First, let’s get the important question out of the way. Is the Eagles’ open offensive coordinator job a good NFL opportunity, or a bad one?
The answer is … yes.
It’s understandable that, two weeks after their playoff loss to the 49ers and the subsequent firing of former OC Kevin Patullo, the Eagles appear to be having difficulty finding the right person to take the reigns of last year’s Super Bowl champion.
On the surface, it seems crazy that coaches around the league wouldn’t line up to coach an offense that has routinely been among the best in the NFL, reached two of the last four Super Bowls, spends a ton of cash, and has a championship quarterback at the helm.
The Eagles declared their desire for a proven, experienced play caller who will have total autonomy to put a scheme in place that will hopefully allow the passing game to flourish under Jalen Hurts and reinvigorate a running game that was a shell of itself in 2025. Yet, with a strong-willed CEO head coach, a headstrong quarterback and a very involved front office, the gig could be unpalatable for a person with the kind of experience the Eagles are said to be looking for.
In short, I see five pros and five cons to the Eagles OC position.
First, the pros.
Much focus has understandably been heaped upon 2023 OC Brian Johnson and Patullo, both of whom were one-and-done in Philadelphia. But history has also shown that, if you have success in Philadelphia, you will become a head coach in one year’s time.
Shane Steichen was the offensive coordinator in 2021 and ‘22 and proved himself to be an adept play caller on a highly functional offense. He became head coach of the Colts. Two years later, Kellen Moore came to Philadelphia, inherited Nick Sirianni’s scheme and Jalen Hurts, and guided an offense that had one of the best rushing attacks in NFL history. Moore was quickly hired by the Saints after their Super Bowl victory.
In short, if you do well, you’ll get a head coaching gig.
You coach a Super Bowl winning QB
There are potentially negative aspects to coaching an offense with Jalen Hurts under center, and we’ll get to those in a moment, but it takes a pessimist to look at coaching a two-time Super Bowl participant and former Super Bowl MVP as primarily a negative.
In Hurts, you have a dynamic QB who can win with both his arm and his legs. I understand that analysts are sharply divided on his abilities, but you cannot ignore his record. He wins. He plays best in the biggest moments (most of the time). Most coaches should jump at the chance to work with a player like Hurts, who is a very good football player and leader.
You can’t be any worse than the last guy
There’s an argument to be made that, no matter what happens, the next offensive coordinator has to be better than Patullo.
There is nowhere to go but up, a distinct advantage any candidate has going for him. If the offense operates at a higher level in 2026 (which it almost has to), the offensive coordinator will get the credit. If the offense continues to be a net-negative, the head coach and quarterback will be blamed, as they are the constants in this equation.
You have a competent GM & Owner
If you want a general manager who is going to do everything in his power to give you the talent you need, Howie Roseman is the GM to coach under. Even as the roster goes through the inevitable shifts an NFL roster must endure, Roseman will use the draft and free agency to try and put the most talent on the field possible. And owner Jeffrey Lurie will spend the cash to make sure good players are out there.
Roseman has done a marvelous job in the draft over the last four years, and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue. After spending much of his draft capital on defensive players the last few years, expect Roseman and Lurie to turn their attention to the offense the next two.
The new offensive coordinator will be able to mold a younger roster, even with an established veteran like Hurts under center.
Even in transition, there’s talent there
Hurts. DeVonta Smith. Saquon Barkley. Jordan Mailata. A hopefully healthy Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson. It is an aging unit in some spots, and some important pieces may not be around in ‘26, but there’s lots to like still with the roster, even with a growing uncertainty over some key players, which we will address below.
Now, the cons.
Nick Sirianni drama
Any offensive coordinator must ask themselves if they want to place themselves in the world of the Eagles’ highly successful yet highly emotional head coach. Any offensive coordinator will undoubtedly be swept into the drama that surrounds this team and the locker room.
Sirianni seems like a lot, and over his five years in Philadelphia has cultivated an offensive philosophy that concentrates less on scheme and more on a conservative philosophy designed around avoiding turnovers.
It was pretty brutal to watch in 2023 and 2025, but highly productive in 2022 and ‘24. The Eagles have said the new OC will have carte blanche to remake the offense in their own image, not Sirianni’s, but when push comes to shove, do these candidates actually believe that? Should they? And do they want to get swept up in all the Eagles’/Sirianni drama?
Jalen Hurts’ perceived preferences and imperfections
Jalen Hurts can make all the throws and has always been a +1 in the running game.
Until this year. Hurts decided he didn’t want to run. They called the fewest designed runs of his career this year, he never seemed to keep the ball on RPOs, and he scrambled less than ever before, too. If Hurts has decided he doesn’t want to run the football anymore, the offensive philosophy he’s existed in for the first five years of his career won’t work.
That puts the pressure on a new offensive coordinator to create a scheme based on Hurts’ abilities and desires. Make no mistake, the quarterback should have a voice in what type of offense is being run, but the OC also has to show some tough love to a player who is reluctant to throw the football over the intermediate middle of the field, doesn’t throw with anticipation until he’s forced to, and holds onto the ball too long in the pocket.
Might some of these candidates bristle at the idea of having to engage in a battle of wills with his QB? Hurts’ game works when he’s creating out of structure and extending plays with his legs, but we saw far less of that this season. A new offensive coordinator may prefer to work with more of a blank slate than a veteran quarterback who may be set in his ways.
Sky high expectations
In Philadelphia, it’s Super Bowl-or-bust. The expectations of the locker room, specifically the QB and head coach, are nothing short of another title. The owner and the GM are spending a ton of money to put a team on the field that they expect to hoist a Lombardi Trophy at the end of every season.
There will be no grace period. Any new offensive coordinator will be expected to produce results right away. That’s a lot of pressure for a new hire to embrace, and it could be one of the reasons some coaches are choosing less stressful opportunities instead of coming to Philly.
Your house could get egged
The vast majority of Eagles fans hated it when some lunatic decided it was a good idea to throw eggs at Patullo’s house. There’s no doubt many in the fanbase take this team and this sport entirely too seriously, but most of us heard about the incident, shook our heads, denounced it, and moved on.
Anyone looking to take over Patullo’s gig has to be ready to endure that type of mischief, as well as the vitriol that comes from sports talk radio, television, and the entire online media world. Heck, even ESPN’s talking heads couldn’t stop talking about Patullo and the Eagles’ offensive coordinator this year.
I would think candidates interviewing for the job have at least considered the egging incident in their calculations and wonder if being the OC in a place like Tennessee won’t be less anxiety-inducing.
Key departures and age on the roster
While the Eagles came into the season with an offensive roster that appeared set in stone for the next few seasons, there are suddenly a lot of question marks heading into ‘26.
Will A.J. Brown be traded? It feels likely. Is Lane Johnson going to come back? A three-week foot injury ending up costing him the final two months of the season. Dallas Goedert will be a free agent and may not be back. Are Jurgens and Dickerson going to recover this off-season and return to form? Will Barkley continue to be an elite running back?
The Eagles head into this off-season with question marks at No. 1 receiver, No. 3 receiver (Jahan Dotson will not return), tight end, potentially at running back and along portions of the offensive line. The possible departure of Brown could be a game-changer for this offense.
Uncertainty is not a selling point.
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