January 29, 2026
Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images
Could the Eagles' next offensive play caller be head coach Nick Sirianni?
Who's old enough to remember when Nick Sirianni said he helped struggling offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo as the first-year play caller tried unsuccessfully to get the Eagles' offense going throughout the season?
That was about three weeks ago, after Sirianni had relieved Patullo of offensive coordinator duties following the team's 23-19 loss at home to the 49ers in an NFC Wild Card game. Days later, in a post-mortem press conference, Sirianni said he tried to throw a life preserver to his friend and coaching pal, who had come over with Sirianni from Indianapolis when the Eagles hired their current head coach in 2021.
"I told you guys, I got involved more," Sirianni said. "At the end of the day, I did what I thought was best for the football team. We didn't reach our goals, so obviously it didn't work out, but again, we did what we thought was best for the team."
The fact that Sirianni involved himself more in the offensive design and play calls for an offense that continued to sputter down the stretch hasn't inspired a ton of confidence that the Eagles should continue to run some variation of Sirianni's offense.
Sirianni said he would be looking for someone to "evolve" the offense. For the past few weeks, the Eagles have interviewed a wide variety of potential coordinators, from several different backgrounds and from trees that aren't tied to Sirianni's. They reportedly had interest in Brian Daboll and Mike McDaniel, but both coaches opted for coordinator jobs in different cities.
ESPN's NFL Insider Adam Schefter has recently been teasing some surprise moves coming for the organization, including a bombshell that seemingly contradicts the team's intent of find somone to grow and transform an offense that has lost its potency each year since ranking third in yards and points in 2022.
On Wednesday, at the very end of an interview on 97.5 The Fanatic's morning show, Schefter alluded to potentially more changes for the Eagles than offensive coordinator, just as host Andrew Salciunas was getting ready to end the phone interview, thanking Schefter for his time, adding that perhaps next week they would be "reacting to an OC hire in Philadelphia."
That's when the conversation got interesting, with co-host John Kincade trying to dig deeper.
Here's how the exchange then went:
Schefter: "And ... and ... and maybe it'll be even more than that by next week."
John Kincade: "...Wait a minute, more than that? What are you hinting at?"
Schefter: "Maybe it'll be more than a discussion on an offensive coordinator, we'll see."
Here's the full video from 97.5 The Fanatic:
What Could ESPN's Adam Schefter Being Hinting At With The Eagles?#FlyEaglesFly #NFL@asalciunas975 & @JohnKincade
— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) January 28, 2026
📸 Elsa/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/VzMy2Eg2pF
You can catch the entire 97.5 interview with Schefter here.
Like many longtime insiders, Schefter knows how to tease semi-confidential information he has without giving it all away on a platform that isn't the one he works for, and without making it completely obvious where the information came from.
So it's not surprising that Schefter appeared on ESPN's "NFL Live" later that day and discussed some of the candidates the Eagles have interviewed twice and in person, including Colts OC Jim Bob Cooter and Packers QBs coach Sean Mannion. He also noted that the Eagles aren't rushing to make a decision as they search for the right fit.
Then came the bombshell:
"They've been through any number of candidates. They don't appear to be in any rush to name somebody. They have Nick Sirianni, who always could call the offense if they can't find somebody worthy of doing the job, but they're being diligent looking for the the right match."
Wait, what?
The same Nick Sirianni who didn't call plays as Colts offensive coordinator? Who gave up play calling midway through his first season as head coach? Whose help for Patullo this season couldn't get the offense going?
Sirianni assuming play calling in 2026 might not be on the same Defcon 5 panic level as Andy Reid naming offensive line coach Juan Castillo as his defensive coordinator in 2011, but it would rank up there.
Here's the full spot:
The Eagles fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo on January 13th, so who’s taking over the offense now?@AdamSchefter shares the latest ✍️ pic.twitter.com/yZMhVe5HjB
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 28, 2026
To be fair, Schefter finished by saying the "fit is not for everybody," which we've chronicled quite a bit both here and here, and added that the Eagles "think there are enough good candidates out there that they're going to come out of this with a good, strong offensive coordinator."
But if that "good, strong offensive coordinator" also happens to be the head coach, the 2026 season just got infinitely more ... interesting.
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