Josh Pederson (born September 22, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...

for the

Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducing ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). He played college football at UL Monroe. He is the son of current

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

coach

Doug Pederson Douglas Irvin Pederson (born January 31, 1968) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Pederson spent most of his 13-season playing care ...

Early life and education

Josh Pederson was born on September 22, 1997, in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, and was raised in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

as well as

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

. He went to high school at Blue Valley North, where he had 73 receptions for 1,102 yards and 16 touchdowns in two seasons. He was rated as a two-star recruit out of high school, and committed to playing college football at

Louisiana–Monroe The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Ce ...

. 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. He played in 11 games the following year as well, making 12 catches for the second straight year. In his junior year, Pederson was named First-team All-Sun Belt after posting 43 receptions for 567 yards and 9 scores. He started every game his senior year, and recorded 32 catches for 367 yards.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Pederson went unselected in the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

and was subsequently signed as an undrafted free agent by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. On August 4, 2021, Pederson was waived by the 49ers.

New Orleans Saints

On August 6, 2021, Pederson signed with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. He was waived on August 21.

Kansas City Chiefs

On February 11, 2022, Pederson signed a reserve/future contract with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

. He was waived on May 5, 2022.

Houston Gamblers

Pederson signed with the

of the

on May 20, 2022, and was subsequently transferred to the team's inactive roster.

Personal life

Pederson is the son of

coach

. 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.

References

External links

Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pederson, Josh 1997 births Living people American football tight ends Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football players New Orleans Saints players San Francisco 49ers players Kansas City Chiefs players Houston Gamblers (2022) players Players of American football from Newark, New Jersey