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As the great philosopher Beyonce once said, “I’ll be your sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare.” She, of course, was referring to the experience of rooting for the Philadelphia 76ers. Basketball is built on hope, and the Sixers offer plenty of it. But for every step forward this team takes, they always seem to take two steps back.

Being a Sixers fan is a roller coaster of emotions. It’s like getting excited for a snow day as a kid, only for the next day to be 60 degrees and raining. It’s like when magicians perform that trick where they try to pull a tablecloth out from under a bunch of dishes, but all of the dishes come crashing down. It literally feels like this:

Sixers fandom is a shot and chaser of hope and despair taken over and over until you can barely stand. The potential is intoxicating. When Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George, and V.J. Edgecombe are at their best, it’s like staring at the Mona Lisa. A work of art that’s meant to be admired and savored. What’s worse is that potential never feels too far away. What could be feels endlessly closer than what actually is.

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As a franchise that may or may not be cursed by the spirit of Bryan Colangelo, this Sixers season has felt like many others. A combination of high hopes and bad fortune. In 2025-26, they dealt with a slew of Joel Embiid injuries, a 25-game suspension for Paul George, and trading away a promising young player for pennies. They’ve also seen a magnificent season from Tyrese Maxey, Paul George return to form, Joel Embiid look dominant on one leg, and a promising start to the career of rookie phenom V.J. Edgecombe. Still, entering the playoffs, the Sixers have a lot of questions to answer.

So to answer those questions, I interviewed my buddy Sean, one of my best friends and one of the biggest Sixers fans I know. Unfortunately for us, an hour before we were scheduled to talk, Shams reported that Joel Embiid is getting an emergency appendectomy shortly before the Sixers were scheduled to play Houston (a game they ended up losing).

In years past, Embiid has been allergic to staying healthy for the playoffs. Add this to the list of playoff (or pre-playoff) injuries for Joel, including a broken face, a knee injury, and a sudden bout of Bell’s Palsy, just to name a few. Once again, the Sixers will be without their centerpiece as we enter the postseason.

So to get ready for the playoffs (and process our shared basketball trauma), Sean and I talk about the Joel news, the Sixers playoff chances, Maxey’s next step, and why you can’t trust Daryl Morey.

An hour before this conversation, we got a Shams tweet. You remember how Woj had like a ‘Woj bomb?” What would you call a Shams news drop? A Sha-blam?

SEAN: Oh, that’s a good one. What would I call his alerts? This one was a kick in the face. I don’t think we can use it for all of them, but this last one felt like a kick in the face.

An hour before we had this conversation that we had planned, Shams tweeted that Joel Embiid has appendicitis and is getting surgery in Houston this afternoon. So he’ll be out for a few weeks, including the first round of the playoffs. How are you feeling?

SEAN: So I think if I had to describe myself as…if there’s Sixers fans archetypes, based on me and like the people that I know and talk to a lot about the Sixers, I feel like there’s a few archetypes. I think I fall into the one that’s a realist, maybe cautiously optimistic. So at times I can be very critical of the Sixers, but I still get caught up in just being a fan. I can ignore the facts of the situation at times just because I want to see the Sixers do well. So that being said, how I was feeling coming into this part of the season was getting excited again. They were pulling me back in. Paul George is back from his suspension. He’s been playing well.

I feel like he’s moving really well.

SEAN: I went with the fam and we saw the Detroit game live. That was my first time seeing Paul George play in person. And I love going to the games in person cause like, you get to understand the feel of a player’s game and what they look like a little differently.

And I agree, he was moving so well and getting to his spots, taking his time. He looks so strong, like a veteran, you know what I mean? Like, he may not have the same step that he used to, but he’s using his body to like create space and get the shot off that he wants. He looked really good, yeah. So I was really excited, even though we lost that game. I’ve still been excited, yeah. Just about the way he’d been playing.

But sorry, your question. What was your question?

How are you feeling right now?

SEAN: Real dejected. I was excited for the playoffs. Now, not so much.

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How do you feel about their playoff chances?

SEAN: Okay, this is really pessimistic. And part of this is me as a fan, I like to prepare myself mentally for the worst in hopes that the team does better and proves me wrong. Whenever I criticize the Sixers, there’s nothing more that I want than to be proven wrong.

That being said, I feel as though we’ll be lucky to make it out of the play-in. And I feel as though we will be even luckier to win a first-round matchup against, you know, depending on where we land, Detroit, Boston, or New York. Even Cleveland, I would feel a little shaky against. But either way, I don’t feel great.

Without Embiid, do you think the Sixers can make it out of the play-in? Which of those potential play-in opponents scares you the most?

SEAN: Without Joel, I do think they can make it out of the play-in. It’s gonna be more difficult, obviously. That goes without saying, but I think they can still do it. The teams that scare me the most, I’m torn between Charlotte and Miami, only because Miami, they’re always good, right? They’re well-coached. That team’s been together for a while, like that core, so they know how to play together. The Hornets are scary, just because of the tear they’ve been on. They’ve been one of the best teams in the past several weeks in the league, like when it comes to just all the advanced stats. They’re probably my favorite team to watch at the moment.

What’s the reason for that?

SEAN: They look like they’re having so much fun. Really meshing and playing well. They trust each other. They’re just a fun team. You can tell that they’re really enjoying playing together.

They share the ball. LaMelo is obviously just like, it’s like he’s playing pickup basketball the way that he’s, the stuff he’s doing. Kon Knueppel. Like he’s playing with no fear. He doesn’t play like a rookie. But yeah, they’re just like a young, exciting team.

One of the things that I was thinking about is how the most devastating part about the Sixers is how endlessly close they are to reaching their potential. If this team were fully healthy, how far do you think that they could go?

SEAN: Yeah. That’s like the life of a Sixers fan. I think fully healthy (which we say this every year), but a fully healthy Sixers team could come out of the East. I mean, they’re obviously there from a talent standpoint. Joel, PG, Tyrese. I think having them as your three, or just on paper alone, that just makes us one of the better teams just off the strength of having them on the team.

I think having Paul George as a third option, where the expectation isn’t on him to have to come in and deliver a type of superstar performance. Like, he could just be Paul George. I think that also makes them really dangerous because he struggled in the playoffs, probably since he left the Pacers, when there’s a lot of pressure on him. In this scenario, he’s a third option. So I think that really helps him.

And then depth-wise, this is the deepest team since some of those Ben Simmons teams that we’ve seen in a while. When I look at our bench, or even that 6th, 7th guy. You’ve got V.J., who’s playing really well, not just for rookie, but in general. Kelly Oubre’s been playing so well. Quentin Grimes, like my man’s trying to get a contract. This dude is hooping. And then I do like Barlow, I like Edwards, I like all of them. But I think we just got a really nice deep team with guys that know how to play their role, and they play hard and can impact the game.

Do you think that depth could carry them through the last two games of the season and out of the play-in?

SEAN: Yeah, I definitely do. The Sixers have a tendency to drop those games that should be easy wins for them. So I don’t think Indiana or Milwaukee are going to be cakewalks, just because that’s just what the Sixers do, you know?

I had to look it up because the feeling I’ve had this season is like every Sixers game feels stressful, you know? There’s been few instances when I’ve watched a game this season where it’s been like a comfortable win, or I feel comfortable throughout the entire game, like, oh, we got it. And I was just looking at the standings for the play-in stuff. And the Sixers not only have the lowest differential of teams with winning records, but they’re the only team with a negative differential.

Why is that?

SEAN: I don’t know what it is against good teams, bad teams. It just feels like it doesn’t matter. It’s always close. They’ve had some exciting wins against good teams, but then, you know, they’ll turn around, and we’ll be barely beating Portland or something like that.

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What does that say about Nick Nurse?

SEAN: Overall, I do like Nick Nurse. I think he’s a good coach. Thinking about this season, it is hard for me to give a really fair assessment of him and the coaching staff, just because availability for the roster has been so up and down.

Like Embiid, obviously, I mean, he’s always hurt. So you’re dealing with Embiid and his injuries. PG got that suspension. Tyrese was out for a little bit with his recent injury. So I think all that considered for the team to still be, you know, six games above 500, like that’s, I think that’s pretty good, honestly.

I think Doc Rivers, in the same scenario, would not have been able to get this.

Can we also do a quick sidebar on how you feel about Doc Rivers being in the Hall of Fame?

SEAN: Wait, excuse me? No, he’s not...

Bro, you didn’t see this?

SEAN: He was? How? Okay, what? That’s crazy, bro. I can see him getting into the Hall of Fame, but maybe like later. Bill Belichick didn’t make it into the Hall of Fame this year, but Doc Rivers did. That’s crazy.

Anyway, you were saying, Doc Rivers in the same situation…

SEAN: Yeah, just only because he was the last coach. Yes, I think Nick Nurse is the best coach we’ve had in a while. And I wouldn’t wanna mess that up unless somebody stellar came along.

What’s the temperature check on Daryl Morey?

SEAN: On Daryl Morey? If your goal is to sell tickets and make money for your franchise, I think he’s great. He can bring in stars. He’s not afraid to pull that trigger and bring in big names that are gonna be good for revenue for a team.

But if you want to build a winning team that has a strong future outlook and a plan beyond just one or two guys, I haven’t seen that from Daryl Morey. Maybe I’m wrong. I just haven’t seen him as that type of GM.

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That’s real.

SEAN: Yeah. So I don’t like Daryl Morey. I would like to see him gone, honestly. Come on, bro. What are we doing? You’re extending Joel. When we already know his injury history, you’re giving my man a fat extension.

You’re bringing in aging all-stars that have not proven to be able to like…I love Paul George’s game. I get he’s your favorite player’s favorite player. Obviously he’s great at basketball. But my man hasn’t shown the ability to deliver when it’s needed most. And you’re like, I already have an aging, injury-prone superstar. Let me bring in another one.

That begs the question: What do you think about the McCain trade in hindsight?

SEAN: I think I’m in the minority of Sixers fans where I think he is a good player and he’s gonna have a good career and do really well. A lot of other fans I talk to, they didn’t feel so bad about him getting traded. But for the most part, we all agree that what we got in return was not sufficient.

So even if you don’t agree that McCain was gonna turn into a great player, I think most people agree that Daryl Morey didn’t get that great a return for him. It was a bad trade. It was a weird time to sell.

Like, if you got a guy that you know you wanna move on from, like, why not try to boost his value before moving him? Jared was just coming back from injury. Like, if you wanna move him, at least give him a little more free rein to perform and get his numbers up so you can get more back.

If you’re Daryl Morey and you’re trying to sell high on this guy and Nick Nurse isn’t playing him as much as he should, you have to say, “get my guy some minutes. Let’s get his value up.”

SEAN: Facts, facts. And when he came out, and he finally spoke about it, it didn’t add up. He said their strategy for trading Jared was to get some pieces so that they could then flip that and turn it into a deal that would add talent now to the team, like talent that they could use. I don’t know what talent other than Jared McCain, but I guess, you know, he wanted to take those picks and flip them into something else. And with NBA trades, I haven’t seen it work like that. Typically, if a front office knows that they’re trading one guy in order to complete a large trade, they do it all at once, or they don’t make a move until they know that that other trade has materialized.

His excuse just made no sense. To still say that you traded Jared McCain to get those assets and then, you know, whatever deal you wanted didn’t materialize. It’s like, this should have been contingent. And if that wasn’t there, then you don’t move Jared McCain.

Which, again, Daryl Morey, like in long-term outlook, I don’t even know if he cares to plan beyond his tenure.

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Daryl Morey is a liar. That’s what James Harden said.

SEAN: (Laughs) Look, I’m starting to believe James. Daryl Morey, man, compared to, in terms of like his ability and what type of GM you want, right? Sam Presti is probably one of the best GMs in the league.

If Sam Presti, coming off a championship, can look at Jared McCain and see value in him and his talent, and find minutes for him in his rotation, the fact that Daryl Morey says that we sold high and Jared wasn’t a fit for THIS Sixers team that we’re talking about may not be able to make it out of the play-in.

Like that gap in the assessment of McCain’s talent between these two, I’m going to take Sam Presti. And the last thing I’ll say on this, too is a lot of people were saying we don’t need Jared McCain. We already have too many options in the backcourt. Then why did we bring in Cameron Payne? After getting rid of Jared McCain.

And who’s better, Cameron Payne or Jared McCain? Like, what are we talking about? Like, who would you rather have right now, bro?

I wonder if anybody out there is arguing Cam Payne over Jared McCain.

SEAN: It’s Daryl Morey. He’s the guy.

V.J. Edgecombe is third in Rookie of the Year odds. How do you feel about his first season? And do you see him as a major contributor going into the playoffs?

SEAN: V.J. has been the best and most enjoyable part of the Sixers season as a fan. Hands down. He’s been like the clear bright spot.

I wasn’t expecting him to be this good. I was really high on V.J. just after he got drafted, learning about him and seeing, you know, I started my YouTube timeline, started getting filled with like his pre-season workout videos. Like just seeing his drive and his competitiveness and hearing him speak.

He just seems like he’s got a good head and shoulders. And he’s like the type of dude that you want on your team. He’s really mature. So, V.J., man, I hope he’s the Sixer forever. And I hope he likes it here, and I hope Philly fans treat him right.

In terms of him contributing in the playoffs, I think we’re gonna need him to show up big in the play-in, but I’m not so naive as not to recognize that he is a rookie. So I think that’s not fair to him or any rookie going into your playoffs to expect him to have to play big.

NBA playoff basketball is different, man. It’s crazy. The next level that these guys take and the way they elevate their game in the playoffs. Obviously, I would love to see V.J. have a great playoff run. I just don’t expect it because he is a rookie, and that level of play, it shifts to another gear.

And I don’t think that would be fair to even have to put that much pressure on him. And we shouldn’t be. So I think if his performance could be the icing on the cake, that’s what I would expect. It’s like the cherry on the top, but I would still expect Tyrese, you know, Joel, if we make it into the playoffs and he’s healthy. And PG, even other guys like Kelly Oubre, right?

Whereas V.J., the message to him should be like, be comfortable, play confidently, fill in where you can, but like, we’re not expecting him to come out here and drop 25 points.

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He’s one of those players that just moves different. He’s so athletic.

SEAN: It’s insane. When he jumps, dude, it’s like, it just looks like he’s in the air a little bit longer than like you would expect a person to be. In terms of like his build and athleticism, it’s probably since like Allen Iverson, since there’s been a player like this. Like the way he’s moving, or if he just looks, he looks a little extra, like more athletic, a little degree of athleticism, a little bit higher than like the rest of everybody else on the court. The way that he can just like get in the air, it looks like it’s defying just physics at times. V.J. is so good, bro. I’m such a V.J. fan.

In Joel’s absence, who will have to step up if the Sixers are to make a run?

SEAN: It’s gotta be Tyrese. I know that’s the obvious answer, but I think he’s made the leap. It just seems like every year he’s getting better and better, but I think this is the year where he’s made that leap. Where he’s the type of player who knows how to win a game, which I think is hard. That’s a common trajectory. Guys come in, they’re talented. They get their numbers. They’re good NBA players. And then around 3 or 4, maybe year 5, there’s a certain point where they figure out how to win an NBA game, which I think is a skill that the top players have. Instead of just going out and scoring a whole bunch of buckets, they know how to win a game in the NBA. And I think Tyrese has that ability now.

He’s been really fast, blows by everybody, gets buckets. His shots are getting better. All that stuff. But now I think he has that poise. He just knows how to manage a game and can win a game for us.

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And that’s just like a feel for the game, you think?

SEAN: Yeah, yeah. It’s like he’s the clear leader on the team.

Last year, he was emerging as the leader, but as a person just watching, it was never clear who actually was “the guy.” But now, when you watch the Sixers, it’s clear, it’s Maxey. Like this is his team. And I think it’s just his poise in those moments.

This season, he’s had some big crunch-time plays for us. And like his level of play down the stretch, he just looks comfortable. Like he’s arrived in my mind, he’s that guy.

I think Kelly and PG, them playing well, it’s gonna be huge. But Tyrese, man, it’s the obvious answer.

Okay. I wanna give you a little space to talk about Joel Embiid.

SEAN: Man, in general, I appreciate Joel Embiid and his career. As a fan, whenever his career is over, I’m gonna look back on it and be thankful as a Sixers fan that we had Joel Embiid. I think he’s gonna go down as one of the greatest bigs. I don’t know where he lands on that list. I don’t really care, but I think either, when you talk about bigs, I think he’s always gonna come up because he was just magnificent.

Like I’ve had some of my most fun watching, it wasn’t until like between Allen Iverson and Joel Embiid, like in between, I just, I didn’t have as many moments, you know, like watching the Sixers, where it was just so much fun to just be a fan and watch those games. And Joel brought so much joy back to me as a Sixers fan, personally, and like the rest of the fan base. So yeah, overall, thankful, appreciative that we got to have Joel play for our organization.

I’m just, I’m thankful as well as a fan, but I do, from a realist standpoint, if he’s not healthy and he’s still getting paid, the Sixers are kind of held hostage by him. Because of Daryl Morey, bro.

Because of Daryl fucking Morey.

It all comes back to Daryl, bro.

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There’s a story about a man who defied logic. Who carried unearned confidence on his back. Unearned in the eyes of the public, but not for those who saw him sweat, train, and struggle. He would fall and get up again with determination that bordered on insanity. Until he took all of that sweat and all of that training and all of those struggles into an arena he had no right being in against an opponent he had no chance against. And to everyone’s surprise, he won. I am, of course, referring to the plot of Rocky II (and Rocky III and Rocky IV…).

Philadelphia mythology is built on underdogs. The Creeds and Vince Papalis, who dare to grab their dreams out of thin air. It’s an American story. We love someone who is self-made. It’s reflected in the adoration we have for our professional athletes. Which begs the question, why are people so weird about Jalen Hurts?

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The winningest quarterback in Philadelphia history has a story fit for a Disney movie. You know the one. The first freshman quarterback to start for Nick Saban at Alabama who was eventually benched, only to come back and lead his team to a historic comeback in the SEC championship game. Transferred to Oklahoma and became a Heisman Trophy finalist. Drafted in the second round by a team that already had a star quarterback, he grabbed the reins and eventually led his team to two Super Bowls in three years and one Super Bowl victory. Outdueling potentially the greatest quarterback of all time on football’s biggest stage, twice. You know, Disney stuff.

Despite winning 64.7% of his games as a starter, winning a Super Bowl, and never missing the playoffs as a full-season starter, a portion of NFL fans perpetually question Jalen Hurts’ ability to do the things that he’s already done. It’s a constant trending topic on Twitter or a segment on “name your ESPN debate show.”

For all intents and purposes, Hurts should be a pretty uncontroversial figure. Off the field he’s quiet, focused, and very private. He’s known for having high character and an intense dedication to his craft. He’s an avid philanthropist who has changed lives in Philadelphia through his foundation, including donating $200,000 to provide 300 air conditioning units to the School District of Philadelphia. He recently wrote a children’s book. Hurts has cemented himself as a cultural figure who connects with a wider coalition of fans non-NFL fans and those who are new to the game.

Yet in a league that employs many struggling quarterbacks and difficult personalities, Hurts is the lightning rod. The fire that draws trolls out of their caves. Fodder for beefs in the comment section and a money maker for engagement bots. Out of all of the flawed players in the NFL, why is it that a Super Bowl MVP with one of the highest winning percentages in the league is the one makes people so mad?

Jalen Hurts, The Quarterback

Following a difficult year and the worst offensive output of the Nick Sirianni era, Hurts and the Eagles are at an inflection point. They’ve brought in a new offensive coordinator in 33-year-old Sean Mannion. Rumors continue to swirl about their intentions to trade away star wide receiver A.J. Brown. And owner Jeffrey Lurie has expressed his urgency for a third Lombardi Trophy. The Eagles are looking to win now while building a sustainable future with an aging offensive championship core. At the eye of the hurricane sits Jalen Hurts.

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A recent ESPN piece by NFL reporters Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler sparked outrage this week, detailing the friction within the Eagles organization, primarily centered on Jalen Hurts and how his preferences, personality, and fringed relationships have contributed to the Eagles offense becoming “calcified.”

