HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2024
(On why he made coaching changes this offseason) “Yeah, obviously you make tough decisions at the
end of the season, and as a head coach you evaluate a lot of different things. Made some tough moves,
tough decisions. I appreciate what those guys did for me and for the Jaguars the last two years. My focus
was to get the next group of guys in there. I sat down, myself, [General Manager] Trent Baalke, [Assistant
General Manager] Ethan Waugh, [Director of Player Personnel] Regis Eller, we all sat down and we
interviewed a really good group of men for defensive coordinator. It was a really good process for me to
go through, and we came away feeling really good about [Defensive Coordinator] Ryan [Nielsen] and
what he brings and where he’s been, who he’s been around, the players he’s coached, and what he can
bring to our defense. From there, [Inside Linebackers Coach] Matt House has been in the NFL with the
Kansas City Chiefs, he’s won a Super Bowl, he’s been a defensive coordinator. A great history there to be
the inside backer coach. I kept [Outside Linebackers Coach] Bill Shuey as the outside backer, [Assistant
Defensive Line Coach] Rory Segrest is still assistant d-line. [Defensive Backs Coach] Kris Richard has been
in the NFL and been on a Super Bowl team. Guys that have had these backgrounds of success and
coached players at a high level are all guys that I wanted on staff. [Defensive Assistant/Cornerbacks
Coach] Cory Robinson who coached with Ryan [Nielsen] in New Orleans, obviously came from the
University of Tennessee, again helping in the secondary there as well. I look at [Defensive Line Coach]
Jeremy Garrett, the defensive line coach, he obviously has a really good collegiate background, but he’s
been in the NFL and he’s been an intern, been an assistant different places, in Cleveland and stuff like
that. He knows and he’s been around great players. He’s had a chance to be around [Browns DE] Myles
Garrett in Cleveland and [Browns DE] Olivier Vernon in Cleveland. It’s a good group of men and the
assistant guys, I think of [Assistant Outside Linebackers Coach] Mario [Jeberaeel], I think of [Assistant
Secondary Coach/Defensive Analyst] Mike [Gray], guys that have been in this league. We kept [Assistant
Inside Linebackers Coach] Pat Reilly obviously, I love Pat and what he can bring. It just kind of gives me a
group of men that number one, are going to get the most out of our players obviously. Scheme might
change just a little bit, but I think the look of it is going to change probably the most in what you see, but
it’s all for the better. I’m excited for the future, excited to work with these guys coming up in this
offseason.”
(On what he saw from Defensive Line Coach Jeremy Garrett at Auburn) “When I sat down and
interviewed him, the thing that stood out right away was his confidence and his attention to detail.
That’s who I am as a coach, you pay attention to the little things. That’s what kind of drew me to him and
allowed me to hire him and get him on staff. Another one that I’m excited to work with and he’s got a
great teacher in Ryan [Defensive Coordinator Ryan Nielsen], obviously a former d-line coach who I know
will have his hand on the defensive line and make sure that’s going in the right direction.”
(On the difference between college games and NFL games with talent) “I think the number one thing,
how does the collegiate game translate to the NFL game? A lot of times, a lot of situations now, college
quarterbacks just aren’t in the huddle. Everything is at the line of scrimmage; it’s always an up-tempo,
fast paced style of offense. Just getting guys in the huddle and communicating a play, I go back to our guy
Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] just a few years ago, it’s kind of a foreign deal, just getting in the huddle and
calling a play, getting to the line of scrimmage, doing cadence, being under center. But it doesn’t take
away from the fact that they’re proven winners. They’ve got a great skill set, they throw the ball
extremely well, their football intelligence is high. Those are things that you can see and those are things
that you can take away from players, especially quarterbacks when you’re visiting with them.”
(On if it’s frustrating that colleges don’t better prepare quarterbacks for the NFL) “No, because they’re
doing what’s best for them. They’re trying to win a national championship and we’re trying to win a
Super Bowl. You’ve got to be very precise, you’ve got to turn over every stone at the NFL level to make
sure you’ve got the right guy for your system.”
(On if the difference in hashmarks between college and the NFL play a part in the difference of playstyle)
“I think the hashmarks play a big part of it. This field, they have more space in college football. The other
thing too, at our level, we’ve got draft picks at every position. We’ve got the best of the best at every
position, offense, defense and special teams. This is not a knock on college football, but they don’t all
have blue chip athletes at every position. Space and time, the speed element can play a big factor in
that.”
