Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has brought in a familiar face -- and a very familiar face at that. The Jaguars have signed tight end Josh Pederson, the son of coach Pederson, the team announced Monday.
Pederson played his college ball at Louisiana-Monroe before going undrafted in 2021. In 35 games for the Warhawks, he caught 99 passes for 1,191 yards and 11 touchdowns. Pederson previously had short stints with the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints and Kansas city Chiefs, but never suited up for an NFL game. Most recently, Pederson played for the USFL's Houston Gamblers.
This past USFL season, Pederson was the Gamblers' second-leading receiver with 24 receptions for 325 yards in 10 games played. Houston went 5-5 and missed the postseason.
Last week, the Gamblers announced they had terminated Pederson's contract with the designation that he was going to sign with an NFL team. Now we know who that team is. Pederson is the second USFL player to sign an NFL contract this offseason after the Cowboys added former MLS player and standout Birmingham Stallions kicker Brandon Aubrey.
AMAZING: #Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson attended today's USFL game to see his son, Houston Gamblers tight end Josh Pederson:
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 16, 2023
And Pederson credited spring football as an important opportunity for players to show the #NFL what they can do.
👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/atqg7fqcEe
Currently, the Jaguars have six tight ends on roster: Evan Engram, Luke Farrell, Gerrit Prince, Sammis Reyes, Brenton Strange and Leonard Taylor. Engram received the franchise tag this offseason after a career year in which he caught 73 passes for 766 yards and four touchdowns, and Strange was selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the No. 61 overall pick.