Outrage on your Twitter feed aside, if you read the article, McManus and Fowler are very fair about Hurts strengths and shortcomings. They provide balanced reporting from multiple sources that often conflict (many of whom are anonymous which isn’t ideal). On the field, the article focuses on an infamous moment in the 2026 playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers (a moment I have chosen to black out from my memory, even though I was at the game).

On 4th down with the game on the line, the Eagles made a baffling call to run a basic four verts play as their last gasp. The play (predictably) failed, and the Eagles were bounced from the playoffs by a weak Niners team. McManus and Fowler state that the call was a preference by Jalen Hurts, reporting:

As one team source recalled, Hurts was the one who recommended four verts. A separate source with knowledge of the situation says that though the Eagles’ quarterback did suggest it, he was simply responding to a question about his preferences.

Hurts is a flawed quarterback, much like every other quarterback in the NFL. Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson struggle to win big postseason games. Josh Allen’s controlled deconstruction of defenses can unravel into unwavering chaos. Joe Burrow has an extensive injury history. Hurts is no different.

He can hold onto the ball for too long, he can audible to the wrong play, he can be too conservative, and he often turns down tight window throws. But he also makes dynamic plays out of structure, throws a beautiful deep ball, elevates the team as a runner, plays his best ball in the biggest moments, and most importantly, wins and wins often. Within the City of Brotherly Love, we know of Hurts imperfections, which makes performances like last year’s Super Bowl victory even sweeter. The story of Jalen Hurts is one of a quarterback capable of overcoming those imperfections to accomplish great things.

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And therein lies the rub. Or at least the start of it. Hurts’ value is in the eye of the Kelly Green beholder. There’s discomfort in the juxtaposition between his victories and his stats. It leads to conflicting takes about whether or not he’s elite. Where he ranks on quarterback power rankings, or how he compares to other quarterbacks who are easier to define by traditional standards. Hurts detractors vehemently swear that he’s an overrated player who’s carried by his team, unlike many of his peers. Even though the main thing Hurts does so well is the very reason we play the game. He wins.

Whether it’s the impossibly high standards we put on Black quarterbacks (a very real conversation for another time), lack of understanding of his value, or the extremely talented Eagles roster who’s dominance diminishes individual contributions, Hurts never seems to get a fair shake. The strength of your roster is a fair point for any NFL player, but who are we to diminish an individual’s contributions based on hypotheticals. The team you’re on is the team you’re on.

Aside from otherworldly physical traits, Hurts superpowers are scoffed at as intangibles that are hard to measure. Primarily, his ability to win and his ability to improve year over year. One instance that speaks to this in McManus and Fowler’s article is Hurts’ improvement against zone coverage last season.

He faced zone coverages -- long considered a Hurts weakness by some scouts and defensive coaches in the league -- on 56.2% of the Eagles’ offensive plays, the second-highest rate of his career. His completion percentage against zone (69%) was significantly better than against man (59%).

Anyone who watched the Eagles recently knows that the offensive skill players were attempting to operate within a flawed system. One that we, for some reason, expect Hurts to overcome to prove to us that he’s worthy. Hurts is simply like any other quarterback, elevated by good coaching and brought down by bad. The untimely four verts call is an example of that. Hurts existed within a system he no longer trusted, so he subverted it. The same way employees do when they work for a CEO with little to no vision. As McManus and Fowler wrote:

In (Kellen) Moore, he had a coach who, according to a team source, was matter-of-fact about how the offense would function and in correcting Hurts’ mistakes when necessary. It was a similar dynamic with Steichen. When lines were more blurred, like in 2023 when Hurts, Sirianni, and then OC Brian Johnson weren’t aligned in their visions, Hurts had more of a tendency to search for answers outside of the game plan, a team source said.

While imperfect and overly critiqued, Hurts commands high praise from beloved Hall-of-Fame caliber quarterbacks. Peyton Manning has said of Hurts that “his appreciation of the cerebral part of the game is what is impressive to me” and “I think the sky is the limit for this guy.” Tom Brady has offered praise in the past. Michael Jordan has shown his admiration. But despite the endorsements and the results, Hurts’ standing in the NFL continues to be questioned.

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Jalen Hurts, the Teammate

“(He’s) got a lot of self-esteem and he feels comfortable being by himself, feels comfortable with his own world. I do know on the road, most of the time, he spends it in his room.” This is a quote from Phil Jackson about Kobe Bryant in an interview with 60 Minutes in 2001. Bryant, like Michael Jordan before him, was defined by his maniacal work ethic, unrelenting intensity, and difficult personality. But also Kobe, like Michael before him, kept winning.

As I wrote last year, Jalen Hurts is one of many athletes that abides by what I call The Michael Jordan Intensity Operating System. A “win-at-all-costs” mentality that uplifts work ethic and dedication to the game, but also one that can fray relationships with teammates and coaches. McManus and Fowler described Hurts well, saying:

Hurts is an introvert by nature, sources close to him said, which can make him hard to read. Some might view him as a stoic leader with the calm approach needed to navigate the exaggerated ups and downs that come with playing in a rabid sports city such as Philadelphia. Others might view him as detached and above it all.

They continued, saying of Hurts,

His steely resolve can be both a benefit and a hindrance as the face of the franchise. Force fields are good for keeping unnecessary distractions out but bad for connectivity and allowing essential items in.

Coach Nick Sirianni has compared Hurts’ leadership-style to Michael Jordan, and his agent, Nicole Lynn, “likened his obsessive work ethic to that of former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant.” As McManus and Fowler wrote, “that unrelenting, demanding mentality toward not just himself but his teammates can be met with mixed reactions.”

The dynamics of an NFL locker room are complicated. The same way they are in a workplace, a community, or a home. Mounting pressure can shapeshift relationships. Feelings get hurt. Friendships are tested.

An example of this is Hurts’ well-documented relationship with A.J. Brown (which I wrote about last year). McManus and Fowler reiterated the struggles, saying:

Multiple team sources say they never saw Brown and Hurts engage in an argument during the season and were professional throughout the season. But both also tend to internalize issues, which leads to a lack of communication, sources said. “Clearing the air probably doesn’t happen as often as it should,” a source said.

Hurts is stoic and calm but also fiery and demanding in his own way, wanting to do what it takes to win. That relentless demand brings visions of Kobe and Jordan, and I have no doubt it can rub people the wrong way. But Hurts is not Kobe (just ask Smush Parker) or Jordan (just watch The Last Dance).

Phil Jackson referred to Kobe as “uncoachable” and “would go against the grain of the team.” Phil wasn’t the best, but that speaks to how Kobe was perceived at the time. Steve Kerr (who got in a fist fight with Michael Jordan) once said that “Michael would just bludgeon everyone around him.” Jordan himself once said, “If you don’t get on the same level as me, then it’s going to be hell for you.” Both were difficult personalities, but we all decided that the results justified the means. So many athletes formed their perspectives from watching Michael and Kobe. A crazed competitiveness that defined generations.

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That’s not necessarily Hurts, although parts of it are. While demanding and naturally reclusive, Hurts has made an effort to change. We’ve seen him hold himself accountable and continue to learn and evolve. Hurts worked with Nick Sirianni to fix their rift, which led to a Super Bowl-winning season. He’s made an effort to come out of his shell and connect with his teammates. McManus and Fowler reference Brandon Graham speaking of Hurts working to change after receiving criticism that he’s not vocal enough or connecting with teammates, saying:

“It’s big of him to be stepping out because he’s the top dog and he knows that, being that quarterback and everybody wanting to be in your presence. I’m happy he’s coming out of his shell.”

It could be that Hurts’ detractors react negatively to how his personality feels so close to Kobe or Jordan without the same level of results. We live in a culture of comparison and level-setting. No one can get too high. Hurts speaks in inspirational sayings and gives press conferences that make Nick Saban look like the most charming man alive. But Hurts is who he is and has never shied away from that.

McManus and Fowler attributed a lot of what’s happened with the Eagles offense to Jalen’s preferences, writing:

He has pushed back on changes that would diversify the scheme, sources said, including when it comes to him going under center more. He has shown a reluctance to let it rip at times, particularly against zone coverage. He diverts from the game plan and changes playcalls to what some feel is an excessive degree. His strong preferences, coupled with the coaches’ efforts to play to his strengths, which include his deep-ball accuracy and throws to the perimeter, limit the breadth to which the offense can expand -- or at least that’s the way it has gone in the past.

Mike Tomlin once said, “I love to hear coaches resist the responsibility of coaching…they talk negatively about a dude that can’t learn…if everybody could learn, we’d need less coaches. If the group didn’t need management, then we wouldn’t make as much.” As a coach’s son who played under one of the most demanding college football coaches of all-time and has shown an ability to listen to leaders with a clear vision, I don’t think we can say Jalen Hurts isn’t coachable. Every NFL player has their preferences. It’s the job of NFL coaches to decide when to lean into those preferences and when to do what is best for your team and your vision. It’s Nick Sirianni’s responsibility to say that we shouldn’t run four verts.

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If the Eagles want to soar back to championship heights, they need to be unafraid to push Hurts out of his comfort zone. To coach him hard. Nick Sirianni and his staff need firm belief in a system, rigid expectations, and a lack of fear to push their star quarterback to do the things he doesn’t like doing. Discomfort is how you grow. That’s what coaching is for.

Hurts, who is on his 6th offensive coordinator in 7 seasons, has had to learn and unlearn over and over again. And despite the change, he has reached the pinnacle of his sport.

His story is an underdog story. A player who may not be for everyone, but definitely isn’t worth the strife.

I spent the past week in Guatemala, my first trip to Central America. I watched the sky paint the backs of volcanoes as the afternoon fog lowered to kiss the trees. White clouds moved with purpose above me as lush greenery consumed the earth around me. As I stood in wonder of nature’s brilliance, one singular thought kept crossing my mind...“damn, the Eagles are looking pretty light at the safety position.”

As we move on from winter like Kevin Patullo’s offensive coordinator career, we turn the page toward one of the most important months in the NFL calendar and the official start of draft season. Three weeks removed from the start of free agency, the 2026 Eagles are starting to take shape. As currently constructed, Howie Roseman’s creation is speckled with weak spots and question marks. Like an IKEA table you’re missing a couple screws for that doesn’t look quite like the picture.

But Howie attended the Daryl Morey School of “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over.” The team in April is not the final team. The next phase is infusing an expensive roster with young, inexpensive talent through the NFL Draft, which kicks off on April 23. As we gear up for the next hallmark of the NFL season (and inhale YouTube highlights of D3 tight ends we swear are hidden gems), here’s where the Birds stand entering draft season.

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The Beat Goes On for A.J. Brown

This A.J. Brown story is like getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist. People are yapping at you throughout the whole thing, and all you can think about is when it’s going to be over. As the question of Arthur Juan’s future remains, the Eagles have made some minor moves at wide receiver.

Hollywood comes to South Philly as Marquise Brown signed a 1-year deal with his favorite childhood team. Hollywood has the potential to be a game-breaking #3 wide receiver for Philly, with the speed to stretch the field for one of the best deep ball throwers in the league, in Jalen Hurts. His addition to the team feels more complementary to the roster as currently constructed, rather than a direct replacement for Brown’s production.

The more interesting signing is the Eagles bringing in wide receiver Elijah Moore, a former 2nd-round pick by the Jets in 2021 and a close friend of A.J. Brown. Moore and Brown played together at Ole Miss in 2018 and have a famously close relationship. Moore spoke with ESPN about their relationship in 2022, saying:

“I wouldn’t even call it a friendship. It’s family. The things we’ve been through, the things we talk about, it has real substance. That’s someone who is connected to me in a way that’s more than… He’s blood.”

Moore’s signing is notable because he’s not an especially accomplished wide receiver. He played two years with the Jets, two years in Cleveland, and last year in Buffalo, where he logged 112 yards in 9 games last year for a notoriously light receiving core. He still hasn’t topped the 5 touchdown mark he set in his rookie year as a highly-touted prospect with the Jets. It’s hard to fault Moore; having the Jets and Browns on your resume is like getting an entry-level job at a landfill fresh out of college. But still, Moore will have to fight for a roster spot in Philly.

The Eagles love taking a chance on undervalued prospects, but I see the Moore signing as…um…more. As mentioned in a profile on Brown in the Athletic by Brooks Kubena, A.J. doesn’t consider himself to have many close friends, saying, “Obviously, I have teammates who I care about, and I love. But as far as close friends who I can truly, truly depend on, I think that’s just a lot. And I don’t want to place that on someone.”

“A.J. is particular,” said Moore in the same piece. “When you call someone a friend, it’s like basically one level below a wife: a true friend. A friend that’s seen everything, all your flaws, not going to judge you, but also work through them with you.” Moore helped A.J. when he was dealing with significant mental health struggles in the 2020 season, and the college teammates have stayed close.

It’s hard to interpret the Moore signing as anything less than an effort to create a positive environment for A.J. Howie Roseman denied this in his press availability at the Annual League Meeting earlier this week, saying, “Everything we’re doing is based on the particulars of the players. There’s nothing we’re doing to do favors [for] ... anyone.”

But I don’t know if I believe that. All week at the Annual League Meeting, the Eagles have kept the company line, reiterating that “A.J. Brown is an Eagle for now.” Earlier in the offseason, Roseman alluded to the fact that the Eagles are in the business of having great players, and A.J. Brown is a great player.

Color me delusional, but I think this move is all about optionality. I don’t think moving on from A.J. is as set in stone as the narrative would have us believe. I think Howie Roseman and the Eagles are keeping their options open. If you can create a positive environment for Brown in an offense that he wants to continue to be a part of, then roll the dice in 2026 and work together to try to bring a third Lombardi to Philadelphia. If Brown sees the offense and the environment as untenable for his goals, then trade him to New England after June 1 when his dead money hit lessens. And if Moore gives you any sort of production, that’s icing on the cake.

Eagles Insider Derek Gunn shared an interesting note on 97.5 the Fanatic, saying, “The Eagles are not actively trying to move A.J. As smart of a business entity as they are, you have to listen to any and every offer. Obviously, whatever offers and rumors that have been out there have not been good enough to entice the Eagles to make the move.” Patriots GM Eliot Wolf echoed those thoughts on an appearance on Up and Adams, saying, “A.J. Brown is a member of the Eagles, as Howie mentioned yesterday, and we haven’t had any conversations about anything regarding that in a long time.”

So, we’ll see what happens. Either way, I expect the Eagles to draft a rookie wide receiver in the middle rounds as a low-cost option to strengthen a position group that would suddenly look less formidable if you remove Brown.

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Safety? Hardly Knew Ye.

With the loss of Reed Blankenship, the Eagles’ safety room is looking thinner than George Costanza’s hairline. The Birds are leaning on second-year safety Andrew Mukuba, coming off a season-ending injury and an up-and-down performance in 2025, to lead the position group.

As Mukuba looks to reach his potential as an undersized ballhawk, he’ll be flanked by Michael Carter II (a former slot corner who the Eagles traded for last year) or Marcus Epps (who was a steady hand in Mukuba’s place last season). The Eagles also signed safety J.T. Gray, an 8-year veteran and 3-time All-Pro special teams player. Gray’s never started a game at safety, so the Eagles will look to take advantage of his difference-making skills on special teams.

The Eagles also didn’t invest in safety heavily last year around Blankenship and Mukuba. With a strong cornerback group bolstered by the signing of former Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen, the Eagles are comfortable with having safety as a weak spot, knowing their cornerbacks, led by Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, can make up the difference.

There are still free agent options on the market, including former Steelers safeties Chuck Clark and Kyle Dugger, and former Texans safety Jimmie Ward. But expect the Eagles to evaluate what they have before making any additional moves.

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Can I Get a Pass Rusher?

After the Panthers pried away Jaelan Phillips by paying him the GDP of a small island nation, the Eagles are left with a gaping hole at pass rusher, a position the Eagles historically place high value on. But who will devour quarterbacks across from promising youngsters Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt?

The Eagles signed former Falcons edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie and former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who played for Cleveland and Chicago last year. Both are undervalued players with high upside. Despite that, neither is meant to fully replace what Phillips and Josh Sweat, before him, brought to this team.

I can see the Eagles drafting an edge rusher in what looks like a very deep class. On the other side of the draft, if the Eagles still feel like there’s a hole at the position, they have some free agent options. Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa was connected to the Birds before signing with Cleveland. But Cleveland recently opted not to sign Epenesa after issues with his physical. Is that Howie’s theme music I hear?

Other free agent options are oft-injured but still productive edge Joey Bosa, who played 15 games in Buffalo last year and logged 5 sacks, and human building who’s seemingly on a new team every season, Jadeveon Clowney.

The most interesting option? 33-year-old Leonard Floyd, who played under Vic Fangio in Chicago. Last season with Atlanta, Floyd had 19 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 10 quarterback pressures, and 11 quarterback hits in 15 games. Daniel Popper of The Athletic wrote, “Floyd still has the juice to press tackles to the corner as a rotational rusher. He produced pressure on 13 percent of his pass-rush snaps, a rate that ranked in the top 50 among all players with at least 200 pass-rushing snaps. It topped his pressure rate from each of the previous three seasons.”

The other option is the trade market. Does Philly let the dust settle after the draft and look at a trade to bring Josh Sweat back home from Arizona? Or potentially trade for the Vikings, Jonathan Greenard? You know what, f*** it, I’ll do it. Put me in Howie.

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Stem Cells, Bounce-Backs, and the Offensive Line

Philly’s offensive line is looking for a bounce-back performance after a down year, while also learning an entirely new scheme. On top of that, a long-time strength suddenly has some big question marks. The biggest of all is their overall health. Last year, the Eagles’ offensive line missed a total of 14 games (8 of those by Lane Johnson and another 3 by Cam Jurgens).

In a recent interview with Bussin’ with the Boys, Jurgens explained his injury issues, saying his disc “broke off and got wrapped around my sciatic nerve, so it was just like suffocating my leg. It was hard to walk, I don’t know how I was playing.” Not great!

The Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run clearly took a huge toll. Both Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens have both gone to Colombia to seek stem cell treatment for their injuries. Going to another country to seek cutting-edge medical procedures is always a good sign!

On top of that, the Eagles are weirdly light in offensive line depth. They lost occasional human turnstile, occasional replacement-level lineman Brett Toth to the 49ers. Their backups include undersized center Willie Lampkin and unproven second-year players Drew Kendall, Jake Majors (a player I’m not convinced is real), Cameron Williams, and Myles Hinton. The expectation for all of those players to develop with the loss of Jeff Stoutland is a tall order.

I can see the Eagles tapping into a draft class with strong interior line prospects come April 23. If they want to work the market, there are options, including old friend Mekhi Becton (who is still very large). Expect the Birds to work through the draft and let the market settle before bringing someone in.

One move the Eagles did make was bringing back swing tackle Fred Johnson on a 1-year deal. Johnson is a locker-room favorite and played well last season, filling in for an injured Lane Johnson in 8 games. Johnson is also familiar with the Shanahan-McVay system, playing under former Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor as a backup with the Bengals, and spending training camp with McVay disciple Liam Coen and the Jaguars last year.

Fred’s success in that system is yet to be seen since he was cut by the Bengals, and the Jags traded him back to Philly. Still, his familiarity with the system could really help this group.

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The Tanner McKee Trade Machine

We’re keeping the Trade Tanner dream alive, but the market has really dried up for our boy Tanner McKee. Entering the last year of his rookie contract, Philly was expected to trade Tanner to a quarterback-hungry team. But then Kyler Murray got released, Geno Smith got traded, and Malik Willis took his talents to South Beach.

In the meantime, the Eagles traded a 2027 7th-round pick for Andy Dalton, who’s known as a great mentor to young quarterbacks and almost ran away with the Panthers’ starting job before a car accident two years ago handed the reins to Bryce Young. Dalton is a great player to have in the building to help with Jalen Hurts’ development. Hurts is now surrounded by current and former NFL veteran quarterbacks in Dalton, offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, and offensive coach Jerrod Johnson.

