If Eagles don't nail this hire, next year's search could be for a new head coach

By Reuben Frank • Published January 14, 2026

This year it’s Kevin Patullo. If the Eagles don’t get this right, next year it could very well be Nick Sirianni.

This is such a crucial hire, not just for the team but for the head coach as well. Because if they hire the wrong person, the search a year from now could be for a new head coach.

It’s that important.

We saw this year how much the wrong offensive coordinator and play caller can derail a season that began with such high expectations. It started out bad and just kept getting worse until the disastrous playoff loss to the 49ers.

The first thing that’s baffling is why Sirianni thought Patullo was the right guy for the job in the first place. They worked together since 2018, three years with the Colts, four years here, so by the time he promoted him to replace Kellen Moore a year ago they had spent seven years alongside each other. How you can miss so badly and not understand the limitations of a colleague you've been around for so long is alarming.

What’s just as concerning as Patullo’s inability to get the most out of the vast talent on the offensive side of the football is Sirianni’s inability to make a difference. This is an offensive head coach with two Super Bowl appearances and a championship and one of the highest won-loss records in NFL history on his resume.

Why couldn’t he help? We know Sirianni’s strength is culture building and getting guys to buy in and work hard and practice hard and play hard and just create a winning atmosphere in the locker room, and he’s very good at that. But he’s also a guy who’s coached offensive football in the NFL for a decade and a half, and he just stood by and watched as his team struggled week after week to move the ball and score points.

There was talk about how he got more involved late in the season, but scoring 31 points against the Raiders and 29 in Washington isn’t enough. This team’s last six games against playoff teams they scored 17, 10, 15, 19, 13 and 19 points and only because of Vic Fangio’s defense were they able to win two of those games – the Packers and Bills.

You can have the greatest culture in the history of the universe, but if you can’t convert a 3rd-and-5 it doesn’t matter.

I know people have had enough of Sirianni right now, and I understand their frustration. B ut Jeff Lurie isn’t going to fire a coach who won a Super Bowl 11 months ago. And he shouldn’t.

But if they don’t nail this hire and this offense and this team underachieves again in 2026 then the Sirianni Watch is on. Because there’s too much talent in that locker room for this team to average 20 points a game and score one or fewer 2nd-half touchdowns in 12 of 18 games.

Whoever replaces Patullo will be Sirianni’s fifth offensive coordinator in six years and Jalen Hurts’ seventh play caller since 2020. Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore were huge hits and Brian Johnson and Patullo were huge misses.

It’s safe to assume that after the Patullo disaster this will be more of an organizational hire than a Sirianni hire. Even winning a Super Bowl you lose a bit of equity when the season goes the way this one just did. Either way, Sirianni has to be better in 2026 or it’s fair to wonder if he’s back in 2027.

The Eagles were preseason favorites to get back to the Super Bowl and win it, so 11 wins and a home wild-card exit over a banged-up 49ers team that didn’t have half the talent the Eagles had is unacceptable. The expectations will be huge again in 2026 because of that roster and the franchise’s track record – their 59 wins since 2021 are 2nd-most in the NFL, one fewer than the Bills, who haven’t come close to a Super Bowl.

Lurie is a patient guy and generally errs on the side of caution. He kept Andy Reid around one year too long because of what he meant to the franchise. But I don’t think Sirianni gets many more chances. This team is loaded with young talent on defense and the offense still has stars at every level and two straight underachieving seasons won’t be acceptable. When you have an offensive coach whose offense looks like this, it's fair to wonder about his future.

The new offensive coordinator has to be someone who can come in with his own system and scheme separate from Sirianni’s way of thinking and truly understand how to get the most out of Jalen Hurts and the rest of the talent he’s inheriting.

And the best thing Sirianni can do is stay away and let him do his thing. Because Sirianni's job just might depend on it.

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/if-eagles-dont-nail-this-hire-next-years-search-could-be-for-a-new-head-coach/707319/

Sirianni prioritizes friendship over the team. Johnson and Patullo were disasters and Sirianni dragged his feet and sacrificed each season. He should NEVER be permitted to pick an OC.

His role as HC should be restructured.......He should be involved in all the things a head coach is responsible for EXCEPT offensive and defensive play calling. That should be entirely the responsibility of experienced OCs and DCs. Once the game starts, all he can do is make suggestions but the final say is with the coordinators.

Kind of a Captain Obvious article...at least for many of us here on this board. What sucks is the wasted year(s) of having elite talent and relatively good injury luck.

Things will be different next year. When looking at just the offense, players will be another year older, Brown and Goedert may very well be gone, significant OL questions, and can Hurts adapt and play good enough in a new scheme. Plus, NFC East competition will surely be harder next year. If Dallas figures it out on Defense and retains Pickens, Giants will definitely be motivated and better with Harbaugh/Dart combo, and Washington will...eh...nah. But I def expect Dallas and the Giants to be better.

In any case, just hope that we will be back to being a real contender next year. Looking forward to the next 7 months of analyzing all the moves we'll be making.

Not only Nick but Jalen also...too much smoke to not be fire in those woods

I'm disappointed in Reuben. Can't he find anything better to write about they speculative crap.

14 hours ago, Rob331 said:

I'm disappointed in Reuben. Can't he find anything better to write about they speculative crap.

He’s not wrong though! If things don’t improve next year there will be questions about Nick. And rightly so too. To be honest if the offense takes a big step forwards there probably should be real questions about him (but there won’t). It’ll be another year where the offense has improved because they made the right OC hire. And so it will beg the question "what does Nick do”.

10 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

there will be questions

UK - I don't think we're on the same page. There ar questions this year from a spoiled and jaded media and fan base. Five years - five playoff appearances, 2 Super Bowls, 1 SuperBowl win.