(On Green Bay consistently getting the quarterback position right) “That’s a great question. Obviously,
you think about how Coach Reid [Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid] was there, Mike Holmgren was there. I
think about the Brett Farve days and obviously with Andy [Reid], Andy seems to have gotten it right here
in Kansas City. He got it right in Philly with Donovan [McNabb]. It just takes time, you have to invest the
time in these players to find out who they are and if they’re going to be the best ones for your
organization. I know in Green Bay, they actually traded for Brett [Farve]. Brett was in Atlanta, and who
knows what would’ve happened if he stayed in Atlanta at the time. [Packers General Manager] Ron Wolf
saw something in Brett and made the trade and obviously the rest is history. [Jets QB] Aaron Rodgers
came in on the heels on that and now [Packers QB] Jordan Love. We can all take a piece out of their
puzzle so to speak in evaluating quarterbacks.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence is the right quarterback for the Jaguars organization) “We do have the right
quarterback. I’m excited for the future with Trevor, he’s excited based on the conversations we’ve had
since the season. I don’t get into the contract stuff, I leave that for Trent [General Manager Trent Baalke]
and the agents and stuff. I just know that our guy is the right guy, he’s got the right demeanor, he’s got
the right leadership. It’s our job as coaches now to make sure he takes that next step. This will be
another big offseason for him and his development and growth. By no means is he where he wants to be
or where we want him to be, but really looking forward to working another year with Trevor.”
(On what the next step with QB Trevor Lawrence could look like) “I just think continuing to understand
our offense, get better with the scheme. Really, still put more of an impact to his voice on our offense.
He’s the one out there executing and calling the plays, so I want him to speak up and really take
ownership in that with us. The situational part of football too, just understanding game situations,
managing the game in a certain way at certain times throughout the course of the game. Those are all
areas that we can continue as a staff to assist him and help him get to where he wants to be.”
(On why teams are increasing fourth down and two-point conversion attempts) “I think teams are
viewing that now as just another offensive play. It’s an important play, it’s an impactful play, but offensive
lines are getting good, the quarterbacks are getting better. The skills, the running backs are better. I just
think analytics have a big part of this in helping us decide to go for these fourth downs and two-point
conversions. I do think that its helping offenses stay on the field, it’s helping them score points
eventually. I think the trend is going to continue to be even more year in and year out.”
(On where the offensive line needs to improve with scheme or personnel) “I would say yes to all of that.
Our offensive line, if you talk to these guys individually, they know and we know that it wasn’t our best.
As a coaching staff, I put a lot of this on us and making sure that we’re doing the right things to put our
players in position. You’ve heard me say this a lot, put our players in position to be successful. Give them
an opportunity; and that falls on us as coaches through game planning and scheming and not having too
much, just having the right amount of plays to execute. In turn, that falls back on the player. The player
has to go out and play and use his God given ability to go execute the play. We’re going to continue to
look, to improve, we always talk about competition and we want to bring in players to add value and
depth at every position. We have to coach it better, we have to teach it better, we have to detail it and it
all starts in the offseason.”
(On if he has the players needed to be successful in the offensive line room) “I think goes towards that
more than anything else. The addition of Ezra [OL Ezra Cleveland], we thought was going to be that left
guard. If you think about it, Cam [OL Cam Robinson], Ezra, Luke [OL Luke Fortner], Brandon [OL Brandon
Scherff] and Ton [OL Anton Harrison] played one game together. Last game of the regular season. We’ve
had that revolving door on the left side for whatever reason; injury, performance, whatever it might be.
Cam, the suspension, and the injury late in the season, he missed eight games. We didn’t have
consistency; we didn’t have continuity. That affects five guys up front. That’s what we have to get back
to, we have to get back to a little bit more consistency there but we can also help them as coaches and
prepare them better. I know we will starting this offseason.”
(On correlation between the assessments players take before they get drafted and how they are on the
team) “No, I know those are all good metrics to go off of and how players learn and the way they process
and all that. To me, the bottom line is you’ve got to spend time with these guys. You’ve got to put the
film on, can he make plays? Can he stand in the face of adversity and throw a 20-yard dig route and get
hit and get up and go to the next play? That’s playing the quarterback position in today’s game. Can he
make guys miss? Not everybody is going to be [Ravens QB] Lamar Jackson, right? He can make
everybody miss and be able to scramble and run and do the things that he does. He’s a tremendous
player. [Chiefs QB] Pat Mahomes, tremendous player, the things he can do. But all of those guys can
stand back there and make throws in the face of adversity and that doesn’t come from a test. That
comes from doing it week-in and week-out. To me, I lean more towards that than assessment.”