McKee’s market may be drying up, but out of the NFL veteran options available, he looks like the best in a market filled with Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers (who is Pittsburgh or bust). McKee has potential as a bridge-starter for a rebuilding team and could be on the move after the draft.

Depending on how things shake out, maybe McKee gets a chance with the Arizona Cardinals, the last stop on the QB-needy merry-go-round, and a team that’s dying to draft Ty Simpson way too high. Arizona would be better suited to take a chance on the Stanford Slingshot.

Eagles Draft Picks this Year

• 1st Round: Own Pick (No. 23 overall)

• 2nd Round: Own Pick (No. 54 overall)

• 3rd Round: From Jets (No. 68 overall, Haason Reddick Trade)

• 3rd Round: Compensatory Pick (No. 98 overall)

• 4th Round: From Falcons (No. 114 overall, Sydney Brown Trade)

• 4th Round: Compensatory Pick (No. 137 overall)

• 5th Round: From Falcons (No. 153 overall, 2025 NFL Draft Trade)

• 5th Round: Compensatory Pick (No. 178 overall)

• 6th Round: From Falcons (No. 197 overall, Sydney Brown Trade)

After committing truancy, terrorizing a small town, and driving his friend to a mental breakdown, Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast; if you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you might miss it.” That also pretty much describes Maxx Crosby’s career with the Baltimore Ravens. (Editor’s note: I have an idea for a sequel called Ferris Bueller’s PTO where a grown-up Ferris plays hooky from work and loses his job.)

It’s been a little over two weeks since the Ravens backed out of the blockbuster deal that would bring Crosby to Charm City for the cost of two first-round picks. The Ravens went into full panic mode. They had 8 modelos, got married to a stranger in a Vegas chapel, and woke up the next morning regretting their decision. They used a failed physical by Crosby to pull out of the deal and sign Trey Hendrickson at a lower cost instead. It’s a move that has already had ripple effects across the league. As Al Pacino once shouted in the raspiest voice you’ve ever heard in your life, “Life is a game of inches, so is football.”

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta leaves us with one of the biggest “what-ifs” in football history. Crosby is a game wrecker who could’ve wrecked games on Baltimore’s behalf. The man spells his first name with two x’s; he’s built for this. Crosby could’ve been the missing piece the franchise needed to compete for their first Super Bowl since 2013, and a chance for Lamar Jackson to finally breathe in that championship air. Instead, Crosby is banished back to the shadow realm (also known as Las Vegas) to hang out with Tom Brady’s weird trainer while trying to drag the Raiders out of their 20-plus-year slump.

The Crosby situation evokes memories of other players who were on track to play for a certain team before things fizzled out at the last minute. We’ll call them the Never-There All-Stars. Players whose illustrious careers include legacies for teams they’ve never even played for. Those small decisions changed football history. Life is a game of inches, so is football.

So today I’m linking up with one of my favorite Substack writers to dive into our favorite Never-There All-Stars and explore the stories of some “almost happeneds” and “could have beens” all while Tommy tackles some Giants PTSD and I get mad at Chip Kelly all over again.

Brett Favre to Tampa Bay Buccaneers

TOMMY: As I was researching this trade, I was reminded that Favre’s last pass as a Packer was an overtime pick to Corey Webster in the 2007 NFC Championship Game. That sent me down a rabbit hole of nostalgia and bitter anger at what the piece-of-shit Giants have become, but this isn’t about that.

Maybe that bitterness bled into my view of Brett Favre. Or maybe the research just reminded me that I always kind of thought he was a dick. I loved watching him play and respect the hell out of his game, but whether he is or was a dick has no impact on what happened between him, the Bucs, his agent, and eventually, the Jets.

With 2005 first-round pick Aaron Rodgers, another dick with caveats, waiting to take over, and Favre throwing two overtime interceptions in the playoffs over a four-year stretch, the Packers were ready to move on from their three-time MVP and Super Bowl champion.

The 2007 Jon Gruden-coached Bucs won the NFC South at 9–7 but were bounced in the Wild Card round by the New York Giants (nostalgia, bitterness). They were looking for an upgrade over the aging but efficient Jeff Garcia, who had 13 starts, a 64% completion rate, 13 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions at 37 years old. A reunion between Gruden and Favre, who had previously worked together in Green Bay, felt like it was lining up.

With little interest around the league and Tampa Bay as the only real bidder, Favre believed the deal was a foregone conclusion. The Bucs staff was celebrating, and Favre had already started studying the playbook.

What unfolded, according to former Bucs GM Mark Dominik with additional reporting from JoeBucsFan, was that Tampa did not push hard enough. They were essentially bidding against themselves and did not want to overpay. The Jets ended up landing Favre for a conditional fourth-round pick. It could escalate to a second if he played 70 percent of snaps and the team made the playoffs, or even a first if they won the Super Bowl.

The Bucs had a deal in place, and Favre was on board. But when news broke publicly that he had been traded to the Jets, not Tampa, without his knowledge, everything shifted.

Favre told the Orlando Sentinel, “[Mike Tannenbaum] knew that by making that trade there was a chance I could turn it down, but when the trade was made and it was public news without my knowledge, how could I change my mind?”

“There had been enough dirt kicked around up to that point. That’s basically what happened. And it was a tough, tough decision. When that was done for me, without my consent, I was like, ‘I’m not going to make things any worse.’ And I think that’s exactly what the Packers were banking on.”

Jeff Garcia returned as the starter for the Bucs, who again went 9–7 in 2008 but finished third in the division after losing their final four games, which cost Gruden his job.

Favre started all 16 games for the 2008 Jets, who also went 9–7 and missed the playoffs. He threw 22 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. A year later, he nearly took the Vikings to the Super Bowl, falling in overtime to the Saints.

Here is how Dominik looks back on it:

“I look back on that and say if we had just upped our ante a little bit more, I wonder how many lives would be different than they are today versus Brett going to the Jets and then Minnesota. Because we went 9–7 in 2008 without Brett Favre, and I gotta think we would have been 11–5 easily, if not better, with Brett Favre, and that would have been awesome to see.”

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Frank Gore and the Philadelphia Eagles

JEREMY: Coming off his second 10-6 season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Chip Kelly went full Napoleon mode to seize ultimate control of the team. He traded away star running back LeSean McCoy, planted a story fabricating star wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s gang ties, traded future Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles for Sam Bradford (a man whose sleeves were longer than his career in Philly), and banished Howie Roseman into a closet in the Novacare Complex. Don’t let anyone tell you that a team can’t change its fortunes in an offseason.

After agreeing to a monstrous deal with promising (and future catastrophic) cornerback Byron Maxwell to start the offseason, Kelly had his eyes set on bringing legendary 49ers running back Frank Gore to South Philly. Gore was one of the most productive running backs in the league. A consistent top 5 fantasy pick that your most desperate friend kept trying to trade you Ben Roethlisberger and Laverneus Coles for. He was steady and reliable, a walking 1000-yard season and the perfect fit for the offense Chip Kelly wanted to run.

During the legal tampering period, Gore agreed to a deal with Philly. The streets rejoiced. Losing LeSean McCoy sucked, but at least an NFL legend was entering the building. But less than 24 hours later, fortunes had changed.

Gore backed out of his deal with the Eagles to play with Andrew Luck and the Chuck Pagano-led Indianapolis Colts. Gore explained his decision years later, saying:

“Nick Foles called me, I committed to him and said I was going to come. He called me, said congrats, can’t wait to get on the field. And then the next day he gets traded. Then I see Jeremy Maclin, he goes to Kansas City…so I saw the Colts, they were off the AFC championship, I thought if I go to the Colts and I called Andre Johnson, I think we can get them over the top. That’s why I went to Indy.”

The 2015 Colts went 8-8 before firing offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton (whose name sounds like a character from the Pixar movie Cars) mid-season and replacing him with Rob Chudzinski (whose name sounds like your frat brothers’ brother who would come to visit and pass out at 8 pm from a serious case of intoxication). They lost the division for the first time in 4 years to the Bill O’Brien and Brian Hoyer-led Houston Texans, but Gore played well. He ran for 967 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2015 and had his last 1,000-yard season with the Colts in 2016.

As for the 2015 Eagles, they crashed out like your friend who’s losing in Settlers of Catan and flips the board out of frustration. Chip Kelly thought he was conducting an orchestra, but instead was conducting a 10-car pile-up. The Birds pivoted from Gore to sign former Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, who went from rushing for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns with Dallas to rushing for 702 yards and 6 touchdowns in Philly. The Eagles went 7-9, missed the playoffs, and Chip Kelly was fired, leading to Howie Roseman’s re-emergence and subsequent revenge tour that brought Philadelphia its first Super Bowl just two years later. Karma is a Birds fan.

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A-Rod to Red Sox

TOMMY: I mentioned I was bitter writing about two teams that the Giants defeated on their way to their glorious Super Bowl victory against the undefeated Patriots. This isn’t about that, but I wish it was.

Researching this trade took a serious emotional toll on me. The only thing keeping me from DMing Jeremy right now to say I don’t want to do this trade is how the 2009 season ended in Yankee Stadium. This isn’t really about that either.

On December 11, 2000, the Texas Rangers signed Alex Rodriguez, the 25-year-old shortstop coming off three consecutive 40-plus home run seasons, to a fucking gobsmacking, at the time, 10-year, $252 million contract. Over the next three years, A-Rod put up two 50-plus home run seasons, won an MVP, and earned two Gold Gloves. What he didn’t do was play in a playoff game. The Rangers finished last in their division all three years.

With a massive financial burden and no team success to show for it, the Rangers started looking for suitors.

Enter the piece of shit, goddamned, motherfucking Red Sox, from here on out referred to as the Red Sox.

And so my pain begins with one of the most joyful moments of my non-father, non-husband life (just in case she reads this), and the last game of the Red Sox 2003 season. In the bottom of the 11th inning, in a 5-5 game, Aaron Boone sent Tim Wakefield’s first pitch into deep left field, sending the Yankees to their sixth World Series in eight years and sending their rivals home disappointed again.

Their plan to overcome the “Evil Empire” (give me a fuckin break) was to acquire the reigning MVP, Gold Glove shortstop, and finally break the curse from 1918.

Reading ESPN’s 30 for 30 Shorts: How the Sox Lost A-Rod reminded me of the deal that was on the table:

• Red Sox receive: Alex Rodriguez

• White Sox receive: Nomahhhh (Nomar Garciaparra)

• Rangers receive: Manny Ramirez and Jon Lester

The issue was the $179 million remaining on A-Rod’s deal. Theo Epstein called it a “non-starter.”

A-Rod, who at the time and many times after I thought was a total dick, agreed to reduce his salary to join the Red Sox at shortstop. He even signed the restructured deal.

The Players Association put the kibosh on it, worried it would set a precedent that could cost other players money. Trade over. Fuck the Red Sox. Yes.

Enter the New York Yankees. Fresh off Boone’s home run, he promptly blew out his knee playing basketball, and the Yankees suddenly needed a third baseman.

A-Rod had already agreed to less money, not a very dickish thing to do. Now the Yankees asked him to change both his number and his position, moving off shortstop, where he was unquestionably the best regular-season shortstop in the game, for a chance at a title. He agreed. Not dickish at all.

The Yankees essentially traded Alfonso Soriano, a great regular-season player and a dog shit postseason second baseman, to the Rangers for A-Rod, with Texas sending cash.

Now the stage was set for the Yankees to dominate the Red Sox for years to come. More championships, more shit-talking. It all lined up perfectly. Varitek versus A-Rod during the regular season, rivalry boiling over, and then the Red Sox and Yankees meet again in the 2004 ALCS.

We all know the story, and I am still dealing with the emotions, but I’ll recap it quickly.

The Yankees jumped out to a commanding 3-0 series lead. Game 4, up a run in the ninth. Yada yada yada, Mueller grounded off Mo, the Red Sox win that game in 11 on a David Ortiz home run, take the next three, including another extra innings win (maroooooooone), Big Papi, and go on to sweep the Cardinals and break the curse.

They would win two more World Series before A-Rod retired in 2016.

Ultimately, A-Rod did get his long-awaited World Series ring in 2009 with the New York Yankees, but this isn’t about that.

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Eli Manning and the Chargers

JEREMY: Imagine you’re fresh out of college. You get an opportunity at a consulting firm, but it’s not the one you want. So you demand they send you to that other firm or else you’re not showing up on Monday. That’s pretty much what Eli Manning did in 2004. The balls, the chutzpah, the cojones.

The 2004 draft class was loaded with talent, including quarterbacks Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger (side note: is the 2004 draft the greatest of all-time? It also included Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow, Jonathan Vilma, Vince Wilfork, Steven Jackson, Jason Babin, Karlos Dansby, Julius Jones, and Bob Sanders.) At the top of the draft was good ol’ Eli, coming off a legendary season at Ole Miss.

The San Diego Chargers had long struggled to find their quarterback of the future. San Diego was a place where young quarterbacks went to fail, from the Ryan Leaf disaster to an underwhelming first two seasons from a young quarterback out of Purdue named Drew Brees. With that in mind, general manager A.J. Smith and head coach Marty Schottenheimer had their sights set on Eli.

But Manning was football royalty. His nobility gave him some sway and he intended to use it. Knowing that San Diego was going to draft him, he told them thanks but no thanks as his camp told the Chargers that he wouldn’t play for them if drafted there. Manning said this years later to CBS Sports:

“Going through the draft process, I was just worried about the Chargers organization at the time. I felt it was the right decision and I had a little pull. I quietly tried to say ‘Hey, please don’t draft me, it can be our secret,’ and they didn’t keep the secret part very well.”

Word of the possibility of Manning refusing to play for San Diego reached Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi. The Giants were slated to pick 4th that year and were looking to draft Ben Roethlisberger out of Miami Ohio. In NFL Meetings that spring, Accorsi let San Diego know that New York would be interested in making a deal if Manning’s threat came to fruition. But San Diego called the bluff.

They chose Manning number one on draft night, and things went as predicted. Like when your girlfriend says she doesn’t want to go see the new John Wick, so you decide to take her there on a surprise date, hoping it will change her mind.

Eli refused to go to San Diego, forcing the Chargers to make a deal with New York. They landed on trading Manning to New York in exchange for #4 draft pick Phillip Rivers, a 2004 3rd round pick (that became Nate Kaeding, one of the best Chargers kickers of all-time), a 2005 first-round pick (that became All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman), and a 2005 fifth-round pick.

Manning went on to lead New York to two Super Bowls. In San Diego, Drew Brees ended up having his two best years with the Chargers after Rivers was drafted but left for New Orleans in 2006. Rivers became the great quarterback the Chargers had been waiting for, developing into one of the best players in the league and starting for the team until 2020.

The Oppenheimer moment for the Eli Manning trade was John Elway threatening to play for the Yankees when he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1983, before finally being traded to Denver. The general manager for the Colts at the time was none other than Ernie Accorsi.

Chris Paul to the Lakers

JEREMY: The Phil Jackson Lakers dynasty was finally coming to a close. After rediscovering themselves in the late aughts to win two championships in three years, Kobe’s purple and gold were ousted in the conference semis by the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki. The worst kid in your math class who wore a Pau Gasol jersey to school every day was finally quiet.

The following season, the league entered a 5-month lockout that ended with a new collective bargaining agreement centered on competitive balance between large and small market teams. With the lockout coming to a close, the Lakers thought it was the perfect opportunity to reassert their dominance by trading for the league’s best point guard. A real “you come at the king, you best not miss” moment.

Chris Paul was coming off an all-star season with the New Orleans Hornets, but made it clear that he intended to become a free agent after the season instead of signing an extension with the team. The Hornets were a mess. Their owner ran out of money, and they were technically owned and operated by the NBA itself. Paul wanted out.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak smelled blood in the water and reached a deal with the Hornets to acquire the Point God in a three-way trade that would give the Hornets Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic, and a 2012 first-round pick, while trading All-Star big man Pau Gasol to Houston.

Kobe Bryant and CP3 would’ve been a revelation. One of the greatest scorers of a generation, paired with one of the greatest point guards of all-time, not yet at his apex. The toxicity of their personalities alone would’ve been the stuff for an HBO Original Series. Unfortunately, the NBA owners deprived us of that rich potential. In less than an hour, NBA Commissioner David Stern informed the teams that the deal could not happen.

The NBA owners were outraged at the big-market Lakers continuing their dominance with a trade like this. The owners and Stern argued that it obstructed the competitive balance that the whole lockout was meant to solve. Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert (who I imagine talks like a kid who’s a temper tantrum away from being placed in time-out), in an email to Stern, called the trade “a travesty” and said, “I just don’t see how this trade can be allowed to happen.” Gilbert got his payback when LeBron James left Cleveland to form a superteam with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. He who fucks around finds out.

As a result, Paul was instead traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and a 2012 first-round pick (which became Austin Rivers). The Lakers pivoted and acquired Steve Nash in a sign-and-trade from Phoenix while also trading for Dwight Howard in a four-team trade, which resulted in Andrew Bynum heading to the 76ers (a point I only mention because I’m a Sixers fan and still mad about it). The Lakers superteam crashed out under Mike Brown, and Paul helped lead one of the most successful eras of Clippers basketball.

Still, we dream of what could’ve been with Chris Paul and Kobe yelling at each other on the bench while leading the Lake Show to their first championship in the post-Phil Jackson era. We don’t know what we missed.

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A great football team is like a great album. Every piece is placed perfectly, seamlessly coalescing into a body of work that commands your attention. Great teams are Abbey Road, Voodoo, Thriller. Mediocre teams are a collection of B-sides and skits that drag on too long. Bad teams are more like a user-generated YouTube playlist that fluctuates between Nas, Aphex Twin, and whale sounds.

As the league turns over a new year, free agency arrives as an opportunity for teams to chase that legendary album. Though free agency is no longer the primary team-building tool for well-run franchises (who prefer cost-controlled measures like the draft and the trade market), it’s still an opportunity to add key players who can sure up a team’s weak spots and cement a winning direction.

Less than a week in (which somehow also feels like a month), we’ve seen a center sign a record-setting contract, the Ravens trade for Maxx Crosby only to say “I’m just jokin’”, and a few highly-drafted quarterbacks being released by their teams’ new regimes. Free agency is a cold world.

Through it all, the Philadelphia Eagles are trying to Eat, Pray, Love themselves into a new offensive identity after being bounced in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Eagles are like your roommate in college got fired from their VC firm, took psychedelics for the first time, and decided to commit themselves to practicing Reiki (“Derek, please stop commenting on my chakra”).

While other teams have aggressively built through free agency, the Eagles still have a lot to figure out. Like your least productive coworker likes to say, it feels like they’re just “juggling a lot right now.”

The A.J. Brown decision is swinging over their head like an All-Pro guillotine while the Eagles still need to make a call on re-signing Dallas Goedert or letting him walk. If the Eagles lose Brown and Goedert, that means their top two touchdown catchers will be out of the building (Goedert led the team with 11 touchdown catches in 2025, and Brown came in second with 7).

They also need to extend Jalen Carter while ensuring the 5th-ranked defense by points per game doesn’t take a step back. Still, it’s been an eventful week for the Birds since the legal tampering period started last Monday.

So we’re going to recount the Eagles’ free agency activity through the gift of song, creating our own soundtrack for free agency so far. Let’s see if the Eagles are trending towards Abbey Road or YouTube whale sounds.

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Jordan Davis Signs a 3-Year $78 Million Extension

“So, I’m back up in the game…Running things to keep my swing…Letting all the people know…That I’m back to run the show” - Mark Morrison

“Ain’t really trip on the credit, I just paid all of my dues. I just respected the game, now my name all in the news” - Nipsey Hussle

Big man got paid! After an incredibly productive season, the Eagles awarded defensive tackle Jordan Davis with a $78 million 3-year extension with $65 million guaranteed. The big man got a big check (side note: teams should reward players with contracts by delivering giant Publishers Clearing House-style checks to their front doors).

