on the football field. That’s the thing. Just being able to have those conversations, and just continue to cultivate that just goes a long way with the head coach-quarterback combination, and again, the ones that have been successful have done that, have built that lifelong relationship that we have begun here.”
Pederson, following in the footsteps of Lane Johnson, highlighted Wentz’s newfound mental state and his maturation after a tumultuous year and a half that saw him finish the season on the sidelines.
“This is also a great opportunity for Carson, to really regain the type of player he is to what we saw in 2017, and really what we saw in 2018 when he was playing,” Pederson said. “He is a tremendous competitor. He is a tremendous leader, and quite frankly, I don’t think a lot of that bothers him. He just moves on. He is excited for this new season. It is a new team, there are new guys around him. He is energized, he feels good and I am just excited for that.”
Wentz is now the longest-tenured signal-caller in Philadelphia and after signing for a record $107 million in guarantees along with Nick Foles taking his talent to Jacksonville, it’s imperative for Pederson and the face of the franchise to move their relationship to the next stage.