(On how Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen performed in his first season with Indianapolis) “I thought he
did a heck of a job. A heck of a job with the guys that he has, he got those guys to play and play at a high
level. Obviously, [Colts Defensive Coordinator] Gus Bradley on defense and they got [Colts Offensive
Coordinator] Jim Bob Cooter who was with us. Those guys, our division is in good hands right now. I
think about where we are obviously, where Houston is at, where Indy is at, Tennessee is the same way.
Tennessee is always a tough team every time we play them. Coach Steichen did an outstanding job of
leading those guys, motivating those guys as a play caller, putting those guys in position to be successful.
When Gardner [Colts QB Gardner Minshew II] came out and played, there was enthusiasm in that
stadium. There was a level of excitement that they needed and he’s done a great job of doing that.”
(On if some of his coaching staff had a desire to get out of college football) “There was a few comments
of that, guys are always looking. They love the NFL, they love football, and obviously in our game, you
don’t have as much recruiting and all of that kind of stuff that you’re dealing with. A few guys made that
comment, yes.”
(On the plan for re-signing free agents) “Yeah, I’m not going to dive into all of the contract things and all
of that, that’s for another day. When it comes to free agents on our roster, we definitely want to sign
them all back if we can. That’s the nature of the game, keep the core. We’re going to do everything in
our power to make sure that we can do that. It was unfortunate last year because Christian [WR
Christian Kirk] got hurt late in the season, Zay [WR Zay Jones] was banged up for the majority of the
season. Again, that was another position group that didn’t have all of their horses, so to speak, week-in
and week-out. Calvin [WR Calvin Ridley] was the one that was the healthiest at the end of the season
and he was a great addition to our offense. Obviously, would love to get him back if possible. I think he
has an element of speed down the field that we need. Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] felt more
comfortable as the season went on. Again, much like the offensive line, you’ve got to continue to add
value, continue to add talent, continue to add depth. I feel like we’re going to execute our plan this
spring and see what happens in the future.”
(On what he thinks about the young quarterbacks in the NFL and in the AFC South) “I like Bryce
[Panthers QB Bryce Young]. I like [Texans QB] C.J. Stroud, too. [Colts QB] Anthony Richardson, you look at
the quarterbacks we have in our division, [Titans QB] Will Levis in Tennessee. These are some young,
athletic guys, you throw Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] in that mix too. AFC South, I think is in good hands
when it comes to the quarterback position.”
GENERAL MANAGER TRENT BAALKE
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2024
(On if the NFL salary cap increase changes anything) “I don’t think it really changes anything. Obviously,
it affects everybody the same way. It’s not like it creates an advantage or disadvantage for us. No feeling
one way or another on it.”
(On progress of resigning OLB Josh Allen) “Working. That’s an ongoing discussion we’re having with his
agent. In fact, later today I’m going to have another meeting with him as well. Just ongoing.”
(On if he plans to use a franchise tag on OLB Josh Allen) “I don’t want to speculate on that. We’ve got a
little over a week to work with here, we’ll work diligently with his agent to try to come to a resolution on
this thing, so that’s where our focus is right now.”
(On if there’s a way to have WR Calvin Ridley return without giving up the second round draft pick) “Well,
we’re not real concerned with that, whether it’s a second or third round. We’re just going to work with
the player and see if we can come to an agreement whether that’s before that compensation changes or
not, that remains to be the same. We’re more focused on the player.”
(On signing the Jaguars free agents this offseason) “Yeah, we’re going to continue to have conversations
with all of it. We’ve got a lot of work to do this offseason. I had a meeting with Calvin [WR Calvin Ridley]
the other day in my office. I had a great talk with Calvin, I know exactly where he’s at and he knows
exactly where we’re at. We’re just going to continue to work with all of these players and try to come to
some form of compromise, some form of resolution as the weeks go on.”
(On challenge of making deals with each player on the roster) “I think there’s so many things that go into
the decisions you make on every individual player. It’s hard, without going into detail on each player and
each situation on what’s available, it’s hard to weigh that all out in your mind. Every player has different
specifics that go along with getting a deal done or not getting a deal done. Our focus is on getting deals
done and that’s where we’re going to keep it.”