The extension makes Davis the highest-paid nose tackle in league history and a living reminder of what happens when you ride your Peloton instead of using it as a clothing rack. In 2025, Davis ranked 6th in run stop win rankings, proving to be an elite run defender. He went from averaging 30 tackles in his first three seasons to 72 tackles in 2025. He also had career highs in QB hits, tackles for loss, and batted passes. His season featured highlight plays like the game-winning field goal block against the Rams.

More importantly, Davis is a leader in the locker room and a voice of reason for fellow defensive tackle Jalen Carter. It’s nice to see Davis hanging around in Philly for a long time.

Howie Roseman Stays Patient in Free Agency

“I just want to take it nice and slow” - Usher

As I wrote in my free agency preview, the Eagles are taking things slow in free agency as expected. The best course of action for a contender with an inflated balance sheet is patience and resolve in the face of shiny objects.

Howie Roseman notoriously uses free agency to hunt for undervalued players while avoiding overpaying for any significant contracts. With decisions looming on A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert, Roseman is playing a delicate game with the Eagles’ cap sheet.

The Eagles are prioritizing compensatory draft picks (Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski keeps track of them here), which are awarded to teams that lose free agents to other teams. To redeem the draft picks from losing key starters from last year’s team, the Eagles need to ensure they don’t sign free agents at a greater or equal value than the players they lost.

Still, the Eagles have had a noticeably low number of free agent signings compared to their division rivals. The Cowboys have signed 9 new players in addition to trading a 4th-round pick for Packers defensive tackle Rashan Gary for some reason. The Commanders have signed 12 new players, and the New York Giants have signed 10. The Eagles have signed a grand total of 4 new players, all to 1-year deals.

The slow roll is the right approach for this team. With a team with this much talent, keeping the band together is bound to become expensive. The Eagles are counting on the draft and trade market to build a Super Bowl contender at a cost that makes sense.

Jaelan Phillips Signs with the Carolina Panthers

“North Carolinaaaa come on and raise up” - Petey Pablo

“Do you want him? Or do you want me? Cuz I want you.” - Prince

After acquiring him for a third-round pick from Miami last year, there was hope that all-world game-wrecking edge rusher Jaelan Phillips would re-sign with the Eagles. Phillips was the Eagles’ priority free agent, and reports state that they tried to make a push to bring him back. But an edge rusher of Phillips’ caliber commands a hefty payday and rightfully so.

Jaelan signed with the Carolina Panthers for 4-years and $120M with $80M guaranteed. His contract value is greater than the GDP of the small island nation of Tuvalu (where my Tuvalu-heads at!?).

The 26-year old pass rusher is a star and joins a fast-rising Carolina team that’s rehauling its defense. Unfortunately, there’s no way the Eagles could’ve resigned Phillips at a number close to that. They have too many mouths to feed. Still, Phillips helped take this defense from good to dominant. He’ll be missed as the Eagles look for ways to replace his production.

The Eagles Lose Reed Blankenship, Nakobe Dean, and Jahan Dotson

“Tell me why…is it so…don’t wanna let you go” - Michael Jackson

Free agency can be cruel. The Eagles lost three key starters from their Super Bowl team, signaling a significant shift at key positions.

Wide receiver Jahan Dotson signed with the Atlanta Falcons in the pursuit of more opportunities that reflect his first-round draft pick pedigree. Reed Blankenship is heading to Houston to play under DeMeco Ryans legendary defense. And Nakobe Dean is heading to Vegas to help turn around the struggling Raiders.

Dotson, though underutilized, is a receiver with a lot of potential. With the status of A.J. Brown in the air, I thought the Eagles might hold onto Dotson as insurance. He’d make an excellent second wide-out behind DeVonta Smith. But the price was too steep.

Blankenship has been a key part of the Eagles’ secondary since joining the team as an undrafted free agent. Losing him leaves a hole at the second safety spot next to rookie Andrew Mukuba, a talented player but one the Eagles don’t totally trust yet. With several notable safeties like Jalen Thompson and Jaquan Brisker signing elsewhere, the Eagles are in the wind looking for Blankenship’s replacement.

The Nakobe Dean was heartbreaking but expected. The Eagles drafted Jihaad Campbell last year, signaling that Dean’s time as an Eagle was coming to an end. Still, Nakobe was the beating heart of this defense. He had led the team in forced fumbles and made a highlight play every week. From what we’ve seen of Campbell, he’s up to the challenge to replace Dean, but Vic Fangio also mentioned this week that Campbell will miss most of the offseason recovering from shoulder surgery, which…isn’t ideal.

The Eagles Sign Two Tight-Ends

“You’re not the one” - Sky Ferriera

Philadelphia re-signed a tight end, but it’s just not the one we were expecting. Grant Calcaterra is back in Philly on a 1-year deal. Calcaterra is a solid second tight end.

The receiving threat had his best season in 2024 when he had 24 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown. Last year, he had a whopping 9 catches for 76 yards. Still, Calcaterra has chemistry with Hurts (they were college teammates at Oklahoma) and Hurts has referred to him in the past as a “special player.” He’s a great backup to have on the team as long as you don’t ask him to block (please don’t ask him to block).

Which brings us to the Birds bringing in Jaguars backup tight end Johnny Mundt on a 1-year deal. Mundt’s skillset is that of a brick wall. He’s an excellent blocker, joining a team in need of tight ends who can actually block. As Bleeding Green Nation’s Jonny Page said in a recent film review of Mundt, “His blocking technique is outstanding, and he can play various blocking roles despite not being the biggest.” Despite his blocking skills, Mundt isn’t a threat as a receiver.

Mundt has been in the league for 10 seasons and most notably played with new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion for 4 seasons with the Rams and the Vikings. Mundt is another player familiar with the Shanahan/McVay offensive scheme that the Eagles are shifting towards.

This isn’t a signing that will light the world on fire, but it’s good to have good players that fit this system in the building. Still, neither Calcaterra nor Mundt is the one. If Goedert moves on, the Eagles will still be in pursuit of a #1 tight end on this roster.

Tariq Woolen Signs with the Eagles

I get on they a**, yeah, somebody gotta do it…I make ‘em **** mad, yeah, somebody gotta do it - Kendrick Lamar

The Eagles signed former Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen to a 1-year deal a month after Woolen won his first Super Bowl with the Seahawks. The 5th-year cornerback is insanely talented. At 6-foot-4, Woolen boasts a rare combination of size and speed.

He was a revelation in his rookie season, finishing the season as a finalist for defensive rookie of the year. In the three seasons since, Woolen’s performance has fluctuated. He has a lot in common with Eagles fans, he talks a lot of shit and is unnecessarily aggressive at times. Our boy will fit right in.

For all of his physical gifts, Woolen can suffer from poor tackling, lapses in concentration, and a healthy dose of penalties. He’s a bit of a hothead who’s been benched on separate occasions due to both on-the-field performance and violating team rules.

Coach Mike Macdonald explained Woolen best to ESPN, saying, “When he’s locked in, I think he’s as good as it gets. And then when he’s not as locked in, then that’s when some technique errors show up. But it has nothing to do with his ability.”

Still, Woolen is a stud. He has the potential to reclaim his status as an elite corner, especially playing alongside Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. He’s a level up from Adoree Jackson. In 2025, Woolen allowed a 54.2% completion percentage and a 75.5 rating for opposing quarterbacks in the regular season. For reference, Adoree Jackson allowed a 62.7% completion percentage and an 87 rating.

The Eagles seem comfortable with shifting their weak spots on defense from the second cornerback spot to safety. Woolen has the potential to be the best outside corner Quinyon Mitchell has played across and make this secondary even more formidable than it was last year. For a one-year prove-it deal, this could be a slam dunk for Howie and the Eagles. The hope is that new Eagles secondary coach Mike Pellegrino can work the wonders that former secondary coach Christian Parker did in player development before Parker left for Dallas. Speaking of…

The Eagles Sign Cornerback Jonathan Jones

“Fully equipped, you know we come wit’ all the supplies” - Busta Rhymes

The Eagles collect cornerbacks like Pokémon cards. Going into training camp in 2025, the Eagles had 11 cornerbacks on the roster. After signing Jonathan Jones, the Eagles currently have 8.

At 32-years-old, Jones is a veteran corner who once upon a time had an elite pedigree. He played 10 seasons in New England with new Eagles secondary coach Mike Pellegrino, winning two Super Bowls. Jones was on the Patriots team the Eagles beat to win their first ring, but didn’t play in that game due to injury.

He played for the Commanders last year, starting a few games in the outside corner spot. In two matchups with the Eagles last season, Jones gave up a 50% and 100% completion percentage, respectively. He’s a smaller corner who currently has the 3rd most games played of any corner in the league behind Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay.

It’s unusual for the Eagles to sign a cornerback in their early 30s, but Jones is a depth piece meant to save us from continuing to watch Kelee Ringo see how many pass interference penalties he can get in a single drive. It won’t move the needle, but depth is good, I guess.

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The Eagles Sign Edge Rusher Arnold Ebiketie

“I’m an alligator, I’m a mama-papa coming for you” - David Bowie

As Bob Marley once said, “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” The opposite can be said for new Eagles defensive end Arnold Ebiketie.

The former Falcons edge rusher signed a 1-year deal with the Birds, coming off a season in Atlanta where he was 10th in the league in pressure rate. The former second-round pick out of Penn State led the Falcons with 6 sacks in 2024. He lacks consistency in defending the run, but Ebiketie is an intriguing prospect with ridiculously high upside.

Taking a flier on a proven player with high upside is Roseman’s theme song. While Ebiketie can be a valuable piece, we can still expect the Eagles to explore bringing in premium pass rush talent.

There are rumors that they’re sniffing around Vikings defensive end Jonathan Greenard and potentially looking at a reunion with former Eagle and current Arizona Cardinal Josh Sweat. Another name to consider after the Ravens pulled the rug out from under the Raiders is Maxx Crosby. The Eagles were rumored to be one of the teams involved in talks with the Raiders up until the trade took place. Do the Eagles part with some draft capital to bring in Crosby and sure up the line?

The Eagles Pause A.J. Brown Trade Talks…For Now

“So many years we’ve tried…To keep our love alive…But baby, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over” - Lenny Kravitz

According to a report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Eagles have decided to pause any trade talks around A.J. Brown for now. As I referenced in my piece on why the Eagles shouldn’t trade A.J., this was always going to be the next step. Trading Brown before June 1 would force the Eagles to incur a $43M dead cap hit. That’s no way to live.

Though the Patriots, Broncos, and Rams were reportedly interested, the Eagles will hold for now. Despite the risk that Brown’s market will shrink after the draft, the Eagles know that the suitors for a top-5 wide receiver are always there.

I wouldn’t put it past Roseman to have a handshake deal with a team like New England in place that they decided to execute after that June 1 date. I hope that the Eagles decide to take a look at A.J. in Sean Mannion’s offense to see if a better scheme can heal all wounds. Maybe Howie Roseman will pull up to A.J.’s house and lift a boom box over his head that plays Eagles Super Bowl highlights until A.J agrees to come back. But it still seems like a separation is imminent…even if it takes a few more months.

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The Eagles Push Back Dallas Goedert’s Void Date

“I will wait for you… yeaa yeaaaa” - Majid Jordan

The biggest domino yet to fall is what to do with Dallas Goedert. For the second time this week, the Eagles have agreed to push back Goedert’s contract void date to March 16.

Once Goedert’s contract is voided, he becomes an unrestricted free agent, and the Eagles will incur $20.5M in dead money. Reports say the Eagles are buying time to negotiate with Goedert. But if Goedert leaves, as I mentioned earlier, the Eagles will have a huge hole at TE1 and lose their top touchdown catcher.

If that happens, expect the Eagles to look at former Browns tight end David Njoku or a player like former Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith. Both players can carry a TE1 load. It should be a wild week.

One month after the Super Bowl, time marches on. Adam Schefter’s phone endlessly vibrates in the distance. You binge YouTube highlights of a slot receiver that you’re convinced can get your team over the hump. Someone named @footballdouche69 tweets that they just saw your favorite player in a rival team’s airport, sending the fanbase into a tailspin. The ESPN design intern who makes the breaking news graphics hasn’t slept in days.

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NFL free agency is back baby, kicking off on March 11 (with legal tampering, where players can unofficially agree to terms with teams, starting on March 9).

In the NFL, much like in life, change is the only constant. Through free agency, the draft, and an ever-growing salary cap, the league’s tools for parity create polarity. Gravity pulls teams at the top towards the murky middle. Talented contenders fight these forces to stay relevant. Bottom dwellers fight their nature to become competent.

The former is where the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves. With one of the most talented rosters in the league, the forces at play are doing their best to pull a loaded roster back to the middle. The Birds have 20 pending free agents before the bell tolls on the new league year. They are victims of their own success. Accumulating so much talent means that you simply can’t afford to keep everyone.

In recent years, Howie Roseman has been up to the challenge. Through strategic trades, excellent drafting, and savvy contract engineering, the Eagles have always managed to stay ahead. And while the chickens haven’t come home to roost, they’re definitely catching a ride in that general direction.

The Eagles are balancing the short-term goals of winning another Super Bowl with long-term goals of preparing to pay young defensive stars like Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell, and Jalen Carter top-of-the-market money. Yesterday afternoon they made Jordan Davis the highest paid nose tackle in NFL history (rightfully so). After years of having an insanely talented, highly paid offense that Eagles will slowly give way to an insanely talented, highly paid defense featuring homegrown talent. In order to do so, sacrifices must be made.

The Eagles have rarely been big players in free agency since the beginning of the Nick Sirianni era. The Eagles have made 72 free agent signings since 2021. Out of those 72 signings, only five have signed multiyear deals. They usually rely on free agency to patch short-term holes on the roster or take a chance on undervalued players.

The biggest free agency year for Philly was in 2024 when the Eagles took advantage of a suppressed runningback market to sign Saquon Barkley, in addition to signing Bryce Huff (woof!), and undervalued players like Mekhi Becton, Zack Baun, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. In free agency, you rarely see Roseman pay top dollar for outside talent. He looks for undervalued players whom the Eagles can unlock (see: Zack Baun). Roseman has always prioritized building this team through the draft or bringing in young talent through the trade market.

So, before the league tampering period starts tomorrow, here are 9 things we can expect from the Birds in this big free agency period. Will they make the right moves to climb back to the mountaintop? Or will long-time listeners, first-time callers be blowing up the phone lines at WIP, saying the season is already over?

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Positions of need

• Wide Receiver

• Tight End

• Safety

• Cornerback

• Edge

• Offensive line depth

• Defensive line depth

• Backup QB

1. Jaelan Phillips is the Priority

The Eagles’ biggest free agent signing could be a player they already have in-house. Since Philly acquired him from Miami with a third-round pick, Jaelan Phillips has been a human bulldozer.

In 2025, the 26-year-old edge rusher ranked third in the league in QB hurries, had the 12th most pressures in the league, and the 4th most pressures on the Eagles despite joining the team halfway through the season.

Phillips is the best pass rusher available on the market, which means it’s going to cost a pretty penny to bring him back to South Philly. An extensive injury history could bring down Phillips’ value just enough for Roseman to resign him. But at his age and with his production, Phillips will be in high demand.

The Eagles are not only thin at edge rusher, but they lack the star power they’ve had in the past. Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt benefitted immensley by playing across from Phillips. He is the rising tide that lifts all boats. Resigning the 26-year-old phenom would immediately make the offseason a success.

If they can’t bring back Phillips, I’d expect the Eagles to be in on Phillips former teammate in Miami, Bradley Chubb (who also played under Fangio).

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2. Expect to Lose More Free Agents Than We Sign

The downside of having an uber-talented team is eventually having to reward everyone with a contract commensurate with that talent. No team has the benefit of keeping everyone (even when your GM is the NFL’s version of the boogeyman). To avoid talent drain while prioritizing playing young homegrown players, Howie Roseman has leaned into the compensatory draft picks system, which rewards teams who lose more free agent value than they gain.

To do so, the Eagles have been willing to let highly productive players walk in free agency to sign bigger deals elsewhere. Last year, the Eagles let players like Milton Williams, Mekhi Becton, and Josh Sweat sign with other teams. While they lost talent, the Eagles are expected to receive 2026 draft compensation in return to the tune of a projected 3rd, 4th, and 5th round pick, according to Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski. Expect much of the same this year.

3. So Long Dallas

Tight end Dallas Goedert was a touchdown-scoring savant this year. Dallas broke the franchise record for touchdown catches by a tight end with 11 touchdowns this year, also good for the 2nd-most touchdown catches in the league, tied with players like Tee Higgins and Trey McBride.

At age 31, Goedert will most likely be chasing the last big payday of his career, one that the Eagles are unfortunately not primed to give him. As the top option in a thin free-agent tight end class, expect another contender to bring Goedert into the fold at a number similar to the amount of gold coins Scrooge McDuck dives into every morning before breakfast. Goedert’s fit in the new Sean Mannion offense would be smooth, but that unfortunately isn’t how this cookie is going to crumble.

For the Eagles, that means they’ll be scouring a surprisingly solid free agent market for tight end talent. The draft will be an option as well, but it typically takes time for tight end prospects to adjust to the league. I can see the Eagles bringing in a couple of tight ends. Expect the Eagles to be in on names like former Pittsburgh tight end Jonnu Smith, former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, former Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo, or former Browns tight end David Njoku.

Another option proposed by Zach Berman of The Athletic is potentially trading for Las Vegas backup tight end Michael Mayer, who’s been underutilized sitting behind world-destroying tight end Brock Bowers.

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4. Will Reed Jump (Blanken)Ship?

As one half of the Exciting Whites, Reed Blankenship has had immense value to the Eagles’ defense since joining the team as an undrafted free agent four years ago. He’s started in two Super Bowls and was a team captain last year. At 27, Blankenship has the potential to score a big contract in free agency.

Yet Reed’s value is hard to determine. It’s kind of like that Comfort Colors shirt from your local bar that you love, but you probably could only sell for $5. Reed is uniquely important to this Eagles defense, but it’s hard to tell how he could translate to a non-Fangio defense. He’s excellent in run defense and has come up with several clutch turnovers, but he also has his weaknesses.

The Cowboys (gross), who just hired Eagles secondary coach Christian Parker to be their defensive coordinator, feel like an obvious landing spot. But the free agent class of safeties is pretty solid. Reed is easily the 5th-best safety available. This is an unpopular opinion, but I could see a world where Blankenship tests the market and decides to come back to Philly on a reasonable deal. If he does decide to leave, I could see the Eagles bringing back Marcus Epps and being active in free agency to fill the hole next to rookie Andrew Mukuba, a promising young player but also one the Eagles don’t yet 100% trust.

5. Moving on from Nakobe Dean

Nakobe Dean had himself a year. The Eagles’ linebacker plays like a madman, the epitome of Vic Fangio’s tough and relentless defense. Dean had 4 sacks (the 4th most on the team), led the team in forced fumbles, and played so well that he kept first draft pick Jihaad Campbell on the bench.

Unfortunately, therein lies the issue. The Eagles drafted Jihaad Campbell in the first round last year to join a crowded linebacker room. Because of that, they appear ready to let Nakobe Dean walk. Seeing Nakobe leave is heartbreaking. He is the heart and soul of this defense in so many ways. But if he left to join a team like Dallas, it would be gut-wrenching.

Needing to allocate resources elsewhere, the Eagles can’t afford to keep Dean at a number that makes sense for him. Expect them to move on.

6. The Wide Receiver Conundrum

I still refuse to believe A.J. Brown will be traded. Not because I don’t think he will be, but because I am self-admittedly delusional. As Doechii once said, denial is a river.

Because of the Brown conundrum, the Birds could go from having their cup runneth over with wide receiver talent to their cup runnething very…umm…under.

It’s unclear if Roseman will trade A.J. Brown this season. I’ve written ad nauseam about Brown and my belief that the Eagles should keep him to see how he looks in Sean Mannion’s offense. We know the asking price from Philly is high, as they’re looking for a 1st round pick, a 2nd round pick, and a player in return. If Brown is traded, the Eagles will be left with Devonta Smith and a bunch of random dudes (sorry, Darius Cooper hive).

