Doug Pederson embraced by Eagles, gives jacket to Jason Kelce

“It’s a very prized possession right here," Kelce told reporters, refusing to call it a trophy.

Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts is embraced by Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach Doug Pederson after the Eagles defeated the Jaguars.Read moreChris Szagola / AP

Published Oct. 3, 2022, 8:49 a.m. ET

Like a number of players, Eagles center Jason Kelce swaps jerseys with opposing players.

Last week, he got Carson Wentz’s Washington Commanders jersey. In 2017, he famously exchanged jerseys with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

On Sunday, he swapped with an unusual choice — Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, taking his former coach’s rain-soaked jacket following the Birds’ 29-21 win at Lincoln Financial Field.

“After the game, I didn’t know he was going to give me his jersey,” Pederson told NBC10′s John Clark following the game. “The only thing I had one me was my raincoat, so I just exchanged that with him, and just wish him the best.”

Kelce showed off Pederson’s jacket to reporters outside his locker, but balked at calling it a trophy.

“This is getting framed up, just like all the others,” Kelce said. “It’s a very prized possession right here.”

Pederson received a standing ovation from Eagles fans at Lincoln Financial Field in his return to Philadelphia. He coached the Birds from 2016 to 2020, leading the team to its first (and so far, only) Super Bowl victory.

Offensive lineman Lane Johnson also played under Pederson, and got emotional following the game.

“I felt like he was a guy who was really instrumental in bringing me back from the abyss, so to speak,” Johnson told reporters. “Any time I was down or needed any encouraging words, he was there. I felt like he might have saw himself a little bit in me, kind of being from the same region, kind of similar mannerisms.”

“Me and Kelce got a bit teary-eyed,” Johnson added. “It’s the first time I seen him since everything took place. You just wish him the best — hell of a coach and a hell of a person.”

Quarterback Jalen Hurts got his first NFL start under Pederson, when the coach benched the ineffective Carson Wentz, who was traded following the 2020 season. After the game, Hurts embraced Pederson and told him, “You’re the reason I’m here.”

“I just told him I was proud of him. I wished him well the rest of the season,” Pederson said during his postgame press conference. “And, you know, just how he’s really turned into the leader that we all thought he was going to be, and is. And I just wanted him to know that.”