Jaguars Coach Doug Pederson Includes His Own Son On Roster Cuts

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson included his own son among the mandatory final cuts made to his roster on Tuesday (August 29).

Tight end Josh Pederson, 25, was among the players released as the Jaguars -- along with all 32 NFL teams -- cut down their roster to 53 players ahead of Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season, the Athletic reports. The younger Pederson was signed by his father's team in July to provide more depth at the tight end position.

Doug Pederson, 55, publicly acknowledged the possibility of having to cut his own son prior to making the move on Tuesday.

“I had to spank him at one point. Same thing. I would want to tell him, [General Manager] Trent [Baalke] would want to visit with him as well. I definitely would want to talk to him, he’s been through this process before with a couple of other teams last year and I’m very familiar with it as a former player. Just walk him through the process and let him know that everything is going to be okay,” Pederson said via USA TODAY's Touchdown Wire.

Josh Pederson went undrafted in 2021 after a collegiate career at Louisiana-Monroe. The 25-year-old had previously been signed to the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs' offseason rosters and played for the Houston Gamblers during the 2023 United States Football League season.