Third-string wide receiver Jahan Dotson is also a free agent. Since being acquired from Washington, the former first-round pick has been underutilized due to the fact that Jalen Hurts is allergic to throwing to #3 wide receivers. A loaded offense can’t feed all mouths. But if the Eagles trade Brown, it could be a sign that they’re willing to bring back Dotson as their #2 target getter.

I don’t think the Birds would be comfortable losing one or both without a contingency plan. I also don’t believe they’d spend a premium draft pick (top 100) on a wide receiver at this juncture of the team’s timeline, which means they’ll most likely explore free agency or the trade market to acquire proven wide receiver talent.

Free agent options could include Sean Mannion’s old college teammate Brandin Cooks in a field-stretching role, former Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who’s familiar with Mannion from their time in Green Bay, former Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk, or recently released Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney. Each player is flawed, but could be suitable in a limited role.

But make no mistake, losing A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert in one offseason would fundamentally alter this offense.

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7. Tanner McKee’s Market

The quarterback factory is at it again! The worst dude you know has been calling sports radio every Monday morning, saying that Tanner McKee should start for the Eagles. And while McKee might not be a franchise-altering quarterback prospect, he has untapped potential as a solid starter for an NFL team. The Eagles are expected to explore trading McKee to a team hungry for legitimate quarterback play.

McKee is the perfect bridge starter. A player who could keep a rebuilding team moderately competitive as they hunt for their quarterback of the future. A team like the Jets or the Dolphins (50% of the AFC East) comes to mind. McKee could also be a cheap flier for a team like Minnesota to take and see if he can be a human joystick for Kevin O’Connell. He may lack mobility and top-level physical traits, but he plays on time, has a quick release, and gets the ball where it needs to go when it needs to get there.

Unfortunately for McKee, Malik Willis, Kyler Murray, and Kirk Cousins will be entering the market, soon to be followed by Tua Tagovailoa. McKee’s demand could be suppressed as other players take valuable starting spots across the league.

We’ll see if the Standford Slingshot (trademark pending) can get a chance to show what he can do and get some valuable draft capital back for the Birds.

8. Depth along the trenches

The Eagles’ offensive line is in a period of transition, going from Jeff Stoutland’s scheme to the Shanahan-McVay style wide zone scheme under new offensive line coach Chris Kuper. Aside from that, half of the line (Cam Jurgens, Landon Dickerson, and Lane Johnson) dealt with significant injuries last year that slowed them down.

As they look to recover this year, the Eagles need depth as backups Brett Toth and Fred Johnson hit free agency. I could see the Eagles taking fliers on offensive linemen who are suited for or familiar with this system, like Raiders lineman Dylan Parham or 49ers guard Spencer Burford.

On the defensive line, the Eagles weirdly felt the loss of backup lineman Thomas Booker IV, who they traded to the Raiders for cornerback (and man who can’t cover without committing pass interference) Jakorian Bennett. Depth behind Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis is slim. The Eagles could look at established veteran defensive tackles like Texans linemen Sheldon Rankins, or maybe a reunion with Javon Hargrave once he’s released from the Vikings. Expect both the offensive and defensive line to be a focal point in the draft as Philly gets back to basics by refilling the trenches with young, developmental talent.

9. New Adoree Jackson

Shout out to Adoree Jackson, who went from “very not great” to “pretty solid” in his time playing under Vic Fangio. Jackson is a free agent this year, but I think the Eagles will take a similar approach for the second cornerback spot across from Quinyon Mitchell this year. The benefit of having Mitchell and Cooper DeJean is the number of problems they solve for you.

The Eagles clearly are comfortable with a replacement-level player at that position who can be elevated by the talent around him. Maybe players like former Jaguars cornerback Greg Newsome or former Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes fit the mold here.

For one week every year, Indianapolis becomes the center of the universe. NFL coaches and general managers come together to eat steak, make deals, and watch a bunch of college graduates work out. It’s like the Super Bowl for general managers, sometimes more than the actual Super Bowl.

The NFL Combine officially kicked off the 2026 offseason this week. It’s where prospects become highly touted, backroom conversations spark blockbuster trades, and agents pursue player prerogatives. The combine is where the action happens. It’s like watching that Fast and the Furious movie where Tyrese and Ludacris go to space. You’re not quite sure what’s happening, but you know a lot is going on.

As teams arrived in Indianapolis, coaches and general managers from across the league made themselves available to the media. For most teams, this is the first time their key decision-makers have spoken publicly since Seattle took home the Lombardi trophy three weeks ago. It’s an opportunity for fans to get a glimpse into the direction of their team before free agency kicks off player acquisition on March 11.

We look for general managers to tip their hand about draft plans, trade demands, and how they’ll use free agency. We look to learn about philosophies, player dynamics, and evolving schemes from coaches. We want to hear how we’ll be better next year and who we can expect to be on the team. The only issue is that most press conferences don’t tell you any of that.

When the mic is hot and the cameras are on, NFL GMs and coaches communicate in coachspeak. It’s a language of platitudes that requires context and reading between the lines to pull any strand of intention. The truth is flattened and smoothed over until the only purpose of words is to absorb silence, move air. Responses are so vague that they seem to serve no other purpose than to move on from a reporter’s question.

“We need to get better wide receivers” becomes “we love the guys in our room, but we’re always looking for opportunities to improve.” “Our offense struggled last year” becomes “we did some good things and some not so good things on that side of the ball.” Communicating the truth isn’t the goal.

For head coaches, coachspeak feels less tactical and more cultural. I’m convinced this is the only way that they know how to communicate outside of the locker room. But for GMs, the truth is a weapon to be wielded delicately. Intentions are meant to be hidden to maintain some semblance of control in dealing with agents, players, and rival teams. GMs choose words carefully. As Tom Wambsgans once said, information is “like a bottle of fine wine. You store it, you hoard it, you save it for a special occasion, and then you smash someone’s face in with it.”

Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni both took part in press conferences earlier in the week with their fair share of coachspeak. The Birds have made some significant changes in the past two months after a disappointing season. With trade rumors around A.J. Brown, free agents like Jaelan Phillips, Reed Blankenship, and Nakobe Dean, and a new offensive coordinator hire, we look to Howie and Nick to tell us where the Eagles are headed and what their intentions are come March and April.

So to help, allow me to be your coachspeak translator. It’s like if the NFL Network made a version of Rosetta Stone. We’ll dive into quotes from Howie and Nick and see if we can piece together all of the jargon to pull out some key thoughts about the Eagles’ intentions this offseason.

Howie Roseman

On Brandon Graham

“I mean, Brandon Graham is always welcome in Philadelphia. Obviously, when I think about what he’s done for us as a player, as a person, and then last year, even when he came back and the versatility he showed…just an all-time Eagles great and future Eagles Hall of Famer.”

TRANSLATION: The year is 2040. Howie Roseman hovers his flying car to Brandon Graham’s house. The Eagles are one year removed from their 5th straight Super Bowl under Coach Jason Kelce, but their star pass rusher, Fletcher Cox Jr., just went out for the season. Howie knocks on the door of an old friend and asks him to come back for one more ride. 51-year-old Brandon Graham unretires to become the oldest player to record a tackle.

On the pass rush group

“We usually take 7 or 8 guys to camp; we only have three on the roster right now. It’s a priority position for us, and we’ll try to manage our own guys, free agency, and the draft. It always starts up front for us in Philadelphia.”

TRANSLATION: We’ll be active in taking fliers on high upside free agent edge rushers, but expect us to get back to basics in the draft by taking advantage of a deep class of edge rushers to add some youth to our room. Also, Jaelan Phillips is a priority, and if we can’t afford him, it will break my heart.

On Jake Elliot

“Tremendously clutch, I have a lot of confidence in him as a player, as a kicker, as a person, as a captain on our team, and continue to believe in him as our place kicker.”

TRANSLATION: I’m not taking on a $6.5M dead cap hit to cut a kicker, so get it together Jake!

On hiring Sean Mannion

“For us, casting a wide net, being able to hear everyone’s vision, have them articulate to us…how it would fit our players, because it’s always about our players. With Sean, it was just the system of play he wanted to run, how he was gonna articulate it, how he was going to do that with all of our players.”

TRANSLATION: We wanted to find someone who could maximize Jalen Hurts and build a system that can help him grow while accentuating his strengths. Sean had a clear plan to do that within a system (inspired by the Shanahan-McVay offense) that we’ve always been intrigued by.

On the cornerbacks group

“When you look at Q and Coop leading that group, two All-Pro players, guys who want to be part of the Philadelphia Eagles for a long time. And Coop, he can play anything, he can play outside corner, he can play nickel, he can play at an All-Pro level anywhere. So having him here gives you some flexibility. So we’ll go into the offseason and look to add to that position. Adoree did a really nice job for us last year and got better over the course of the year, and just like any position, he’s a free agent, and we’ll just see how the offseason plays out.”

TRANSLATION: Thanks for the memories, Adoree Jackson! We’ll look at bringing in a cornerback through the draft and hedge our bets by filling the room with a few free agents on short-term deals. We know we have two elite corners at key positions (who we plan on paying to keep here for a while), so we are cool with having a replacement-level dude at the second spot in Fangio’s defense. We can’t take resources away from paying our young defensive stars.

On Cooper DeJean

“Elite player at the nickel position. When you have someone who’s elite at something…and you move them, he can be elite as an outside corner too, but when he’s able to affect the run game, he’s able to affect the pass game, the screen game from there, and you just see the difference that he makes in that role.”

TRANSLATION: I see all of your tweets about moving Cooper DeJean to the outside full-time, and we will not be doing that. He’s an elite slot cornerback, and we think he makes the biggest impact there. We will be paying him a lot of money soon, and I’d trust this 23-year-old with my life.

On trading players

“We have a value for every player on the roster….that doesn’t mean we’d trade them. But at the same time, we gotta be open to listen. That’s what a lot of this week is about, that’s what a lot of the first couple weeks of free agency is about. That doesn’t mean there will necessarily be action, but you have to be willing to listen. We’ll do that during the draft as well. And decide what’s best for the Philadelphia Eagles. At the end of the day, everything we do is about what’s best for the Philadelphia Eagles so that we can try to compete and hopefully win another championship.”

TRANSLATION: We’re not afraid to trade anyone (looking at you, A.J. Brown).

On Dallas Goedert

“Yeah, a tremendous player and person for the Philadelphia Eagles. I’m really glad we were able to figure it out and bring him back to Philadelphia this year and for this season and (he was) tremendously productive for us. Just a huge asset for our offense to have him on our football team...but we’ll certainly sit down with his agent here over the next couple days and have a conversation. Very appreciative of Dallas Goedert.”

TRANSLATION: If the price is right, we’d love to have Dallas back. He could be our Tucker Kraft. He fits everything we want a tight end to be. But if he’s chasing the paper, he may have to get that paycheck somewhere else. We’ll see what his market looks like.

On team building

“Yeah, I think you’ve got to go back to how you want to build the team, first and foremost. What are your priorities in building the team? Because when we have this many players coming up for second contracts on their rookie deals, it’s going to be hard for us to keep all of them. The good news is we have a compensatory system where we can get some draft picks back in the future for some of these guys who’ve meant so much to us.”

TRANSLATION: We’re okay losing Jaelan Phillips, Nakobe Dean, and Reed Blankenship because it means we’ll get compensatory picks in next year’s draft to bring in cheap talent. That’s how we keep the train running as players get more expensive. We’ll push to keep at least one of those guys, but we’re not going to stretch ourselves because we have a lot of young players we need to pay.

On Jalen Hurts

“This system, we think is going to be really good for him, as a lot of our other players. He’s always looking for a system of play. And we think we have that.”

TRANSLATION: Is the Shanahan-system what you want Jalen!? Are you not entertained?

On A.J. Brown

“I think that at the end of the day, there’s a lot of conversations in the offseason about players, on your team, on other teams. That’s really the job…But at the end of the day, again, we’re trying to get better. And it’s hard to do that if you’re just subtracting great players. We’ll do whatever’s in the best interest of our team to be better for this year and going forward, anything that puts us in a position that we think to potentially win another championship. So every decision will be made with that, no matter who the player is.”

TRANSLATION: We’re better off with A.J. Brown, but feel free to make us an offer we can’t refuse. We’re down to talk trade, but we won’t settle for less value to move on from A.J.

On the linebacker position

“I think obviously, we have a free agent at that position, and a guy that we drafted, a guy we think is a really good player, for sure, and unbelievable character. And so all those decisions here will be made in the next couple of weeks.”

TRANSLATION: We most likely won’t be resigning Nakobe Dean. It’s Jihaad Campbell time.

On Reed Blankenship

“Really proud of Reed. Undrafted free agent and played in two Super Bowls. Four years, four playoff appearances, was a captain this year for our team. A tremendous player, a tremendous person. And that’s how I feel about Reed.”

TRANSLATION: I love Reed, but I’m not in love with Reed. Would love him back if the price is right.

On Jaelan Phillips

“Well, you certainly see his fit with Coach Fangio and our defense, which a lot of times when you’re talking about free agency is a big part of free agency. How is this guy going to fit into our defense? So you see that there. He’s got tremendous character, tremendous work ethic.”

TRANSLATION: If Jaelan Phillips leaves, I will cry. He’s our priority free agent. Maybe we can get him at the right price due to injury history.

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Nick Sirianni

On the hiring process for offensive coordinator

“We don’t leave anything to chance. We’re going to go through our process and hey, how are you going to call this situation? How are you thinking about this situation? You can ask them game plan scenarios from games that they’ve been around. There’s a lot of different ways to do that.”

TRANSLATION: Throughout this process I would call Sean Mannion in the middle of the night and shout over the phone “WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON 3RD AND LONG WITH 2:32 LEFT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER?” I’d slip notes into his mail box that would say, “Draw me a game winning play and send it back to me before this message self destructs.” We are very thorough in our process.

On hiring Sean Mannion

“There’s a lot of steps to take place before we know exactly what version of this offense is going to be. But obviously, Sean comes from a family of coaches, and things that he’s done that we really respect, that we know are tough to defend. We know we’ve done a lot of good things here as well as far as some of the things that are hard to defend…but really it’s always important at the end of the day that we’re able to run the football and be able to do play action off of that.”

TRANSLATION: I want to see what’s up with this Shanahan system. Our running game is the focal point of our offense, and we want to build everything based on that foundation.

On Saquon Barkley

“My experience with great football players is you come in, and you’re like, hey, Saquon we’re going to run inside zone. And he’s going to be really good at it…guys that are great football players can fit into a lot of different offenses…he’s been highly productive in many of the schemes.”

TRANSLATION: I believe this offense revolves around Saquon Barkley first and foremost.

On what he looks for in tight ends

“I think it’s always important that tight ends are able to create mismatches in the pass game…and then being able to be effective in the run game. We’ve been in the top 10 or top 5 in rushing obviously in all the years, but this year. And it’s important that they’re highly involved in that and being able to block tough matchups with defensive ends, or linebackers, or whoever it may be.”

TRANSLATION: I still have not learned my lesson that tight ends shouldn’t be blocking defensive ends one-on-one.

On hiring Chris Kuper as offensive line coach

“As we talked to guys we were really impressed by Chris and the things that he’s done as a player, as a coach, and his knowledge on the game, his knowledge on a system, that some of the things that we’re going to do from that system, because there’s a lot of intricacies within that. And so, just excited about everything that he’ll bring.

TRANSLATION: Chris was hired because of his familiarity with this system, which is very different from how our offensive line has played up to this point.

On Brandon Graham coming back

“You always want to try to bring back as many guys as you possibly can, as far as having good football players, good people around. And so obviously, when you ask me this question, whether it be about Josh Sweat or whoever it may be, you always want your guys back…you don’t win as many games as we’ve won together and especially a guy like BG and say, no…. of course you want guys like that back.”

TRANSLATION: God, I miss Josh Sweat

On DeVonta Smith

“I think we saw DeVonta have a great year. And I think you just continue to see him play better and better. And I think that’s a tribute to who he is. Guys that are tough, that love football, that are smart football players, and they’re talented, have a tendency to reach their ceiling…you’re seeing him continue to get better. You’re seeing him continue to make plays that only he can make on the football field…excited about what he’ll look like in this new offense that we’ll have.”

TRANSLATION: DeVonta Smith is so good you won’t even miss A.J. Brown. Trust me, this guy is going to be even better in our new offense, and he’s just scratching the surface. And he doesn’t yell at me on the sidelines.

On the tush push

“I think there’s some things that teams did this year, they did a good job of being able to stop it. And we got to get back to being able to, we either have to get back to being able to be as dominant as we were at it, or we find new avenues to be able to convert on third down or in the redzone…we got to coach it better, we got to execute it better and looking forward to seeing where that goes in the future.”

TRANSLATION: No one is talking about the tush push this year. The league isn’t even trying to ban it because it’s less effective. We probably won’t use it as much as we have in the past, and will be a little more intentional with our use of it. In the meantime, we’ll explore other short yardage options.

Change is hard. It’s necessary to pave the long and grueling road towards the nirvana of excellence (memo to self: remember that for a LinkedIn post). But sometimes to change, you first need to crash out. And that’s exactly where the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves a month after being bounced from the playoffs by San Francisco’s scout team.

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The NFL naturally forces teams to evolve and the Eagles have embraced that evolution this offseason. They’ve swapped out most of their offensive coaching staff (including offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who’s been with the team since Obama’s second term) and replaced them with less experienced coaches with fresh ideas. Howie Roseman has key decisions to make on valuable free agents like Jaelan Phillips and Reed Blankenship. But most importantly, the Birds need to answer one question that’s been burning in the minds of the Philly faithful since the middle of last season: Will the Eagles trade A.J. Brown?

Words can’t begin to piece together how much A.J. Brown has meant to the city of Philadelphia since Roseman traded for him on draft night in 2022 (unfortunately, I have to try to find the words because your boy has newsletter to write). For years, we wandered through the desert with nothing but Nelson Agholors and Travis Fulghams to sustain us. T.O. gave us a glimpse of a better life. Alshon Jeffrey was our world. A good wide receiver means more in Philadelphia than you could ever know.

And A.J. has been no exception. He is the most talented Eagles wide receiver of all-time. Brown boasts the top two receiving-yard seasons in franchise history; he set an NFL record 125+ receiving yards in six consecutive games (topping Calvin Johnson’s record), and along with DeVonta Smith became the first wide receiver tandem in franchise history to both eclipse 1,000 yards in a season in 2022. He has been nothing short of a miracle in midnight green.

But things changed this season. Brown, who is known for publicly expressing his frustration when things aren’t going well, did a little more expressing. Philly’s uber-talented offense had a very unremarkable year under the guidance of a man whose name rhymes with “Devin Fatullo”. The vibes around the team shifted. And the rumors about the Eagles trading A.J. haven’t slowed down.

Brown’s demeanor has been a source of controversy in the City of Brotherly Love. A subsection of Philadelphia sports media and “long-time listeners, first-time callers” can have a real “you can’t quit because you’re fired” mentality when it comes to our athletes. They’re usually triggered when said athletes speak out about their team. We’re an emotional fan base who takes things personally. We want to be wanted.

Those insecurities can drive some people to be irrational. We get angry at A.J. Brown for being human. For expressing his frustrations with a toxic situation that we all know is toxic. For being frustrated that the forces outside of his control are indeed outside of his control.

There’s a lot around how we got here, although I don’t quite fully understand it myself. I wrote about Brown’s relationship with Jalen Hurts and how their inherent personalities can cause some conflict and misalignment. But recently, Hurts went out of his way to say he and A.J. are in a good place, which is notable because Hurts doesn’t go out of his way to say anything. There’s also Brown’s dust-up with Sirianni during the playoff game with the 49ers. But still, something doesn’t add up.

Trading a player like Brown would be unprecedented for Howie Roseman. Roseman took the league’s largest dead cap hit to ship Carson Wentz to the Colts, but that was in a move to get out of Wentz’s bad contract and the negative impact he had on the team. Roseman shipped out Haason Reddick in 2023 after an 11-sack season, but that was due to contract demands.

