Early life Pederson was born in Bellingham, Washington, in 1968. He was raised in nearby
Ferndale, Washington, and attended
Ferndale High School, and was an All-State selection in
football, basketball, and baseball. His quarterback coach at Ferndale was Ray Ramsay. After high school, Pederson graduated from
Northeast Louisiana University, where he was quarterback from 1987 through 1990. Pederson still holds multiple passing records at the school.
Professional Miami Dolphins Pederson originally signed as a
rookie free agent by the
Miami Dolphins on May 1, 1991, out of
Northeast Louisiana University (now
University of Louisiana at Monroe) in
Monroe, Louisiana. He was waived on August 17, 1991, before the start of the regular season. After spending the 1991 season as a free agent, the
New York/New Jersey Knights of the
World League of American Football (WLAF) drafted Pederson in the fifth round for the first pool of draft-eligible players on February 4, 1992. The second pool, which was drafted from on February 20, consisted of players allocated by NFL teams to the league. He was the backup quarterback to
Reggie Slack with the Knights from March to May 1992. After the WLAF season finished, Pederson was re-signed by the Dolphins on June 2, 1992. He spent 1992 training camp with the Dolphins, before being released during final roster cuts again. Pederson was subsequently re-signed to the team's
practice squad, where he practiced on the
scout team until he was waived on October 8, 1992. Pederson was re-signed by the Dolphins after the season on March 3, 1993. After his third training camp with the Dolphins, Pederson was waived again on August 31. The next day, he was re-signed to the practice squad.
Dan Marino, the Dolphins' starting quarterback since 1983, ruptured his
Achilles' tendon against the
Cleveland Browns on October 10, 1993, forcing backup
Scott Mitchell to replace him. Pederson replaced Marino on the active roster and served as Mitchell's backup for the next four games. Pederson made his NFL debut on October 24 against the
Indianapolis Colts. He helped head coach
Don Shula win his NFL-record 325th victory as a coach when Mitchell suffered a separated shoulder against the
Philadelphia Eagles on November 14. In that record-breaking game for Coach Shula, Pederson entered in the third quarter of the game and went 3 for 6 for 34 yards while converting several crucial third downs. Pederson was able to steer the Dolphins to the win. Pederson also served as the backup to recently acquired
Steve DeBerg for the three games Mitchell missed with injury. He briefly entered a week 14 game against the
New York Giants while DeBerg was receiving stitches on his face. Mitchell returned as the Dolphins' starter after Week 15, and Pederson was released in favor of backup DeBerg and third-string quarterback
Hugh Millen on December 16, 1993. Pederson re-signed with the Dolphins on April 16, 1994, after the season ended. He spent the entire
1994 season on the Dolphins' active roster as the third-string quarterback behind Marino and
Bernie Kosar. On February 15, 1995, Pederson was selected by the
Carolina Panthers in the twenty-second round of the
NFL expansion draft, after being placed on the Dolphins' available players list on January 19, but was released on May 24. He returned to the World League after his release, playing with
Rhein Fire. Pederson re-signed with the Dolphins again in June 1995. After competing with
Dan McGwire throughout training camp, Pederson was waived on August 22. Marino suffered a knee injury during a week 6 game, so Pederson was re-signed on October 10 to serve as the third quarterback behind Kosar and McGwire for the next two games. He was released again after Marino returned on October 24.
Green Bay Packers (first stint) Pederson worked out for the
Green Bay Packers following Week 10 in 1995, due to a season-ending injury suffered by backup
Ty Detmer and a minor injury sustained by starter
Brett Favre. Third-string quarterback
T. J. Rubley was forced to play in week 10 and threw a game-ending interception after calling an audible, going against head coach
Mike Holmgren's playcall. The Packers signed
Bob Gagliano to serve as the third-stringer quarterback for weeks 11 and 12. Pederson replaced Gagliano as the third-string quarterback when he signed with the Packers on November 22, 1995. The Packers claimed
Jim McMahon off waivers from the Browns to serve as Favre's backup ahead of Pederson and Rubley on November 29. Rubley was waived on December 13, leaving McMahon and Pederson as Favre's backups. Favre did not miss any games, so Pederson did not see any game action for the Packers in 1995. Pederson served as the third quarterback behind Favre and McMahon in 1996, playing in one game but recorded no statistics. He received a
Super Bowl ring following the Packers' win over the Patriots in
Super Bowl XXXI. He re-signed with the Packers with a two-year contract on February 20, 1997. Pederson was again the third quarterback throughout 1997, backing up Favre and
Steve Bono. Pederson beat out
Rick Mirer for the backup job to Favre, as well as the primary
placekick holder job, in 1998. During a Week 5 loss to the
Minnesota Vikings, Pederson replaced Favre in the last five minutes of a blowout game and threw two touchdowns in his place. However, Pederson suffered a broken jaw that knocked him out for the team's next four games.
