Josh Pederson (born September 22, 1997) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Louisiana-Monroe.[1] He played for the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL) from 2022 to 2023.
| Personal information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | September 22, 1997 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Blue Valley North (KS) | ||||
| College: | Louisiana–Monroe (2016–2020) | ||||
| Position: | Tight end | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2021 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 13, 2023 | |||||
| |||||
Early life and education
editJosh Pederson was born on September 22, 1997, in Newark, New Jersey, and was raised in New Jersey as well as Kansas.[2] He went to high school at Blue Valley North, where he had 73 receptions for 1,102 yards and 16 touchdowns in two seasons.[3] He was rated as a two-star recruit out of high school, and committed to playing college football at Louisiana–Monroe. He spent his first season as a redshirt.
In Pederson's second year, he was a redshirt-freshman, and played in 11 games, registering 12 catches for 136 yards.[3] He played in 11 games the following year as well, making 12 catches for the second straight year.[4]
In his junior year, Pederson was named First-team All-Sun Belt after posting 43 receptions for 567 yards and 9 scores.[5]
He started every game his senior year, and recorded 32 catches for 367 yards.[3]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+3⁄8 in (1.94 m) |
234 lb (106 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.81 s | 1.74 s | 2.77 s | 4.43 s | 7.31 s | 28.5 in (0.72 m) |
9 ft 2 in (2.79 m) |
19 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[6] | ||||||||||||
San Francisco 49ers
editPederson went unselected in the 2021 NFL draft and was subsequently signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers.[7] On August 4, 2021, Pederson was waived by the 49ers.[8]
New Orleans Saints
editOn August 6, 2021, Pederson signed with the New Orleans Saints. He was waived on August 21.
Kansas City Chiefs
editOn February 11, 2022, Pederson signed a reserve/future contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.[9] He was waived on May 5, 2022.[10]
Houston Gamblers
editPederson signed with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL) on May 20, 2022,[11] and was subsequently transferred to the team's inactive roster.[12]
The following season, he made his USFL debut in the season opener, where he caught two passes for 23 yards in the 29–13 loss to the Michigan Panthers. He finished the season having appeared in all 10 games, while placing second on the team with 24 receptions for 325 yards.[13] His contract with the Gamblers was terminated on July 6, 2023, to sign with an NFL team.[14]
Jacksonville Jaguars
editOn July 7, 2023, after being released by the Gamblers, Pederson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joining his father who is their head coach.[15] He was waived August 29.[16] Pederson was then re-signed to the Jaguars practice squad the following day.[17] He was elevated to the active roster and made his NFL debut against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13, making Pederson the first person to play for a father as head coach in the NFL since 1978.[18]
Pederson signed a reserve/futures contract with the Jaguars on January 9, 2024.[19] He was waived/injured on August 3.[20][21]
Career statistics
edit| League | Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| USFL | 2023 | HOU | 10 | 6 | 24 | 325 | 13.5 | 40 | 0 |
Personal life
editPederson is the son of Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson.[22] After Doug was fired by the Eagles after the 2020 season, Josh said that he felt "no hard feelings" towards them and would welcome joining the Eagles.[23]
References
edit- ^ Kaye, Mike (April 1, 2021). "Doug Pederson's son hopes to forge his own NFL path (even if it's with Eagles)". nj.
- ^ Bible, The NFL Draft. "Josh Pederson – Tight End Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Scouting Report". Visit NFL Draft on Sports Illustrated, the Latest News Coverage, with Rankings for NFL Draft Prospects, College Football, Dynasty and Devy Fantasy Football.
- ^ a b c "Josh Pederson (TE): Bio, News, Stats & more". www.49ers.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "Josh Pederson College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
- ^ "After sudden breakout, tight end Josh Pederson still aims higher". June 10, 2020.
- ^ "2021 NFL Draft Scout Josh Pederson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ^ "49ers' Josh Pederson: Latches on with San Fran". CBSSports.com. May 17, 2021.
- ^ "49ers Sign TE Joshua Perkins and CB B.W. Webb; Waive Two Players". 49ers.com. August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ Goldman, Charles (February 11, 2022). "Chiefs sign TE Josh Pederson on reserve/future contract". Chiefswire.com.
- ^ "Chiefs waive wide receiver Gehrig Dieter, 5 other players". Arrowhead Pride. SB Nation. May 5, 2022.
- ^ @USFLGamblers (May 20, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLGamblers (May 20, 2022). "Transferred to inactive roster" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Shipley, John (July 7, 2023). "Josh Pederson — Son of Jaguars' HC Doug Pederson — Signs NFL Contract". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ @USFLGamblers (July 6, 2023). "Contract Terminated / Signing with NFL Team" (Tweet). Retrieved July 6, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Larsen, James (July 7, 2023). "USFL TE Josh Pederson Signs With Jacksonville Jaguars". USFL Newsroom.
- ^ "Jaguars Coach Doug Pederson Cuts Son Josh on Roster Deadline Day | Sports Illustrated". www.si.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ Grindley, Wyatt. "Jaguars Re-Signing TE Josh Pederson To Practice Squad". NFL Trade Rumors. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ^ Singh, Sanjesh (December 4, 2023). "Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, son Josh, make history vs. Bengals". NBC Philadelphia.
- ^ "Jaguars' Josh Pederson: Hanging around Jacksonville". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Roster Moves: Jaguars Sign RB Gary Brightwell and TE Chris Myarick, and Waive 2". Jaguars.com. August 3, 2024.
- ^ "Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/24". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ "Doug & Josh Pederson on the NFL Draft and Life After the Eagles".
- ^ "'No hard feelings' — Josh Pederson would welcome joining Eagles". RSN. March 16, 2021.