Seth Vigdor
Yesterday was an interesting day to say the least for the Philadelphia Eagles. First Tom Coughlin withdrew his name from consideration for head coach and then a report broke later in the day that Doug Pederson would become the next head coach of the Eagles.
The Eagles have to officially wait for the Kansas City Chiefs to be eliminated from the postseason [unless they go on and win the Super Bowl], but the Eagles didn’t deny any of the reports, nor did they confirm them, when word broke last night that they were hiring Doug Pederson as their next head coach.
Are the Eagles breaking league rules in hiring Pederson before his season is finished? Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk broke it down nicely. Here’s what he had to say.
“No contract shall be executed, and no agreement to execute a contract, or an announcement of a contract or of an agreement for employment, shall be permitted until after the conclusion of the employer club’s playing season,” the relevant policy states.
So either the Eagles have violated the rule by agreeing to strike an agreement with Pederson, or the Eagles simply assume that Pederson will eventually agree to terms. Which gives Pederson plenty of power, if he chooses to use it.
The Eagles surely trust that Pederson won’t, for example, ask for more money or otherwise renege on the deal they weren’t allowed to do. The rule itself is ridiculous; teams should be allowed to reach an agreement that won’t be effective until the new coach’s current season ends.
How fitting would it be if the Eagles’ were penalized for violating league rules? I mean I think most can agree that their coaching search has been a disaster, so this would just be the cherry on the top.