Philadelphia Eagles Pederson signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract with the
Philadelphia Eagles on February 18, 1999, to become the team's starting quarterback under new head coach
Andy Reid, who was Pederson's
quarterbacks coach in Green Bay from 1997 to 1998. The Eagles drafted
Donovan McNabb with the second overall pick in the
1999 NFL draft in April 1999, and Reid said Pederson would remain the starter until McNabb was ready to play. In his nine starts for the Eagles, Pederson had a 2–7 record, a 51.6% completion rate, 1,168 passing yards, six touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In his first career start, a Week 1 game against the
Arizona Cardinals, Pederson threw two touchdowns in the first quarter to help give the Eagles a 21–0 lead. The Cardinals came back, however, and won the game on a field goal as time expired, 25–24. Pederson went 12-for-25 for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the game. McNabb replaced Pederson, who suffered a bruised throwing shoulder, after one half in a Week 2 loss to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which Pederson went 12-of-19 for 100 yards and an interception. Pederson started a Week 3 shutout loss (26–0) to the
Buffalo Bills, going 14-of-26 for 137 yards and two lost fumbles, before being replaced by McNabb again in the fourth quarter. During a Week 4 loss to the
New York Giants, Pederson went 6-for-15 for 75 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by McNabb after halftime. Pederson's first NFL win came in Week 5 against the
Dallas Cowboys. He played the entire game, going 11-of-29 for 145 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Pederson played the entirety of the next three games, posting a 1–2 record while throwing three touchdowns and three interceptions. In his final start as an Eagle, Pederson was benched at halftime of a week 9 game against the
Carolina Panthers after going 3-of-9 for 28 yards and being down 23–0. He did not see game action at quarterback again until a week 14 game against the Cowboys in which McNabb suffered an injury in the fourth quarter. Pederson went 8-for-12 for 108 yards and a touchdown in the loss, and
Koy Detmer received the start ahead of him in week 15 with McNabb still injured. After Pederson spent the next season's training camp with the team, the Eagles released him on August 28, 2000.
Cleveland Browns Pederson considered retirement after being released by the Eagles, but instead signed a two-year contract with the
Cleveland Browns on September 2, 2000. The Browns' backup, Ty Detmer, suffered a season-ending injury, and the Browns needed a backup quarterback to starter
Tim Couch. This was the second time in Pederson's career that he was signed to replace an injured Ty Detmer. Pederson started as the third quarterback behind Couch and
Spergon Wynn, until Couch suffered a season-ending injury in week 7. Pederson started the next six games, posting a 1–5 record. During Week 13 against the
Baltimore Ravens, he was knocked out of the game with bruised ribs and replaced with Wynn. Wynn started the next week against the
Jacksonville Jaguars, but he suffered a season-ending injury and Pederson replaced him. Pederson returned for the final two games of the season, losing both, including a 35–24 loss to his former team, the Eagles, and a 24–0 shutout loss to the
Tennessee Titans. Pederson was released after the season on February 22, 2001. Pederson was the primary backup to Favre for the entire 2001 season, and was the primary placekick holder in every game. Pederson was re-signed to a one-year, $650,000 contract with the Packers on April 2, 2002. Pederson again was the backup quarterback and primary holder in all 16 games in 2002. In a week 7 game against the
Washington Redskins, Favre suffered a sprained knee, and Pederson took most of the snaps in the second half, going 9-for-15 for 78 yards to help win the game 30–9. Pederson also played in games against the Miami Dolphins,
Detroit Lions, and
New York Jets. He re-signed with the Packers to a one-year, $750,000 contract on April 29, 2003. For the third consecutive season, Pederson backed up Favre in all 16 games and held placekicks. He completed both of his passes during the regular season for a total of 16 yards. The Packers re-signed Pederson to a one-year contract on April 28, 2004. Tim Couch was signed to compete for the backup quarterback job, but lost out to Pederson and was released on September 5, 2004. In a week 3 game against the
Indianapolis Colts, Pederson replaced Favre in a blowout loss and went 4-of-6 for 34 yards and an interception. The next week, a week 4 game against the
New York Giants, Favre sustained a
concussion in the third quarter, and Pederson replaced him at quarterback. Pederson went 7-of-17 for 86 yards and an interception in the loss before he suffered a hit to his side in the third quarter that resulted in a cracked bone in his back, a torn muscle in his side, and a broken rib. He stayed in the game up until the last snap, when he was replaced by third-string quarterback
Craig Nall. Pederson was placed on
injured reserve on October 7, ending his season. Pederson retired in March 2005 to become a head coach at
Calvary Baptist Academy. ==NFL career statistics==