3 early outs have all been with 1st time offensive coordinators. Unless Howie and Luris are washing their hands and throwing Nick under the bus they need to look in the mirror. They were part of the selection process.

11 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

"what does Nick do”.

That whole line of media generated crap is so angering. All Nick does is win.

16 hours ago, Rob331 said:

UK - I don't think we're on the same page. There ar questions this year from a spoiled and jaded media and fan base. Five years - five playoff appearances, 2 Super Bowls, 1 SuperBowl win.

3 early outs have all been with 1st time offensive coordinators. Unless Howie and Luris are washing their hands and throwing Nick under the bus they need to look in the mirror. They were part of the selection process.

Last year Sirianni won the SB and was given the opportunity to hire his OC. That was something they didn’t do with him when he first arrived and Howie and Lurie had a massive hand in the Moore hiring I’m sure. Yeah I agree they have to take a bit of responsibility for the bad OC hirings because they shouldn’t let Sirianni make that decision.

Nick shouldn’t be anywhere near the offense as he’s just not very good at it! He’s not good at designing a scheme and he’s not good at calling plays. So whilst he’s the HC they are going to need to continue to hire experienced OCs and not let Nick hire inexperienced guys from within.

22 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Last year Sirianni won the SB and was given the opportunity to hire his OC. That was something they didn’t do with him when he first arrived and Howie and Lurie had a massive hand in the Moore hiring I’m sure. Yeah I agree they have to take a bit of responsibility for the bad OC hirings because they shouldn’t let Sirianni make that decision.

Nick shouldn’t be anywhere near the offense as he’s just not very good at it! He’s not good at designing a scheme and he’s not good at calling plays. So whilst he’s the HC they are going to need to continue to hire experienced OCs and not let Nick hire inexperienced guys from within.

They let him hire his OC when we lost the SB and that was bad then he doubled down and did it again... next time they're going to see

who Nick wants and do the opposite...boom..another SB

2 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Last year Sirianni won the SB and was given the opportunity to hire his OC.

I don't quite agree. Nothing as important as hiring an offensive coordinator in done without the total buy in of Howie and Lurie. Nick said - I like Kevin for the jog AND THEY SAID OK.

2 hours ago, Breeze 44 said:

Nick shouldn’t be anywhere near the offense as he’s just not very good at it! He’s not good at designing a scheme and he’s not good at calling plays.

and you know this how? If I remember correctly he ran the offense and called plays for a total of about 4 games. Then he decided he needed to be a CEO head coach. Moore struggled for that many games in 2024 then hit his stride and we won the Super Bowl. So where do you get your assertions about Nick - some media inspired narrative with no emperical data to back it up or are you just another spoiled jaded hater?

3 hours ago, Rob331 said:

I don't quite agree. Nothing as important as hiring an offensive coordinator in done without the total buy in of Howie and Lurie. Nick said - I like Kevin for the jog AND THEY SAID OK.

and you know this how? If I remember correctly he ran the offense and called plays for a total of about 4 games. Then he decided he needed to be a CEO head coach. Moore struggled for that many games in 2024 then hit his stride and we won the Super Bowl. So where do you get your assertions about Nick - some media inspired narrative with no emperical data to back it up or are you just another spoiled jaded hater?

3 hours ago, Rob331 said:

I5 hours ago, Breeze 44 said:

Nick shouldn’t be anywhere near the offense as he’s just not very good at it! He’s not good at designing a scheme and he’s not good at calling plays.

Well 1st of all, I didn't say what you somehow attributed to me..but I don't necessarily disagree with some of his sentiments. Secondly..even if I did there is NO way

being a "spoiled" hater for as long as I've been a fan ( I'm a boomer ) does not compute with the amount of suffering I've gone through til 2017.

1 hour ago, Breeze 44 said:

Secondly..even if I did there is NO way

being a "spoiled" hater for as long as I've been a fan ( I'm a boomer ) does not compute with the amount of suffering I've gone through til 2017.

Born in '51 pal - I try to see the glass as half full and not pretend i know more than the pros doing the job.

13 hours ago, Rob331 said:

Born in '51 pal - I try to see the glass as half full and not pretend i know more than the pros doing the job.

So just ignore the part that I DIDN'T SAY WHAT YOU THOUGHT I DID.......

7 hours ago, Breeze 44 said:

I DIDN'T SAY WHAT YOU THOUGHT I DID.......

I've reread the thread. What exactly was that misunderstanding or omission on my part?

1 hour ago, Rob331 said:

I've reread the thread. What exactly was that misunderstanding or omission on my part?

Somehow ..this "Nick shouldn’t be anywhere near the offense as he’s just not very good at it! He’s not good at designing a scheme and he’s not good at calling plays." was attributed to me in your quotes when it was actually

from UK_Eaglesfan that said that... all good , don't know how it happened but....

On 1/20/2026 at 2:04 PM, Breeze 44 said:

They let him hire his OC when we lost the SB and that was bad then he doubled down and did it again... next time they're going to see

who Nick wants and do the opposite...boom..another SB

Hmm I’m not so sure Johnson was a Sirianni hire was he? Sure he had a role and sure he probably was on board with it but I don’t think he made that hire?

On 1/20/2026 at 4:21 PM, Rob331 said:

I don't quite agree. Nothing as important as hiring an offensive coordinator in done without the total buy in of Howie and Lurie. Nick said - I like Kevin for the jog AND THEY SAID OK.

Yeah they said okay and they signed off on it. But at that point Sirianni is a SB winning HC. I think they gave him the authority to make that decision like they did with Doug.