In terms of wide receivers and skill position players, the best comparison I could find was the Eagles releasing Alshon Jeffrey in 2021 at age 30 as part of a salary-cap overhaul. Roseman (like the rest of us in Philly) knows how hard it is to find talented playmakers. I’d expect nothing less from the man who drafted Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson.

I’m not here to question the validity of the A.J. Brown trade rumors. We’ve heard conflicting reports from folks like Dianna Russini, who insists trade conversations will continue, to Derrick Gunn, who insists A.J. will stay. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But I do question the team’s intent.

If the Eagles intend to solidify themselves as a modern dynasty by appearing in their third Super Bowl in four years and winning their second in three years, is shipping out an all-world receiver really in their best interest?

As you can guess, I’m gonna say no. The argument around trading Brown comes down to three factors: trade value, on-the-field performance, and culture. So, Howie, if you’re listening, don’t hang up.

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Trade Value

At the Eagles end of the season press conference, alongside Nick Sirianni, Howie Roseman addressed the A.J. Brown question.

“It is hard to find great players in the NFL, and A.J. is a great player…He’s an important part of this team, of this organization. He cares about winning, he cares about his teammates, and I think when you’re a team like ours that is looking forward to an opportunity to compete for a championship, you just don’t get rid of guys like that.”

Roseman’s comments could be platitudes to drum up trade value, but he’s also very much right. As one of the league’s best wide receivers, Brown has immense value to a contending team looking to get over the hump. A team like…the one he’s already on. One with an ever-closing championship window with players who fit his timeline.

Philly’s skill position players are in their prime. Saquon Barkley is 29, Jalen Hurts will be 28 by the time the season starts, and DeVonta Smith is 27. The Eagles’ offensive line is slowly eroding due to a decline in health, talent, and a coaching change. They have the advantage of having an elite, young, and cheap defense that will only get more expensive in the years to come. Not to mention, the coordinator of that defense, and one of the greatest of all time, could retire after the season. The iron is scorching hot.

Financially, Brown is on a reasonable contract for a wide receiver of his stature. According to Over the Cap’s piece on moving on from A.J. Brown, trading him before June would incur a $48.9 million dead cap hit and a loss of $25.5 million in cap room, which is manageable for Roseman (who is a certified cap magician) but unfortunate for a team trying to win now. If the team trades Brown this summer, they still look at $22.09 million in dead money this year and $21.6 million in dead money in 2027. Either way, spending valuable cap space to not have one of the league’s best receivers on your team doesn’t feel like good business.

Trading Brown could bring back a solid compensation for the Birds, but would they be getting the best return they could for Brown after a down year? Or would running it back help rebuild any value that’s been lost?

A good starting point for compensation is last year’s D.K. Metcalf trade (Brown’s college teammate at Ole Miss). The Steelers traded a 2nd-round pick and a 7th rounder for Metcalf and a 6th-round pick.

Brown is more talented and decorated than Metcalf (who is a year younger). The Eagles have been on a hot streak with 2nd-round picks since 2020 (Jalen Hurts, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Cooper DeJean). But for a team in a championship window, it’s unlikely that a 2nd-round player would return the value that A.J. Brown provides the team now.

On-the-Field Performance

At his best, Brown is a top-5 wide receiver in the NFL. An all-world talent with a competitive mindset that matches his physical gifts.

But there is a question about how Brown’s game will mature. He’s 28 years old and in the prime of his career. A comp for how he might progress is his former teammate in Tennessee, Julio Jones. Jones was 3 inches taller and 6 lbs lighter than Brown, but they have similar styles of play.

Jones tapered off after his age 30 season, when he went from 1,394 yards in 2020 (in his age 30 season) to 771 yards in 2020 (in his age 31 season). Brown has also been relatively healthy aside from some hamstring issues, missing only 7 games in 4 seasons with the Eagles.

Offensively, Brown’s skillset has been underutilized since Shane Steichen left town. The Sirianni offense is static and uncomplicated. Brown’s route tree is as diverse as a Kid Rock concert. He got his helpings off of curls, slants, and go balls. But Brown is built to thrive as a yards-after-the-catch receiver. His game excels when he gets ball on the move. Under Shane Steichen in 2022, Brown was 6th in the league for yards after the catch by a wide receiver. Under Kevin Patullo, he slipped out of the top 25 entirely (womp womp).

The solution to Brown’s usage woes could come from first-time offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. As Bleeding Green Nation’s Jonny Page noted in his review of Mannion’s potential offensive principles:

Too often, the Eagles’ passing attack felt confined to a single approach against defenses. The result was an offense that lived on deep shots, improvisation, or talent alone…Green Bay, by contrast, generated explosive plays not only through downfield aggression but also through design that created yards after the catch and schemed receivers into open space.

That sounds like A.J. Brown’s entrance music. It would behoove the Birds to see how A.J. operates in Mannion’s scheme. One of the main elements that could elevate the Green Bay Packers offense (Mannion’s former team) is a certified bucket getter. A go-to wide receiver who’s capable ot elevating the offensive system and making up the difference when things go wrong. Now we have a chance to see what that looks like in South Philly.

Even Sean McVay (whose system Mannion spent time in) brought in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to take his offense to the next level. No system is above its talent. Mannion could be the cure for what ails A.J. and this struggling offense.

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Culture Fit

The blood pumping through the beating heart of this trade narrative is A.J. Brown’s impact on the team’s culture.

As football-loving folk, we like to characterize outspoken wide receivers or running backs as “divas.” Divas are self-important and temperamental. We have experience with that in Philly. We’re often visited by ghosts of Terrell Owens doing situps in his driveway.

And A.J. has had a tumultuous season, which includes but is not limited to:

• Tweeting “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.” after an ugly win over the Bucs

• Saying the offense was a “sh-t show” on a podcast with JankyRondo (a person I just learned is real)

• Saying “You can’t keep slapping a Band-Aid over that and expect to win late in the year and think you’re going to go to that at the end of the year,” after the Packers game

• Denying a meeting with Hurts and Barkley, even though the other two said they met

• Dropping 3 passes in a playoff game against San Francisco and topping it off by getting into a shouting match with Siriannin on the sideline

Now Brown did apologize for (most) of the above and a veteran wide receiver like him should understand the consequences of airing your grievances so publicly. But honestly, most of those comments were around an offense that we all knew was a train wreck. A.J. Brown voiced the frustrations we were all feeling, and he wasn’t the only one to do so. Lane Johnson shared similar sentiments. Multiple players spoke about needing to get on the same page.

Brown has long been the canary in the coal mine for this team. When a certain aspect of the offense is underperforming, he’ll speak about it (whether that’s right or wrong). Despite how outspoken he was last season, there’s no evidence that those comments were the main driver of dysfunction in the locker room. A.J.’s grievances seem to be a symptom of a team dysfunction rather than the cause of it.

And honestly, A.J. saying something kind of worked. After the JankyRondo twitch stream (a sentence someone couldn’t even comprehend like 10 years ago), Brown went from 38th in receiving yards, 40th in receptions, and 34th in targets to 7th, 6th, and 6th in those same metrics, respectively.

Brown is also beloved by his teammates. He’s a team captain seen shepherding players like Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell. He has a close relationship with Barkley and DeVonta Smith. There are unknowns about his relationship with Hurts, his former (maybe current, maybe future?) best friend, but Jalen alluded to them being in a great place.

Here’s what Howie Roseman said about Brown on Bussin’ With the Boys right before the 2025 season:

“I think A.J. one incredible player…and the person he is, how he’s fit in, and the things that he’s done to fit into this community. Him as a teammate, being named captain here, I mean, incredibly proud to see that …having him and DeVonta and their relationship and seeing two guys who are selfless, they just want to win, and I think you see that. You know, if A.J. has a great game, DeVonta is the first one congratulating him. When DeVonta has a big game, A.J. is the first one congratulating him. So it’s a beautiful thing.”

Leading up to the Super Bowl, Brown shared his thoughts on Philly on Micah Parsons’ podcast.

“I’m excited for the season. I’m excited for what’s to come. Philly welcomed me with open arms...that’s home…I love the support, I love the accountability.”

The Eagles haven’t been shy about moving on from unhappy players in the past, but those have usually been tied to contract disputes or difficult locker room dynamics. Brown doesn’t seem to fit neatly into either category.

We penalize players for saying what we’re thinking, worried about how a locker room that we aren’t in will react, without knowing the dynamics between players. All evidence suggests that A.J., for all intents and purposes, is a good teammate. A captain with close relationships across the team.

I honestly believe that everything you need to know about A.J. Brown can be explained through this Instagram post he shared after the 2024 Super Bowl victory. He’s a dude in pursuit of personal greatness that he defines within his value to the success of his team. He’s obsessed with being the best.

The Defense Rests

The pursuit of change can be liberating. It can free us from old habits. But pursuing change can also make us impulsive. Babies get thrown out with bath water. Mistakes are made. Guns are jumped. It can cloud our judgment, all in an effort to rinse the bad taste out of our mouths.

The Eagles have a significantly better chance of making it to the big dance this year with A.J. Brown than without him. That’s all the more reason to run it back and see if a new offensive system can heal a fresh wound. In the meantime, I will be printing this out and taping it to the door of the Eagles’ practice facility.

There’s a certain trauma that comes with being a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s like being in a car crash and at the time thinking “you know what, this is what’s best for me in the long run,” only to look back years later and think “actually, that whole thing was kind of messed up.”

This season, the Sixers’ vibes have fluctuated between immaculate and unfortunate. We, as fans, are addicted to their potential. Yet historically, they set up shop at the intersection of promising and unserious.

For every 30+ point game from a resurgent Joel Embiid, there’s a Paul George PED suspension. For every transcendent VJ Edgecombe moment, there’s a Jared McCain trade. For every Tyrese Maxey All-Star performance, there’s a 30-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets. We believe in the Sixers more than anything. But sometimes it feels like a curse hangs over our heads.

In the My Worst Sports Take series, I interview some homies about controversial sports takes they have. This week, we revisit The Process, the Sixers’ original sin, and one of the foundational players at the heart of it, Jahlil Okafor. The place where the curse started. I chat with my friend Rob Ricketts about how he feels the Sixers ruined Okafor’s once promising career and the ramifications it has on the franchise to this day.

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Tell us about yourself and your take.

ROB: My name is Rob Ricketts, and my worst sports take is that Jahlil Okafor wasn’t a bust, but that the Sixers ruined him and the league changed on him.

How did the Sixers fail Jahlil Okafor?

ROB: I think that by not having proper veteran leadership or a strong executive office, they didn’t allow him to grow.

I feel like you’ve been a Jahlil defender for as long as…

ROB: Free Jah, man.

You’ve been saying free Jah since 2015.

ROB: Bro, since the 15-16 season, baby.

Do you feel like most people look back on him as a bust?

ROB: Oh, absolutely. I mean, he was a top-three pick. National champion at Duke. He was expected to really be the next big thing in the league. He had a kind of crazy impact in his first year, and after that, it was like it was over. He went from averaging 17 and 7 as a rookie to being pretty much out of the league in like two years. That jawn was crazy.

So he was drafted in 2015. Can you name the two players who went ahead of him?

ROB: Was that the year with Lonzo?

Nope. I think Lonzo was the Markelle Fultz draft.

ROB: Oh, okay, that was a draft with KAT.

Yep, KAT was number one. Two was D’Angelo Russell. Three was Jah. Four was Kristaps Porzingis. Five, who I remember wanting the Sixers to draft for some reason, was Mario Hezonja.

ROB: Oh, bro, you would have been a great GM, bro.

I would have been at least Bryan Colangelo level.

ROB: A draft and a stash, huh?

Alright, so that was a year after the Sixers drafted Joel Embiid. How’d you feel about them taking Jah?

ROB: I mean, I know that getting the third overall pick probably wasn’t ideal. During that time, it was all about trying to get that number one pick. That was like the big thing. But there was a lot of excitement around that third pick. I think Russell was like the next big thing. He was a point guard who kind of came out of nowhere at Ohio State. He had all the intangibles. But yeah, I think Jahlil was the next best player. They talked about the big hands, you know, palming the basketball made it look like an orange in his hand. So yeah, I was excited that he had a winning pedigree, because the Sixers didn’t have a lot of winning at the time.

At the time when they drafted him, I remember it was a big deal because they had three top-five picks who were centers on their roster in Nerlens Noel, Embiid, and then Okafor. How did you feel about the Sixers and Sam Hinkie collecting these high-profile centers?

ROB: I mean, that’s when you’re just like, what are these dudes doing? You had Noel, who was raw but super athletic. He’s gonna block shots, and he’s gonna be great in like five years. Then you got Embiid, and they’re like this dude could be like the next Olajuwan. Injury-prone, but everyone talked about how he was the most talented player in his draft. Then you had Okafor, who was like, he can come in, and he can just score right off the bat. So you got, like, three dudes.

But who is going to bring the ball up? Because at the time, the Sixers were trash. So you didn’t really have a lot of faith in the Sixers organization. The only thing they were talking about at the time was, like, you know, listen, we’re going to get the best player that’s available. It doesn’t matter if it’s another center. Like, they weren’t trying to build a team. They were just trying to collect assets, which at that time was, like, kind of crazy.

After you saw Jah play that first season, how did you feel about him?

ROB: I mean, it’s almost like when you see, like, Michael Carter-Williams, right? MCW was rookie of the year. In that first game, you see him play against the Heat, and you’re like, damn, he’s giving D-Wade, Bron, and Chris Bosh the business. That kind of gives you some hope as a fan. So you have Jahlil, who’s averaging 17 and 7. As a rookie, you just say, alright, this is a piece. I’m not really sure how he’s going to fit, but he will be a piece to kind of grow with.

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First game of his rookie season, he goes for 26 points and seven boards against Boston.

ROB: He was a beast.

He missed the last two months of the season. He played 53 games, and he scored over 20 points in almost half of those games, plus 11 double-doubles. In February that season, he had 22 and 17 against the Nets. He had 31 against the Mavs and 26 against the Magic. Can you describe his game and how you feel it fit in at that time?

ROB: During that time, he was literally like one of the last traditional big men. He was not known for shooting. He was literally known for being on the block and getting busy. Back to the basket like just old school. Traditional center swag. He had some growth opportunities in his game, but he had a very mature offensive game. He wasn’t a three-point shooter. But you normally didn’t want your centers taking threes at the time. And for me, when you’re talking about playoff basketball, you want a center that you can dump it down to and get a bucket. But we were right at the crossroads where it was that space and pace. If he was drafted in 2000, dude, he would have had a great career. He probably would have been a max player.

Yeah, I feel like timing’s everything. Because you’re right, the season before his rookie year, Golden State won its first championship with Steph. During his rookie year, that was when the Cavs came back and beat Golden State, and then Golden State won the next two. So it was very much like the game was getting away from a traditional center. If given the opportunity, how do you feel his career could have progressed?

ROB: The organization chose the best out of the three in Embiid. But that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a role within the NBA for a guy like Okafor, right? Because he wasn’t a defensive anchor, but he was defensive enough. He was a big body in the lane. He was agile for the most part. And, you know, when it comes to offense, like he was elite. For me, it’s just a matter of allowing guys to show you what they can do. You give him a role, you get him around some veterans, you get him around some good leadership, and he’s going to be a good player.

So Okafor has this incredible rookie season, a lot of potential. I also forgot that he got into a street fight in Boston. Do you remember that?

ROB: Yeah, he punched a guy in the face or whatever in Boston.

Yeah. What happened after that? They were like 0-16, went to Boston. He got into a fight…

ROB: And that’s where the Sixers failed. It wasn’t even with just Okafor. It was Nerlens. Embiid. They were surrounded by all C-level players and rookies, with no veterans there. So there was no one there to help these guys manage the expectations of being professionals. There was no one there to help rally the troops or let a guy know, “This is not how the NBA works, bro. Like, you’re not going to win four games throughout the entire season normally. Keep your head young, fella. Keep working.” Like, there was nothing there.

And that was one of the problems with the Sixers, well into the Process. It was just a bunch of young guys trying to figure it out. You have this losing mentality throughout the organization, and you don’t have any veteran leadership there, or a will to want to win that rubs off. If you got any top player that comes in as probably a number one draft pick, these dudes probably only lost, like, seven games all throughout high school and college. And now they don’t win their first NBA game until December. Like, that’s crazy.

Do you see any parallels between him and what happened with Ben Simmons?

ROB: I mean, absolutely, bro. I really think the Sixers have done a little bit of a disservice to some of those star players, man. I mean, you look at even Embiid, you know. Being a professional is way different than just being good. And you hear all these old dudes talk about it now, like all the old dudes that have podcasts, that’s all they talk about. They’re like, “Yo, like being good in NBA is not just like going out and scoring 20 points.” And I think that’s where Okafor ran into issues because it’s like, if you’re averaging 17 points as a rookie and then the next year you’re not even playing. What does that say about you?

And what does that do to you mentally at the same time?

ROB: Because like, you know, the game is there, right? And if you have a veteran there, if you have a guy like, I don’t know, PJ Tucker or Kyle Lowry who’s on the bench now, it’s like, “Yo, young fella, you’re scoring 20 now, but the team is 6-47. So yeah, that’s great. But if you want to stay in this league, you need to learn how to play defense. You need to learn how to hit the mid-range or even expand the game up to a three.” And if you aren’t working on those things constantly, you’ll be out of the league.

Before the season even ends, is when Sam Hinke steps down. So like whatever plan dude had, it was out the window. Breakdown, what happens to the Sixers from there, and what happens to Jahlil Okafor?

ROB: From what I recall, Okafor was balling. But then, after that season, Embiid came back. And Embiid is nice. I remember hearing the buzz about Embiid. And I just remember everyone talking about, like, “Yo, he is busting ass in practice.” Like, he might be the greatest center ever.

This is before he’s ever played.

ROB: This is before he ever played. So at that point, you have Embiid, you have Nerlens, and you have Okafor all healthy going into Jahlil’s second season. It’s a little clunky. And I think they had a trade in place for Okafor, but the trade fell through.

Do you remember the rumors that came out that Danny Ainge was trying to trade two first-round picks for Jahlil?

ROB: I remember that. There were some decent deals on the table for Okafor. And at that time, he was in and out of the rotation. When he was playing, he was getting buckets. And then he just wouldn’t play the next, like, four or five games, which was crazy. It was just like, “Yo, what is going on?” It was the strangest thing because they were trying to shop him. And I remember Nerlens got dealt first. And you would think, all right, when Nerlens is dealt Embiid and Okafor, will be balling.

And then, like, Okafor still wasn’t playing. He was still on the bench. They were playing, like, Richaun Holmes and a few other dudes. It was the craziest thing ever. And I think by that time his value diminished, which is the Sixers’ special. Having an asset that could probably net you way more than you probably should. And then by the time you actually sell the asset, you trade him for two pieces of paper and some chewed-up bubble gum.

So Okafor was traded to the Nets halfway through the 2017-2018 season. He was traded with Nik Stauskas and a second-round pick for Trevor Booker.

ROB: Bro, that’s trash.

In 2017, Okafor said, “This is my third year in the NBA, and I know it’s a business. I don’t know if it’s fair or not, but in talking to other people in the NBA, talking to retired players, one thing I’ve heard them say is that what’s going on with me isn’t right, and they’ve never seen anything like this before.” Do you agree?

ROB: I remember that people weren’t really that concerned about Jahlil Okafor because Embiid was emerging at that time. So it was a weird time for Okafor. I remember that because again, I’m an Okafor fan. So I’m just like, “What is going on with my guy, man?” They were just like doing him dirty. It wasn’t cool because he was a young player. He had great skill. He could be of value to someone, and he could probably also return value to us, but we were just holding on to him. It was crazy.

Do you feel like the Hinkie stepping down and Colangelo taking over had something to do with that?

ROB: Of course, because I think Hinke had a different plan. By the time Embiid was drafted, we kind of had some picks. You should start to see some of the fruits of all the tanking. And then when Colangelo kind of came in, it was bad.

I’m going to read you another quote, okay?

ROB: From Okafor?

