Colts head coach Frank Reich and new Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson are close friends.
They were teammates briefly on the Panthers in the 90s. But more recently they coached together with Philadelphia, winning Super Bowl LII before Reich was hired in Indianapolis.
Taking the 2021 season off from coaching after the Eagles fired him, Pederson even visited Colts training camp, donning team-issued gear.
The 2022 season won’t represent the first time the two men have coached against one another. But it will be different now that they’re leading division rivals.
“Yeah, we’re super close. It does affect the relationship — not in a bad way as far as feelings, because the relationship is close,” Reich said on the One Percent Better podcast with Stephen Holder and Zak Keefer of TheAthletic.com. “But we’re competitors, so during the season, there will probably be very little conversation. Whereas in the past, we could always talk about ideas or what you’re seeing around the league. Those conversations are over, right?
“But I love Doug. Obviously, it’ll make that battle even harder because he’s a great coach. And I know he put together a really good staff, including getting Press Taylor as his offensive coordinator, who we think a lot of here. So happy for coach Pederson, he’s a great coach and a great person.”
In 2018, Pederson’s Eagles defeated Reich’s Colts 20-16 in Week Three. Barring anything unforeseen, the two friends will square off in Jacksonville in Week Two and in Indianapolis in Week Six this year.