(On if enough was done to improve the pass rush last season) “Everyone has their opinion on that. I
don’t ever try to look back and say, ‘What if?’ There’s things that we’ve got to do better and ultimately, it
falls on my shoulders to make the right decisions and make the right moves. With obviously a lot of
discussion and talk with Coach [Head Coach Doug Pederson], and we’re very much on the same page.
We work hard to be on the same page. We’re going to continue to do what we do.”
(On if OL Cam Robinson will be back on the team in 2024) “I don’t know where the ambiguity was, he’s
under contract and the expectation is that he will be back. We have had a lot of discussions over the last
two weeks, we obviously have a lot of moves we’ve got to do. There’s a lot of players that have hit free
agency, there’s another bunch of young guys that we’re working on potential extensions for. We’ve got a
lot of balls in the air right now and we’re just going to try to play them one by one.”
(On if there’s potential to restructure contracts this year) “We’re in good cap shape right now. We’re
sitting pretty good, I think we’re in the middle to upper tier of the league in terms of cap space available.
We’ve got moves that we can do to create more cap space. We like the position we’re in, we like the
flexibility that we have. Again, we’re not going to disclose any of our thoughts right here, but we feel
good with where we’re at.”
(On how the interior positions look this year on the offensive and defensive side) “I think broad brush, I
think it’s a good group. I think there’s strength in the interior, both of the defensive side and the
offensive side. I look forward to it being a very competitive group coming out of this year’s draft.”
(On who would be the third cornerback in the secondary) “That’s a good question, who is going to be
the third. We’ve got to add to that group, I think Coach Nielsen [Defensive Coordinator Ryan Nielsen]
spoke on it, Coach Pederson [Head Coach Doug Pederson] probably spoke on it. Now, I’m speaking on it.
It’s a group we need to address. We feel good about the group we have, we feel like we’ve got some
good, young guys to work with. We’ve got some veterans in there, but we’re definitely going to look to
add to that group.”
(On if there is value of drafting a tight end early) “I don’t know, when I was in San Francisco we took
Vernon Davis, I think with the sixth pick in the draft. That worked out pretty well for us. When you got a
chance to take a good player, we can argue about the value of the position all we want, but you took
good players when they’re sitting in front of you. If they end up being great players when you pick them
at six, you hit. The decision was the right decision. If they don’t end up being good players, it wasn’t a
good decision. That’s just the world we live in.”
(On advice to give to the Chargers front office in working with Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh) “I
work for the Jacksonville Jaguars, not L.A. I worked with Jim for a number of years, I have great respect
for him, and I wish him nothing but the best.”
(On bringing competition into the wide receiver room and offensive line room) “I think you want to make
each room as competitive as you make it. Whether it’s the d-line room, the o-line room, the receiver
room. Competition is good; it’s a good thing to have on your team. You want to strengthen it all the time.
Each time, you want to continue to look at ways to strengthen. That’s what we do as team builders.”
(On evaluating wide receivers as they age) “They’re all different. You’ve got guys that have aged well, and
you’ve got other guys that haven’t. Every athlete is a little bit different, how well they take care of their
body. There are so many things that go into it to say that they all age the same, it’s not true. I think we
have plenty of history behind that to suggest that’s the case.”
(On confidence in selecting an interior offensive line player in the first round of the draft) “Well, we took
Mike Iupati with the 17th pick in the draft the one year, and it turned out pretty darn well. Again, it goes
back to did the player turn out to be a football player or didn’t he? You’re never going to get criticized for
taking a good player. If it doesn’t work and the player doesn’t end up reaching his level of competency or
expectation of the pick, then it’s a bad pick. It just comes down to whether you made the right decision
or not.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence or RB Travis Etienne are going to get contract extensions) “I don’t want to say
yes to anything at this point, they’re good football players and you certainly don’t want to lose them.”
(On talent of cornerbacks in the NFL Draft) “I think the draft at the corner position is going to be strong, I
think it’s a good group. I think there’s going to be good players at the top end of the market and good
players all the way through in the developmental range. I think it’s going to be a pretty good group of
players in that specific position group.”
(On what he enjoys the most about the combine) “I think the thing we enjoy most is getting in front of
the players and just sit down. You only get 18 minutes roughly with them, just trying to get as much
information as you can, your general impression of them. Don’t use that impression too heavily one way
or the other, some guys come in and they’re nervous as cats just like I am when I get up here. You just try
to get a feel for the player, that’s all you’re trying to do. Getting a chance to watch them work out, more
than not, some of these guys aren’t working out or they’re not doing all of the drills like they used to do,
so it’s a little bit different. The most important thing for us is the medical, that’s what the combine years
ago has started to do and that’s what we’re kind of back to. It’s really a good place to get the medical
assessments that you need to make the decisions you need to make in the draft.”