No, this is from a Twitter account that’s called @EnoughUnknownSources. From that infamous report on Bryan Colangelo from The Ringer.

ROB: Oh, this is the burner account.

There’s allegedly a failed trade between the Pelicans and the Sixers. This account tweeted:

“Nobody wants him…he asked the front office not to let the info out. Still, the front office is not leaking the truth to save face. Okafor abusing that. If the truth came out, Okafor would be the one looking bad.”

That was from one of Bryan Angelo’s burner accounts that he ended up blaming on his wife. Even though officials from the Pelicans said that there was never an official deal in place. Do you feel like at least a decent GM could have gotten value for this dude, or could have found a way to implement him into the team?

ROB: Absolutely. When you have talented players, you find a way to make things work. This is how it works. You can never have too much talent on your team. A good GM, a good coach, a good organization finds ways to make your talent work, or at least make the talent work for you. You keep playing them until you trade them, or you find a role for him. They could have done a million different things to get some decent equity in return. With a competent general manager, with competent coaching, with competent player development, with competent veteran leadership, Jahlil could have had a better career.

I kind of feel like the Process gave a little bit of inspiration for the Thunder’s rebuild, too. What do you think Sam Presti got right that the Sixers didn’t in the Process era?

ROB: They made a lot of really, really good decisions. One of the differences between the Thunder is that they remained competitive throughout their rebuild. They never rebuilt to the point where they didn’t think being competitive wasn’t important.

Why do you feel like that’s important?

ROB: Because you have to keep your edge, man. You don’t want people to have a loser mentality. Being in the city of Philadelphia is crazy because when you see a loser, you’re just like, oh, man. When you have a loser mentality, it’s hard to believe that you can become something more. But when you’re winning, you always just think that you’re a winner.

Yeah. You feel like winning is almost like a skill?

ROB: Winning is a mindset, bro. You look at even when Shai played with the Clippers. He played with the Thunder. It was still competitive. When they brought in Chris Paul, he was teaching Shai how to be scrappy and win. They were in the playoffs.

So, you know, it’s important. I think that was the biggest takeaway from those Process days. There was way too much losing. Brett Brown had a losing mentality. I’m not saying that he’s a loser, but he wasn’t winning any games bro.

That’s the quote of the interview. “I’m not saying Brett Brown’s a loser, but…”

ROB: Look at his head coaching record. He was getting paid for them to lose games and to be okay with losing games. It’s not that he was a bad coach or anything, but he wasn’t really given much to work with until much later on. And then by that point, he’s like…”I’ve been playing losing basketball for so long. Now you want me to play meaningful basketball?” It’s crazy.

I feel like Embiid didn’t really like hit the next level until he was surrounded with veterans, like J.J. and Jimmy Butler

ROB: Jimmy Butler was like the turning point for him because he was there, and he was like, “Whatever y’all were doing before that shit was losing mentality,” and you know it was bad because they literally kicked him out for it. He literally had to leave Philadelphia because he had seen what winning looks like, what good ownership looks like, and what NBA basketball looks like. And was like, “Whatever’s going on here is not what it was like in Minnesota. It wasn’t like this in Chicago. Like, Thibs didn’t do this. No other coaches do this. This is some bullshit.”

Alright, I have two more questions for you. First one, do you think, do you think the Process was successful? And do you think the Sixers learned from what happened to Jahlil Okafor?

ROB: No. Both answers.

No, to both.

ROB: The Process is not going to be successful unless they at least make it to a Conference Championship. Like, you tanked, you literally sacrificed years. You make it to the playoffs and have one really historic run, and that was when they lost to the Raptors in the conference semis. Every other playoff run has been underwhelming. I just don’t know if it was worth it. You collected multiple draft picks, and you literally derailed mad players’ careers.

This is giving me PTSD.

ROB: It was crazy, bro.

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On a cold February afternoon in 2018, Jason Kelce took to the podium to make his remarks donned in classic Philadelphia Mummers attire. A very drunk Kelce addressed a parkway packed with very drunk Eagles fans (myself included) to celebrate Philly’s first-ever Super Bowl victory. During Kelce’s five-minute speech, he shouted about his teammates until his voice strained:

“We were a bunch of underdogs. And you know what an underdog is? It’s a hungry dog. And Jeff Stoutland has had this in our building for five years — it’s a quote in the O-line room that has stood on the wall for the last five years — “Hungry dogs run faster.”

Those immortal words from Jeff Stoutland, echoed by a Bud Light-fueled Jason Kelce, were a rallying cry for the City of Brotherly Love. “Hungry dogs run faster,” spoke to our team and our city. It speaks to the hard-nosed, “do whatever it takes to win” mentality that drove the Eagles to the heights of success and another Lombardi Trophy at that.

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Eight Februarys later, legendary Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland has decided to step away from the team after 13 seasons in Philadelphia. The longest-tenured offensive assistant coach in the NFL is moving on to his next chapter, whether that’s retirement or another team.

Jeff Stoutland is Philadelphia. He’s an offensive savant who said little in public but made an impact beyond words. The brotherhood that he cultivated among years of Eagles offensive linemen, alumni of “Stoutland University,” reflects the ideals of Philadelphia at its core. The gospel of Stoutland is rooted in a focus on the fundamentals, hard work, a no-bullshit attitude, and taking care of the man next to you through every battle, every trial, every tribulation. “I fear not the man who practices 10,000 kicks once. But I do fear the man who practices one kick 10,000 times,” Stoutland would say.

Philly is the only town in America where offensive linemen become stars. Strength in the trenches has defined the modern era of Philadelphia Eagles football, and that is primarily due to Jeff Stoutland’s ability to get the most out of his players. Coaches who can teach linemen the way Stoutland can are very few and extremely far between.

Year after year, the Birds could always rely on Stoutland to develop the offensive line into one of the league’s best. Not having to worry about an entire position group has immense benefits. A coach like that allows you to take chances on unproven players with high upside and focus premium team-building resources in other areas.

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Stoutland is room for error incarnate. He can mold clay into monuments like Michelangelo. He can turn a large flat-footed man into an All-Pro tackle. He’s one of a kind. A coach who’s nearly impossible to replace in his ability to teach technique and cultivate relationships with players, not just in his position group but across the team.

The only good thing Chip Kelly did for this city was bringing Jeff Stoutland into our lives. According to Zach Berman of The Athletic, Stoutland had a Pro Bowler in all 13 of his seasons as Eagles offensive line coach, and he’s had five players earn All-Pro honors, including Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, and Jason Peters. He oversaw offensive lines that paved the way for a historic 2024 season from Saquon Barkley, an All-Pro year from LeSean McCoy in 2013, and viable seasons from lower-level starters like Miles Sanders. His lines were monumental in Philadelphia’s two Super Bowl victories.

He transformed a 6’8” rugby player who never touched a football before into one of the league’s best left tackles in Jordan Mailata. He helped talented players like Brandon Brooks unlock their full potential. He developed an undersized 6th-round pick into the best center in the league in Jason Kelce. He was the only offensive line coach Lane Johnson has ever known, guiding a raw athlete into becoming one of the greatest right tackles in the history of the game. He rejuvenated the careers of players like Stefan Wisniewski, Mekhi Becton, and Fred Johnson, turning them from also-rans into Super Bowl winners.

Most importantly, Stoutland’s impact extended beyond the field. He helped Brandon Brooks and Lane Johnson through unprecedented struggles with anxiety and depression. Always lending an ear to listen, standing by players’ sides when they needed someone to believe in them.

Look no further than how his former players speak about him. In Brandon Brooks’ retirement speech in 2022, he referred to Stoutland as “family” saying:

“I feel like it is rare to have a coach who is as impactful on the field as off…Through all my struggles and low moments, I could always count on a phone call from you, the topic never being about football, but about life and how much you could help.”

Jason Kelce echoed similar sentiments in his retirement speech, saying:

“No one has been more influential or meaningful to my success on the field in my career than Stout. I think one of the greatest things a human being can give another is belief. This world, life, it can be hard. It can challenge yourself to points of self doubt and that is a dangerous place to be…And in my darkest hours as a Philadelphian, Stout was the one who believed in me.”

Without Stoutland, the Eagles will be missing one of the league’s biggest cheat codes. After a down season for the offensive line and the running game as a whole, ESPN’s Tim McManus reported that Stoutland’s run game responsibilities were removed during the season in an effort to find a solution for a struggling rushing attack. In the article, McManus reports that “Nick Sirianni took on a more active role” later in the season and that Sirianni and “then-offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo began incorporating different run designs” to help jump-start the struggling run game. McManus also reports that:

“Stoutland was not consulted about the changes to what he felt was an appropriate degree, a league source said, to the point where he no longer desired the title of run game coordinator because he felt it no longer fit his job description.”

Reports say that Philadelphia tried to bring Stoutland back in a reduced capacity, but he decided to move on after feeling like his voice wasn’t being heard last year. And who can blame him? It’s hard to parse through the details. But what we can say is that the legacy of the failed Kevin Patullo promotion remains. Its cracks have caused fractures between the team and the best offensive line coach in the league (not to mention the fractures between the team and its star wide-out). Sirianni’s adherence to cronyism may have ripple effects beyond his control. Patullo may be gone, but the scars remain.

As painful as it is, moving on from Stoutland has a silver lining. It forces the Eagles to commit to a wholesale change. Unbinding from the past and giving Sean Mannion the brush to paint his own vision. To fully embrace a modernized offensive system.

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As for Sirianni, time will tell how this shakes out. For a coach who prides himself on culture and relationship buildin,g this feels like another instance of being unable to accurately navigate the dynamics within his own team and coaching staff when push comes to shove. Removing run game responsibilities from Stoutland makes sense in practice, but a coach who preaches culture like Sirianni should have the wherewithal to do so in a way that keeps his all-star coach on board with the mission. Change can be good. But whether or not that change is worth losing a generational offensive line coach remains to be seen.

There’s also the impact this may have on the relationship between the offensive line group and their head coach. Rumors have swirled about Lane Johnson considering retirement. Losing the surefire Hall-of-Fame tackle would be disastrous for Philly. Johnson was a vocal critic of the offense last year, saying they needed to try to be “less predictable” in comments to ESPN. How will Jordan Mailata, who referred to Stoutland as “like my father” respond along with Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, and others?

Time will tell what becomes of the 2026 Eagles, but make no mistake that losing Jeff Stoutland is significant. His impact on this team and this city will be felt for generations. As Johnson said in an article he wrote for The Philadelphia Citizen, “Coach Stoutland likes to say that no man is an island, that we draw our strength from others.” That’s his legacy. A coach who helped those around him reach their full potential, on the field and off it. A coach who turned teammates into brothers. A coach who taught hungry dogs to run faster.

Real journalism is back. This is the kind of investigative reporting that is the bedrock of our institutions. Some people would say this is more significant than Watergate. It rivals the fall of the Berlin Wall. Walter Cronkite wishes he could.

In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, everyone is focused on one thing: what are we going to eat during the big game (well, two things if you count being stoked to see Bad Bunny, which everyone should be, or three things if you live in Seattle or New England, I guess).

Food is at the heart of the fan experience. You may not remember the final score of the Eagles game, but you definitely remember that cheesesteak you housed at halftime. You may have erased any memory of the Cleveland Browns’ season from your mind, but you remember that hot dog you had when they played the Steelers.

So I interviewed my friend and one of the best rankers in the business , to put together a definitive list of the greatest game day foods of all time. Allow this to be your resource as you’re compiling the snack table this weekend. May you rest your weary eyes and ignite stomachs across the living room. If all goes well, most of your guests will be happy and full by the time Bad Bunny performs TURiSTA.

The Contenders (with rationale from Henry)

• WINGS - “Should wings and boneless wings be considered together or separately? I think they should be separated personally.”

• POPCORN - “You don’t need to dip it in anything. It’s light, it’s fluffy.”

• SOFT PRETZEL - “I guarantee you if there are any Costco shoppers reading this, then they would know. There’s a soft pretzel combo at Costco that is just electric.”

• SLIDERS - “If you feel like you can eat three of them? Then it’s a slider. If you cannot eat three comfortably, then it’s probably a sandwich.”

• CHIPS AND DIP - “If you’re having friends over for a game and you need something else on the table, you grab chips and dip.”

• NACHOS - “I think nachos are a little bit difficult to serve. Like they can have either too much cheese on one or they’ll be soggy at the bottom.”

• SPARE RIBS - “The best tailgates, they got somebody who’s just, like, throwing the smoke.”

• TACOS - “They can do so many different things. You can do barbecue tacos. You can do shrimp tacos. You can carry the momentum of a different city through the tacos.”

• PIZZA - “At the house, you order a large pizza, you got everyone there. Beautiful.”

• PIGS IN A BLANKET - “The hot dog is a traditional game day food.”

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HONORABLE MENTION: SPARE RIBS

HENRY: So I’m going to honorable mention spare ribs. They just deserve a little bit more love. They don’t get the affection they need up here in the Northeast. They are delicious, they’re special, and every time you have them, you’re never disappointed. Even if you’re getting them from a chain like TGI Friday’s or something.

So this is really a gesture of love for spare ribs because they’re underappreciated, and you want to make sure that they know that they’re appreciated.

HENRY: This is for all my friends in the South who are like, we got to make sure we get the barbecue on here. Because, like, barbecue tailgate, that’s, like, that’s their whole thing.

#5 PIGS IN A BLANKET

We’re coming out swinging.

HENRY: They are so, so, so, so, so good. And here’s the thing. You can’t really mess them up. Plus, the hot dog is one of the quintessential American “meats.”

Yes, it’s a pastime.

HENRY: No one will tell you that they like hot dogs, but everyone loves pigs in a blanket, so riddle me that? It’s just like a great vessel for sauce as well, right, because the hot dog can carry a barbecue sauce but also a mustard. It’s rich but not too rich. You can pop a lot of them if you need. There’s a puff pastry on the outside, so you can pick it up, eat it, and not worry about your hands being too dirty.

There’s a cleanliness to it. So you’re drawn to the simplicity?

HENRY: I’m drawn to the simplicity. I’m also drawn to the flavor profile. At the end of the day, it’s about flavor. The salty, it’s not sweet, but it can be sweet with the right sauce. It’s like rich, it’s got some umami to it, which, you know, everyone says umami, no one knows what it means, but I kind of know what it means (maybe?). It’s just good. It’s just like a perfect savory thing to just like pop in real quick.

#4 SOFT PRETZEL

Listen, now I’m biased. I’m not a pretzel guy.

HENRY: You’re biased. You’re not a pretzel guy. So this is more of a you issue. But hear me out. You go to Auntie Anne’s, right? You bust out the mega pretzel bundle. You get a bunch of pretzel bites, whatever it is you need to get. Soft pretzels exist in almost like their own plane. They’re a snack, but they’re also a bread. Soft pretzels can fill many gaps for you. And the only place you will really be eating soft pretzels (unless you’re in Philly) is in a game day situation. And that’s why I feel like they really kind of stand out as a premier game day food outside of their utility in general.

I think it’s interesting. This also fits in line with your take on pigs in a blanket, with the cleanliness of enjoying a pretzel.

HENRY: There’s cleanliness when you are enjoying the pretzel.

Love an Auntie Anne’s cinnamon sugar pretzel. That shit slaps.

HENRY: I’m just throwing it out there, right like, again, simplicity and versatility. Pretzels can bring that.

I feel like the other great thing about a pretzel and a pigs in a blanket is that it’s a true snack. Like you’re not having it and feeling full after. It’s like I feel good, I could have more food or I couldn’t, you know, but you’re not going to feel terrible like you would if you devoured like a burrito, you know?

HENRY: For sure. And, like, yeah, this is, like, kind of my issue with, spoiler alert, pizza’s not going to be on my list, but one of my issues with pizza is that it’s too big. Like, you eat a slice of pizza, well, and it’s cheese, so, like, forget the lactose people, I guess. You eat a slice of pizza, and you’re like, okay, I can’t really eat much of everything else because I’m also drinking, possibly. You don’t want to be overtly full. And speaking as a man who’s in my 30s, obviously, I don’t have an iron stomach anymore. You just need those things that are smaller that you can pop a few of and be like, okay, I’m happy. I got my flavor. I got what I needed from this.

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#3 CHIPS AND DIP

This is a loaded category. It’s like the Philadelphia Eagles of categories, but sometimes can underperform much like the Philadelphia Eagles.

HENRY: This is very true. They play down to their competition or to whoever’s making them. Chips and dip are a powerhouse of a category because it carries many, many, many options. Buffalo chicken dip being one of them. Seven-layer burrito dip is another. You can go with a cheesy sausage dip. There are just so many. You can cook a dip. You can purchase a dip. Caramelized onion dip. There’s just a ton of different flavor profiles you can get from a dip. And if you’re doing an at-home party, this could really make or break your party.

If you had to name one chip dip combo, what would it be? I want the dip type and the chip type. I’m a journalist who asks hard-hitting questions.

HENRY: I’m going with tortilla chips and salsa because one, I am omitting nachos here. So it gets me some nachos back.

Wow teaser.

HENRY: Nachos are not going to be in the top two. Sometimes I just need something a little bit fresher because it’s not as heavy as everything else. I can eat a little bit more of it. Or I can sit there, I can kind of munch on it while something’s happening during the game. Whereas some of these things, I can eat during the first half or the first quarter, but I won’t touch them again for the rest of the evening.

#2 WINGS

HENRY: Wings can and should be number one in most cases. They are a perfect game-day food. Speaking of the versatility thing, they can be spicy. They can be sweet. It is chicken, so you’re getting some protein. They are messy, though. You got some people who don’t like flats, some people who don’t like drums. I’m naming all the negatives about chicken wings because there are so many positives about them. I don’t really need to get into all the positives about wings. We all know why we love wings. They’re incredible. They taste awesome. They are a little unsanitary. You got people sucking on a chicken wing and just throwing their bones on the plate, and the plate’s in front of you, and you’re like, okay.

And dare I say, that shit is gross.

HENRY: I don’t know. Imagine someone was eating a shrimp and had the shrimp tails just sitting on the plate in front of you. Fucking nasty. That’s a ding against wings. That’s the only real issue with them. But outside of those negatives, they are a perfect game-day food.

They are perfect. They’re also kind of an activity, too, which is kind of nice, too.

HENRY: It’s true. It’s like when you go to a crab bake or some shit like that, right? Part of the fun is picking apart the crab, cracking the shell, and eating it. That’s part of the fun with wings.

So let’s talk about bone-in versus boneless. I have a feeling that you’re a bone-in.

HENRY: You know exactly where I’m going.

Because I would say, and, you know, I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but I would say personally that boneless wings...are not wings. They’re chicken tenders. Your rebuttal.

HENRY: You said it, not me. Boneless wings are barely chicken tenders. They are glorified chicken nuggets with real meat. I like bone-in wings because I’m an adult, so I just enjoy eating a wing that is real chicken, real meat. They just take away from the fun. Yeah, they’re a little cleaner to eat, but like, who cares at that point? I just think it flies in the face of tradition.

Wait, you didn’t give me a flavor!

HENRY: I’ll go with a classic mild, not too spicy. If you want my actual pick, I prefer a buffalo dry rub. I’d rather not have the sauce. I’d rather have a dry rub on my wings.

Less mess.

HENRY: All the flavor, none of the mess. Sauce takes away from the crispiness of the wing too much. I want my wings to still be crispy, and I get that with a dry-rubbed wing. Outside of just keeping my hands clean, it also maintains the integrity of the crispness of the wing.

I love a barbecue, but like best case scenario, I’m doing a mix of barbecue and classic buffalo because I love dipping things in blue cheese.

HENRY: A barbacuffalo?

A Mark Barbacuffalo.

#1 SLIDERS

At what point does a slider become a normal sandwich?

HENRY: It depends on the diameter, right?

I’m not good at measurement, but I would say a slider is like 4 inches in diameter.

HENRY: I’m just going to agree with you because I, too, am not good at measurements. So when you say four inches, in diameter, I can’t even fathom how large that is. Is that, like, the size of, like, a Martin’s potato roll? Is that the size of a Ritz cracker? I have no clue. I feel like four sounds big. I’m going to go with three inches. Let the internet tell us that we’re wrong.

