Jaguars head Coach Doug Pederson will be handing off the call sheet to offensive coordinator Press Taylor this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson will be giving offensive Coordinator Press Taylor the responsibility to call plays, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The news broke just hours before the team’s 2023 season opener at Indianapolis. Pederson was able to dice up Gus Bradley’s defense in two meetings last season, so Taylor will have an immediate test in Week 1 against a division rival.

Pederson told Rapoport, “I totally trust Press. We think alike. We’ve been together for a long time, and he’s around Trevor [Lawrence] all the time and knows what Trevor likes.”

Taylor was the offensive quality control coach in Philadelphia under Chip Kelly from 2013-15. When Pederson was hired there in 2016, he retained Taylor and promoted him to assistant quarterbacks coach under offensive coordinator Frank Reich. Taylor became quarterbacks coach the following season, and by 2020, he was Pederson’s passing game coordinator as well. When Pederson was fired from Philly and took a one-year hiatus, Taylor joined Reich in Indy before reconnecting with Pederson in Jacksonville in 2022.

This past offseason, Taylor had the opportunity to run an offense entirely in his vision somewhere else. The Ravens requested to interview him for their vacant offensive coordinator position, which would be a lateral step in title but grant Taylor full autonomy over that side of the ball. However, Baltimore’s request to interview Taylor was denied by Jacksonville, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

Maybe a deal was struck inside the Jaguars’ building to give Taylor more responsibilities if he stayed in town?

According to Rapoport, Taylor called plays for Jacksonville during the preseason and in the second half of games last year.

“It’s kind of like coach [Andy] Reid did with me in 2015 in Kansas City,” Pederson told NFL Network. “Coach Reid would call the first half and he would let me call the second half with a very watchful eye.”

“How does anybody gain experience if you don’t put them in position to be successful? Press is a smart coach who has been in the league a long time. He’s going to be a head coach one day. What better time than right now with the team we have to get that experience.”