February 05, 2026
James Lang/Imagn Images
Former Eagles QB Jeff Garcia helped the Birds once and wants to again, but isn't called back.
Almost 20 years ago, Jeff Garcia famously quarterbacked the Eagles to an NFC East title and a playoff win after taking over for an injured Donovan McNabb.
The Eagles famously rewarded him by not retaining him.
Nearly two decades later, Garcia wants to help the Birds again, and once again he's feeling stiff-armed by the organization.
In an appearance Wednesday on South Jersey sports-talk station 97.3 ESPN at Super Bowl LX Media Row from San Francisco, the former Birds QB said he has tried to reunite with new Eagles OC Sean Mannion to help with Mannion's transition as a young coach into a first-time coordinator and play caller, but his phone calls to Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman have so far gone unreturned.
Garcia's lone season as an NFL coach came in 2015 as an assistant with the Rams. That was Mannion's rookie season as a Rams third-round pick.
"He was the backup when I was coaching with the Rams. I reached out to Nick about coaching with the Eagles and I don't get a call back," Garcia said to host Mike Gill and co-host Scott Grayson. "So I'm very disappointed and discouraged by the whole process here."
Garcia smirked as he discussed being discouraged and disappointed, reflecting that he's probably not heartbroken about the unreturned calls. He also hasn't coached since that 2015 season. But he must have been serious about his desire to help; later in the interview, he repeated that he's tried to contact the organization that he led to a 6-2 record over the final eight games of 2006, including a 23-20 Wild Card win over the Giants.
"I've reached out," Garcia said. "I've reached out to Howie and I've reached out to the head coach. I've tried to connect. It's just one of those things."
You can watch the full interview here. Garcia also discussed his year in Philly, beginning as the backup to McNabb and then taking over and winning five straight games in December as the Birds came back from a 5-6 record after Garcia's first start to win the NFC East by one game over the Cowboys.
It was electrifying time, even if just lightning in a bottle.
As far as helping Sirianni, the best Garcia could do was consult through the airwaves, and the four-time Pro Bowler has clearly been paying attention to the goings-on at one of his former stomping grounds.
Acknowledging the difficult situation Mannion is in after just two years of NFL coaching with the Packers, Garcia said it's imperative that Sirianni gets a handle on the quarterback room.
"If he wants to see that room develop and take what the message is and apply it on the field than he's got to be more hands on," Garcia said, countering the outside perception that less from Sirianni is more. "He can't expect Mannion to be that guy."
After five seasons as San Francisco's starter, Garcia became a journeyman and played for four different teams from 2004-2007, but most of his coaches or offensive coordinators during that span were from the same West Coast offense tree as his original coach, Steve Mariucci.
The fact that Mannion is expected to implement an offense that the Eagles haven't run during Sirianni's five-year tenure, Garcia said, is one of the bigger complications for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, a Super Bowl MVP who struggled this past season.
"Now, Mannion is a former quarterback, which is good for the position – great for the position – because you have got a guy who studied the game like a quarterback," Garcia explained. "He's tried to interpret it as a player onto the field as a quarterback, so all those things are great for Jalen.
"But I think the major thing that I see with Jalen, he's a tremendous player, a tremendous leader, but he could be a better decision-maker and he can get the ball out of his hands faster than he does. I feel like he waits. I feel like he relies on his legs a little too much, and those things are going to be disruptive to the offense as far as the consistency."
The Eagles might not see the value in having Garcia join their staff, but Garcia has surely been preparing himself for an opportunity if presented.
He explained in the interview what impact Mannion could have on the Eagles' regressing offense if his teachings are understood and applied correctly.
"A lot depends on what Sean's background is as to how he has coached the game in the last few years, how he's learning the game and how he's able to translate that into Jalen and how Jalen interprets the offense and his decision-making," Garcia said, "because it all comes down to what are you seeing in your pre-snap and then once the ball is snapped how are you reacting to the defense in your post snap.
"That clock needs to be ticking in your head. [Hurts] has been blessed to have a great offensive line in front of him and great time, at times you see him move at times just because of out of discomfort because it's taking a little too long, but it's because he's probably missed the first opportunity already. Those are the things I would be coaching him up on."
The season before he came to Philly to play late-season hero, Garcia had been with the Lions in Detroit, where Greg Olson was the team's offensive coordinator. Coincidentally, the Eagles reportedly plan to interview Olson for their QBs coach gig.
So maybe they're not dialing up Garcia but could be tapping into one of Garcia's former coaches.
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