(On potential of resigning OL Ezra Cleveland) “We like Ezra, in fact, we’ll be meeting with his agent
sometime this week. I believe it’s Thursday or Friday, we’re meeting with Ron. We’ll sit down and talk,
we traded for him for a reason and we think he’s an awfully good football player. We’d like him back.
We’d like all of our players back. That’s the way we roll. Unfortunately, you can’t get them all back. We’ll
work hard, talk with Ron, his agent, and we’ll talk with Ezra a little bit and see if we can come to an
agreement.”
(On how important physicality is and if that is something you can teach a player) “Physicality, guys that
have physicality, they’re kind of born with it. You can shape it a little bit, you can mature it over time, the
more confident they get, the more physical they play. There’s a lot of things that go into that. Usually,
those guys are just wired differently.”
(On if Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh was expected to return to the NFL at some point) “Yeah, I
figured Jim would always return. He’s a good football coach, he’s won everywhere he’s been. He
deserves a chance to come back into the league and I’m glad he got that opportunity.”
(On excitement with OLB Travon Walker in the new defensive scheme) “Excited. I think Ryan [Defensive
Coordinator Ryan Nielsen] has proven over time, especially with the front, he’s done an excellent job
with those guys developing them. Moving them around in varying positions along the front to work
matchups and stuff like that. I think you’re going to see a lot of that as we move forward. But again, I’m
in the personnel side, I’ll let the coaches talk about the coaching.”
(On the amount of potential OLB Travon Walker has) “I think he’s just scratching the surface. With the
way he works and the way he competes, I think his ceiling is very, very high and what we thought it was
when we drafted him obviously with the first pick in the draft.”
(On how important it is to understand what other teams are thinking during the draft process) “Well,
there’s a lot of ways we try to get a feel for what other teams are thinking and if I shared that with you,
then you’d take that back to San Francisco. I think you just try to get a gauge on what the team needs are
for other teams, who they’re sending guys around to look at and all the other things we chart and keep
track of. The bottom line is worrying about you. You have got to make the best decision you can for you,
it helps if you have a little bit of feel for what other teams are going to do, especially if they’re right in
front of you in the draft. It’s impossible to know what other teams are thinking.”
(On if his radar is up for what’s real and what’s not with rumors) “Well, the best way is not to read it. If
you read it, you think it’s fact and most of the time, it’s not fact. I tend not to read much. If I did, I’d be
hanging from a bridge somewhere. You just try to do the best thing you can do for your team when you
focus on you; the best way to approach it.”
(On his confidence in Offensive Coordinator Press Taylor as a play caller) “Again, I think Press is growing
as a play caller. There’s a natural maturation to that. I don’t get into the coaching side of things, I sat in
with Coach [Head Coach Doug Pederson] on the interviews and stuff like that, but I have full confidence
in Coach to make the right decisions for this football team. Whatever decision he makes, I support.”
(On if he views how the season as a disappointment based on how it ended) “I think anytime you finish
the way you finish, there’s disappointment. We were 8-3 at one point, we finished 9-8. We won one
more game down the stretch. It was a disappointment. I don’t think anybody you talk to in our
organization would argue differently. Extremely disappointed, but focused. We have a clear
understanding of what we need to do and from an organizational standpoint, it’s never one thing. You
can’t just point to one thing and say, ‘That’s why we finished the way we finished.’ There are multiple
things, tentacles that stretched into different areas of the organization. We all have to own it and no one
better to own it than me. When I look at this thing, extremely disappointed where we were at and where
we finished, but motivated to fix it.”
(On how the University of Michigan is viewed from the NFL) “Michigan did an outstanding job. If one
thing you can seek point to, maturity wins. That was a very mature football team, a lot of fifth and sixth
year guys contributing to a national championship team. That’s no different than the league, if you look
at who wins Super Bowls, it’s mature football teams. I think Jim [Harbaugh] did an outstanding job of
building the continuity there where the players wanted to stay, they wanted to finish out their careers
and they wanted to win a national championship. That’s what they did. Hats off to Jim and the University
of Michigan for what they built there. That’s what I think we’re all trying to build, a winner. You do that
with mature players.”
