Jaguars vs. Chiefs: Doug Pederson and Andy Reid’s long history hits another high point

Has the apprentice surpassed the master?

The history between Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson goes way back. Their relationship is older than some of the players on their rosters, as it’s been 27 seasons since the pair first started working together.

Reid’s first NFL job was with the Green Bay Packers in 1992, working as the assistant offensive line and tight ends coach under new head coach Mike Holmgren. Pederson joined the Packers as their third-string quarterback midway through the 1995 season and stayed through the 1998 season. In 1997, Reid moved over to quarterbacks coach, so they were in the same room together every day for two seasons.

When Reid was hired as the Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach in 1999, one of the first moves he made was to sign Pederson to be his starting QB and mentor rookie Donovan McNabb. Pederson lasted 9 games as the starter before being replaced by the second-round pick and he was released after the season.

Nearly a decade later, Pederson was coaching high school football when he was hired by Reid as the offensive quality control coach for the Eagles in 2009, McNabb’s final season with Philadelphia. Two years later, Pederson was promoted to QBs coach.

In 2013, Reid and Pederson left Philadelphia together to head to Kansas City, where Pederson was the new offensive coordinator under head coach Reid. After Reid gave up play-calling after a 1-5 start in 2015, the Chiefs rattled off 10 straight wins and Pederson was hired away as the head coach in the duo’s former stomping grounds of Philadelphia.

In total, they were on the same team for four seasons with Pederson as a player and seven with Pederson on the coaching staff.

“I owe a lot to coach Reid and the things he taught me not only as a player, but I think as an assistant coach” said Pederson this week. “When I became coordinator there in Kansas City, we spent so much time together in meetings and one-on-ones. Everything about him is about pouring himself into other people, and he did that with me and helped me prepare for my first job in Philadelphia, and that went a long way.”

They each have a Super Bowl victory as head coaches without the other. The obvious high point for the two together was winning a Super Bowl in January 1997 with the Packers, even though Pederson didn’t play in the game. With the Chiefs, they were 1-2 in playoff games, reaching the Divisional round together in 2015.

They find each other on opposing sidelines in this year’s Divisional round during Pederson’s first year coaching in the AFC with the Jaguars.