NFL

Jaguars fire head coach Doug Pederson

After an embarrassing 4-13 campaign, the Jaguars are wisely cleaning house and starting over with a new regime. Wait … Jacksonville didn’t fire general manager Trent Baalke?! In this instance, then, the Jaguars are moving on from Pederson, a well-respected head coach, for little reason at all.

Pederson has his warts, but he’s a good offensive mind, one that was fit to mold Trevor Lawrence. Sure, the situation in Jacksonville was going south, but Pederson was far from the main problem — that was Baalke. Instead of a reset with a franchise quarterback already in tow, the Jaguars are stuck in the wilderness.

Grade: D+

Bengals fire defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo

An improvement over the season’s final few weeks not withstanding, Cincinnati’s defense was dreadful all year. It’s hard to place a ton of blame on Anarumo, though. Outside of prolific edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals lacked talent on their stop unit, mostly due to several recent high draft selections struggling to get acclimated.

That’s far from Anarumo’s fault, and Cincinnati’s next defensive coordinator will face the same problems the prior one felt. The Bengals must invest heavily on defense this spring; that means letting Tee Higgins walk.

Grade: C

Seahawks fire offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb

Fortune favors the bold, but apparently not always. Seattle took a chance on Grubb, who most recently served as an offensive coordinator at the FBS level for Washington, thinking that his effective pass-first scheme would translate to the pros. In a way, it did. Geno Smith had another solid season. Jaxon Smith-Njigba broke out. The Seahawks finished 10-7. But it wasn’t enough.

Seattle will likely search for an offensive coordinator with experience to replace Grubb. This is a decent offense that’s a few tweaks away from becoming a good one. As for Grubb, he’ll almost certainly return to the college ranks, possibly as Alabama’s offensive coordinator for Kalen DeBoer.

Grade: B-

Colts fire defensive coordinator Gus Bradley

Change probably had to occur in Indianapolis, so I suppose blaming Bradley is sensible. After all, the Colts 427 points this season, among the worst in the NFL. Personnel moves will need to follow the hiring of a new defensive coordinator, but Laiatu Latu, Grover Stewart, Zaire Franklin and Kwity Paye are formidable building blocks for the organization.

Grade: B

Packers WR Christian Watson out for season with torn ACL

The Packers, coming off two consecutive defeats, already had minimal momentum heading into the playoffs. That small amount just crashed to zero, as Green Bay will be without Watson for the postseason.

The 25-year-old isn’t Jordan Love’s top weapon — that honor goes to Jayden Reed — but Watson is the team’s most dangerous deep threat, a speedster that averaged 21.4 yards per reception this year. Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks should receive significant snaps in the playoffs due to this injury.

For Watson, this puts his career at crossroads. The 2022 second-round pick has yet to have a banner season as a pro, and is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Coming off an ACL tear, it’ll be challenging for him to exceed this season’s career high of 620 receiving yards.

MLB

Dodgers receive: CF Mike Sirota and Competitive Round A pick

Reds receive: 2B Gavin Lux

The Dodgers signed middle infielder Hyeseong Kim several days ago, and apparently this was the next domino to fall for Los Angeles. It’s certainly a risk — going from a somewhat established second baseman in Lux to an unknown commodity — but the Dodgers are receiving compensation for their gamble. Sirota, a solid prospect previously drafted by the Dodgers, and the draft pick will deepen an already strong Los Angeles farm system.

The Reds, on the other hand, are opting to trade from their prospect haul. Lux hit .251 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 2024, but he’s a downgrade from Jonathan India, who the Reds shipped to Kansas City earlier this winter. The 27-year-old still should, however, serve as Cincinnati’s starting second baseman.

Dodgers Grade: B+

Reds Grade: B-

Royals sign SP Michael Lorenzen to one-year, $7 million contract

This deal contains a $12 million mutual option for 2026, but it’s still a bargain for the Royals. Lorenzen, capable of starting or relieving, thrived after being traded to Kansas City in 2024, finishing 6-2 with a 1.57 ERA. That wasn’t all the 33-year-old accomplished last year, either, as he pitched to a 3.81 ERA across 19 appearances with Texas prior to getting dealt.

Lorenzen has had his share of down seasons, but he’s a worthwhile bet for a Royals club hoping to stay competitive in 2025.

Grade: B