Chiefs’ Doug Pederson reportedly will become Philadelphia Eagles head coach

It appears Chiefs coach Andy Reid will have to hire a new offensive coordinator.

Doug Pederson has reportedly agreed to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, according to various media reports. He is expected to be hired after the Chiefs’ season ended. The Philadelphia Daily News first reported the news.

Pederson, 47, is a former quarterback who spent nine years in the NFL and has been on Reid’s staff for the last seven. He joined his staff in Philadelphia as a quality control coach in 2009 and was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2011.

He followed Reid to Kansas City in 2013 as offensive coordinator, and has earned more responsibility this year. Reid has occasionally ceded play-calling duties to Pederson for short bursts.

On Sunday — one day after the Chiefs’ 30-0 win over the Houston Texans, their first playoff win in 22 years — Pederson interviewed for the Eagles job with executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman and owner Jeffrey Lurie.

“Gosh, it went great,” Pederson said told reporters Wednesday. “It was a great opportunity to see Howie again and Mr. Lurie and … talk with them and sit down with them. I have a lot of respect for the organization and what they’re doing there.”

Pederson said the years he spent as a player under Reid — 1996-98 in Green Bay and 1999 in Philadelphia — and as an assistant have helped prepare him for a head coaching job.

“He’s a great mentor of mine, obviously, as you know,” Pederson said. “We worked together, I worked for him in Philadelphia, so I understand that market and that climate and that structure there. The things I’ve learned from Coach Reid … if it’s in my future to become a head coach, then there’s a lot of great examples of him leading a team and an organization that I can use in my future as well.”

Pederson, however, reiterated that he’s focused on beating New England, who the Chiefs face Saturday in the AFC Divisional Playoffs at Gillette Stadium. Yet, it remains to be see which members of Reid staff’s will follow Pederson to Philadelphia, or who will replace him as offensive coordinator.

Reid has some in-house options, including assistant head coach/receivers coach David Culley, who was reportedly a candidate for the Lions’ offensive coordinator job in 2014.

Other members of Reid’s offensive staff have also called plays, including spread-game analyst/special projects coach Brad Childress, who called plays for Reid in Philadelphia from 2003-05 before he became head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy was the Colorado Buffaloes’ offensive coordinator from 2011-12, while tight ends coach Tom Melvin was the offensive coordinator at Occidental College from 1991-98.

If Reid is interested in elevating someone with a quarterbacks background, he could also turn to quarterbacks coach Matt Navy, who is in his fifth year in the NFL. Nagy, who spent six years as a quarterback in the Arena League, has also worked with Alex Smith for the last three seasons.

This story was originally published January 14, 2016 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Chiefs’ Doug Pederson reportedly will become Philadelphia Eagles head coach."