Wow. The internet says a slider is two to three inches. You’re right.

HENRY: All right, so here’s the thing with sliders. They can be an entree. They can also be a snack. You can make it many different ways. You can do a cheeseburger slider. You can do a pulled pork slider. You can use a King’s Hawaiian roll. You can use a regular plain old butter roll. You can use a dinner roll. Like, there are just so many different ways that you can go with a slider to make it the quintessential part of your meal at your party. You could serve them cold, you could serve them hot, right? And that allows for it to be the vessel that carries the entirety of your party. You’re not going to eat it at a stadium, but you could eat it at a stadium. You could carry that around. You could walk with it. You can eat it. And like, you’d be, you’d be a happy camper.

Why sliders and not a sandwich? Is a sandwich too much?

HENRY: A sandwich is too big, right? Like, so it’s a pizza issue, right? Like, if you eat a sandwich, then you’re pretty much full, right? Whereas if you eat three sliders, you’re probably full, but you won’t have to eat three. You can eat one and be happy. You can eat two and be happy. But if you’re eating like a full sandwich, like you committed to a sandwich.

What’s your number one slider?

HENRY: Oh, I’m going to go cheeseburger slider. I was going to go ham and cheese slider because I just feel like it’s classic. But I’m going to go cheeseburger slider.

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Kelly green smoke billows out of the Novacare Complex as church bells ring the tune of Fly Eagles Fly from Pennsport to Kensington. Eagles’ flags at half staff have been raised high. The search is over. The Philadelphia Eagles have chosen an offensive coordinator. It’s not a man named Jim Bob or an ex-head coach of the New York Giants that you talked yourself into after kicking back a few citywide specials to try and forget how the season ended.

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The new Prince Who Was Promised is none other than Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion. Mannion is a fast riser who’s been coaching for less time than House of the Dragon has been on air. If you bought a t-shirt in 2022, it’s officially older than Sean Mannion’s coaching career. But the 33-year-old has spent significant time learning from some of the NFL’s most dynamic and forward-thinking offensive minds. Last season, he guided Packers quarterbacks Jordan Love and Malik Willis to the best seasons of their respective careers.

The last time the Eagles hired a Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach to call plays, he became the winningest coach in franchise history and led us to five NFC Championship games. The last two times the Eagles had an ex-NFL quarterback calling plays, they won two Super Bowls (including former Packers backup quarterback Doug Pederson). Mannion’s trajectory echoes that of former Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who went from Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback to quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator in the span of 3 years. It’s also similar to the career path of new Washington Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough, who ended his playing career in 2023.

Who is the Eagles’ new boy wonder? Will the fact that half of the city is named “Sean” make his job easier? Or will Dianna Russini report that some kids in New Jersey egged his house come November? Will the fact that he’s the first Eagles coach who’s younger than me give me an existential crisis (maybe!)? Most importantly, does Mannion have the sauce to get an all-star offense back on track and help Jalen Hurts unlock another part of his game?

Breaking Records at Oregon State

Mannion was a three-star recruit out of San Jose, California, when he enrolled at Oregon State in 2011. The Beavers, coached by the legendary Mike Riley, were transitioning away from the pro-style running back-centric system that produced NFL products like Steven Jackson, Yvenson Bernard, and Jacquizz Rodgers. Without star talent at running back, Riley opened up the offense, leaning on his young quarterback to operate a spread system.

Sean Mannion rose from 3rd string to the starting quarterback spot his freshman year and never let go. At Oregon State, Mannion operated Riley’s wide-open offense rooted in 5 wide receiver sets that featured future NFL wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Markus Wheaton. Mannion thrived in the offense, quickly becoming one of the best quarterbacks in college football.

“I think you start with productivity. He’s had quite a career here and he had a record-breaking year a year ago, so over a long period of time now — he’s started for three years, this is his fourth year starting — I think over a period of time he’s been very productive and I think he’s gotten better each year.” - Mike Riley on Sean Mannion to Oregon Live

In 2012, Mannion’s chemistry with Brandin Cooks led to Cooks breaking Pac-12 single-season records in receptions and yards, winning the Biletnikoff Award for the best wide receiver in college football. That same season, Mannion broke the Pac-12 record for passing yards.

Mannion left Oregon State as the Beavers’ all-time leader in career passing yards and touchdowns (passing Cleveland Browns “legend” and Oregon State alum Derek Anderson). He’s currently 19th all-time in the NCAA for career passing yards (just ahead of Phillip Rivers) and 10th in career completions (behind Kliff Kingsbury and Bo Nix).

From a Boy to a Man-uh-nion (NFL Career)

In 2015, Mannion was drafted in the third round by Jeff Fisher and the (then) St. Louis Rams to back up Nick Foles and Case Keenum. Two years later (after Jeff Fisher was fired), a young NFL head coach named Sean McVay kept Mannion on the roster as Jared Goff's backup. Also, for some reason, Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson said this on Colin Cowherd’s radio show The Herd after Goff struggled in his rookie year:

“For me, my guy that I would start the season with is Sean Mannion…I’ve been saying that since last year. Give him a shot. You drafted him. He was great at -- where’d he go to school? -- Oregon State, playing in a pro-style offense. He’s a big guy, got a great arm.”

Dickerson was incorrect. Mannion appeared in 14 games in his 9-year playing career for the Rams, Seahawks, and Vikings. Most (if not all) of his play was uninspiring. However, teams valued Mannion as a backup quarterback for the impact he had on preparing his starting quarterbacks for gameday. Through his career, Mannion was in the quarterbacks’ room with the likes of Nick Foles, Jared Goff, Case Keenum, Russell Wilson, and Kirk Cousins. As Minnesota Vikings’ blog The Viking Age put it:

“Although the former Oregon State standout was technically the backup quarterback to starter Kirk Cousins, his value in meetings and film studies was a huge part of what made Minnesota sign him back multiple times.”

Mannion spent his playing career learning from innovative offensive minds like Sean McVay, Klint Kubiak, Kevin Stefanski, and Kevin O’Connell. After 9 years, Mannion decided to hang ‘em up and quickly moved on to the next phase of his career.

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The Heir to the Green Bay Quarterback Room

Eight months ago, in a season-opening press conference, Sean Mannion touched on his player-to-coaching journey.

“For me as a player, I always knew that this would be the next step. So I was really attacking my playing career with this in the back of my mind of soaking up as much knowledge as I could to weaponize it for this new role I’m in now.”

Mannion’s dad, high school football coach John Mannion, had a feeling his son would be a coach. He told ESPN:

“It was something that interested him from a young age…It didn’t surprise me, as he was coming down the stretch of his playing days, that he reached out to people in coaching. He was very inquisitive about it and very much wanted to learn all he could to be prepared when the time came.”

During the 2024 NFC Championship Game, Mannion reached out to Matt LaFleur, Green Bay head coach and former offensive coordinator under Sean McVay during Mannion’s time with the Rams. After retiring earlier in the offseason, Mannion was preparing for an interview with the Chicago Bears and wanted to get LaFleur’s feedback on his presentation. LaFleur was so impressed by Mannion’s presentation that he invited him to interview with the Packers.

“He showed me what he was going to present, and I told him, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good, I think you should come up to Green Bay right when you’re done with that interview,” LaFleur said. “I’m surprised they let him out of the building.”

LaFleur and the Packers brought Mannion in as an offensive assistant working with quarterbacks under the tutelage of legendary quarterbacks coach Tom Clements. The 72-year-old Clements worked with Packers greats, like Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, and now Jordan Love. Clements is known as a true quarterback whisperer, one of the greatest quarterbacks’ coaches of all-time.

Upon joining the Packers staff, Mannion was tasked with the development of Green Bay backup quarterback Malik Willis. Willis was a highly touted prospect out of Liberty College who flamed out with the Tennessee Titans and was looking to turn the page on his career as Jordan Love’s understudy. When Love missed two games early in the 2024 season due to an ACL sprain, Willis was tasked with guiding the ship. Willis came in and delivered two wins in two weeks, going 25/33 for 324 yards and two touchdowns.

“Great coaches always love the behind-the-scenes work...So you talk about a guy who was here until two in the morning every single night last year doing the drawings, that was him. But it wasn’t work to him. He was just in there doing his job to the best of his ability, just like he would as a backup.” - ” Packers’ passing game coordinator Jason Vrable told The Athletic.

In 2025, after Tom Clements decided to retire, the Packers landed on Mannion as his hand-picked successor.

“He’s got a bright future in this profession. He attacks it the same way I knew he would when he was a player. Just extreme ownership of everything, puts in the time and goes above and beyond the call of duty, which is exactly what you want from your assistant coaches.” - Matt LaFleur told A to Z Sports

In his one year succeeding Tom Clements as quarterbacks coach, Mannion guided Jordan Love to the best season of his career by EPA/Play and success rate. Love looked confident in his progressions and played a more controlled-brand of football that didn’t limit his big play hunting. Also in 2025, Malik Willis raised his free agent stock in the games that he filled in for Jordan Love due to injury. Mannion helped guide Willis to two solid games, including an 18/21 288-yard performance against Baltimore, where Willis threw for a touchdown and ran for two more.

“Super smart, great work ethic and a really good communicator with the guys…I think he’s a really good resource now that Tom’s gone, to just have another guy who’s played a lot of football in the NFL, has that experience … I think that’s always good, too, to get a new guy in the room just to have different ideas, have different ways of presenting things and he’s done a great job so far.” - Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich to The Athletic.

Offensive Influences

In his playing and young coaching career, Sean Mannion has had the benefit of being exposed to some of the best offensive minds in football.

• He started his playing career in the Sean McVay offense. McVay runs an evolution of the West Coast offense that relies on running multiple run and pass plays out of similar-looking formations.

• He backed up Kirk Cousins in Minnesota under Klint Kubiak, Kevin Stefanski, and Kevin O’Connell. The Kubiak and Stefanski offenses are defined by wide zone play-action. In the wide-zone offense, the goal is to stretch the defense horizontally by having offensine lineman move laterally at the snap. The Kubiak offense relies on under-center looks where play action involves getting the quarterback on the move through roll-outs and bootlegs.

• The Stefanski offense is similar, but it relies on more heavy personnel groupings (mostly two tight end sets) and hunting big plays through deep crossing routes.

• Kevin O’Connell’s system is defined by a high-volume passing game that stretches the defense vertically by putting receivers in space. It’s a West Coast scheme based on timing that’s about finding big plays through deep crossing routes, relying on play-action and bootlegs, and a variety of heavy formations on early downs and spread formations on later downs.

• Mannion started his coaching career under Matt LaFleur. LaFleur’s balanced offense is a version of the McVay system. It uses a lot of 12 personnel (two tight end sets), condensed formations to find big plays (even if they spread out players will often motion closer to the formation), and play-action or bootlegs to simplify quarterback reads. The rushing attack is a wide zone, stretch run game where they’d prefer to pull athletic offensive linemen. LaFleur also designs concepts to get wide receivers open down the field.

How Can Mannion Bring Back the Birds?

Mannion’s offensive influencers all have centered around schematic principles the Eagles lack. They all use purposeful pre-snap motion to reveal the defense’s intentions. Elements of the LaFleur offense could open up a struggling Eagles rushing attack and take advantage of Philadelphia’s athletic offensive linemen. Heavy use of play-action and multiple looks off individual formations could help Jalen find easy answers. Moving the pocket through bootlegs and roll-outs could increase the impact of Jalen’s rushing ability.

The staples of the O’Connell and Stefanski systems with deep crossers and LaFleur’s love for in-breakers could be heaven on earth for A.J. Brown, who does his best work when he gets the ball on the run and can make something happen after the catch.

Not for nothing, but the Eagles have had their best success when they’ve surrounded their quarterback with former NFL quarterbacks. It’s a unique way of seeing the game that strengthens their ability to teach and communicate the game.

“Between playing experience and all the things I was able to learn from the coaches I worked with throughout my playing career, I think that’s kind of my biggest asset in terms of bringing that to the QB room.” - Sean Mannion

The Eagles are also hoping that Mannion’s tutelage under Tom Clements can help Jalen Hurts develop his game. Mannion, like Clements, preaches footwork and fundamentals above all else. As Mannion said in that early-season presser eight months ago about his lessons from Clements:

“When the players got back we talked about expectations for our room. And one of the first bullet points was honest assessment…If we are avoiding talking about something or if we’re maybe getting stuck on one little thing in the whole grand scheme of things you just have to provide your honest assessment at all times.”

Jalen Hurts has had past success in the NFL under former quarterbacks like Doug Pederson, Brian Johnson, and Kellen Moore. The hope is that Mannion can continue to give Hurts an honest assessment of his game and push the quarterback to do the things he’s uncomfortable doing to open up the offense.

So was this a good hire?

After hiring Sean Mannion, Nick Sirianni said in a statement, “It was quickly apparent in meeting with Sean that he is a bright young coach with a tremendous future ahead of him in this league. I was impressed by his systematic views on offensive football and his strategic approach.”

The best offensive voices in the league will speak to Mannion’s coaching potential. NFL host Chase Senior said, “The Packers think he’s a future head coach. They love him.”

There is, however, a significant risk that comes with any coach who’s never called plays before. As we saw with Kevin Patullo, playcalling is a skill set that is developed over time. The pressure in Philadelphia is to win and win now. It’s an environment that does not cater to the development of a young coach.

But the Eagles aren’t afraid to be two years ahead on a promising young coach (see: Sirianni, Nick). By hiring former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard as the passing game coordinator and with insight from Sirianni, the Eagles are trying to give Mannion the support he needs to grow and grow quickly.

Only time will tell if Mannion has the goods. But with a variety of offensive influences that define the modern NFL, Mannion could have what it takes to usher in the next era of Philadelphia Eagles offensive football. That or I’ll be cursing at my TV by December.

NFL Championship Weekend is the convergence of two realities. There’s the reality of the haves and the reality of the have-nots. Two separate planes flattening within a single thread of space and time to light your Twitter feed on fire. In one reality, this weekend touts the successes of four teams who sit one win away from their chance at Super Bowl immortality. In the other reality sits a revolving door of self-reflection and a search for answers.

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Since the end of the regular season, almost a third of the league fired its head coaches and begun looking for a new leader to take their team to the promised land. Sometimes teams can treat the head coaching search like collecting a rare baseball card or like Arnold Schwarzenegger hunting for a Turbo Man toy in Jingle All the Way. They reach for the shiny thing, with arms outstretched for the next hot up-and-coming play caller or the retread head coach who took their old team far, but could take a new team further (see: this Arrested Development scene). They let the market dictate the value of a candidate rather than assessing that value against what’s best for their specific set of circumstances.

It’s all because most teams know that hiring the right coach can be an elevator. It can take an organization with a solid foundation (good leadership structure, sound decision-making, stable ownership) to the next level. But hiring the wrong coach can be a mirror, reflecting all of the flaws, bad processes, and toxicity inherent in an organization (*cough cough* Cleveland Browns). Every Freddie Kitchens, Joe Judge, Joe Philbin, and Adam Gase is a direct reflection of the organization that put them in the position to lead, to begin with.

Team owners, new general managers, or wayward executives in need of someone to save their jobs will look at media-perpetuated head coaching archetypes. The young offensive playcaller. The experienced head coach who’s been there before. The hard-nosed defensive mastermind. The coaching carousel is a cyclone. Most teams are looking for a safe place to land, knowing that the wrong spot could toss them back into the storm again.

But if there’s anything to learn from the final four teams, it’s that a successful head coach can look a lot of different ways. The one thing that unites the four remaining head coaches is that they don’t cleanly fit into any archetype. They are nuanced and complicated. It’s not the cloth they’re cut from but the quality of their leadership that resonates.

Sean Payton, Mike Vrabel, Sean McVay, and Mike MacDonald are a heartbeat away from Super Bowl LX. As coaches, these four couldn’t be more different in the roads they took to get here. But they are similar in their ability to connect with the teams they lead. They show that a good head coach can come from a lot of different places, but strong leaders are hard to find.

The Old School Quarterback Whisperer

As Hall-of-Fame head coach Bill Parcells once said, “I think confrontation is healthy, because it clears the air very quickly.” That’s a lesson Broncos head coach Sean Payton took to heart. Payton is a part of the legendary Bill Parcells coaching tree, a highly esteemed club of coaches such as Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Jim Fassel, and Todd Bowles.

Since entering the league in 1997 as quarterbacks coach with the Philadelphia Eagles under offensive coordinator Jon Gruden (Ray Rhodes staff was weirdly a hotbed for good coaches), Sean Payton earned a reputation as an offensive wizard. As Jon Gruden said of Payton in an ESPN interview, “He was very committed to constantly pressing the boundaries of what you want to do or think offensively and thinking outside the box. Very creative, very detailed teacher.”

Payton rose to prominence after spending three seasons on Bill Parcells’ Dallas Cowboys staff, where he helped three separate quarterbacks reach 3,000 yards passing (Quincy Carter, Drew Bledsoe, and Vinny Testaverde). He considers Parcells his biggest mentor and calls him every Father’s Day. Parcells called Payton “Dennis the Menace” for his obsessive and frantic style, always wanting to do more and add more plays to the call sheet. It’s a style that drove Payton to perpetually innovate and explore the limits of what an offense could be.

He took the lessons he learned from Parcells to New Orleans, being hired as head coach of the Saints in 2006. New Orleans was a city in need of hope after being decimated by Hurricane Katrina. Together with quarterback Drew Brees, Payton delivered that hope by leading the Saints to a Super Bowl XLIV victory over Peyton Manning’s Colts in 2010.

The brash, offensive-minded pioneer led New Orleans to the most dominant era of Saints football and guided Drew Brees to a Hall of Fame career. Payton was Sean McVay before Sean McVay. The original wunderkind. A savior capable of lifting an entire city to unseen heights. As a former quarterback at Eastern Illinois, who got his one chance to play in the league during the 1987 NFL lockout, Payton could see football through the eyes of the quarterbacks he coached. It’s what makes his offensive approach so unique.

But Payton is also known for his intensity. He shares Parcells’s high standards for those around him, propensity for conflict, and demanding nature. He’s unafraid of healthy conflict. Drew Brees alluded to it in an Instagram post after Payton decided to move on from New Orleans in 2021, saying, “He challenged us, motivated and inspired us, pissed us off at times (in a good way), but always did what was best for the team!” Offensive lineman Zach Strief described the difference between Brees and Payton in a 2020 article by Robert Mays, then at The Ringer. “Brees is quiet and regimented, whereas Payton can be more emotional and free-wheeling.”

Payton is intense and competitive. Demanding but fair. He loves collaborating with players on game-planning and evolving his playbook. But to some, Payton can come across as brazen and cocky. A quality his new team connects with.

With the Denver Broncos, Sean Payton has been upfront with the team and the media since training camp about how he believes this team can win the Super Bowl. He’s been effusive in his praise of quarterback Bo Nix since Denver drafted Nix in the first round of last year’s draft. “I appreciate Coach for letting me be my authentic self,” Nix said of Payton to The Athletic.

As Bill Parcells once said, “The worst thing that can happen to a player [from a player’s perspective] is for him not to know what the coach is really thinking about him.”

“I believed in what he was saying,’’ linebacker Nik Bonitto told the Denver Gazette. Tackle Mike McGlinchey told the Gazette, “I think when Sean said those things (in April), and he’s convicted in it, it trickles down to everybody.” Broncos tight end Adam Trautman agreed, saying, “he knows exactly what it looks like. Not only with Super Bowls, but just successful teams that can knock on the door every year.”

That confidence extends to his backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, who, due to Nix’s ankle injury, is now tasked with taking Denver to their first Super Bowl since 2016. As Payton said, “I feel like I’ve got a [backup quarterback] that is capable of starting for a number of teams, and I know he feels the same way. So watch out. Just watch.”

Sean Payton has worked miracles in the past. A schematic innovator who consistently gives his team an edge. We’ll see if the quarterback whisperer can make miracles happen again.

The Hands-On Former Player

“Mike’s kind of an a--hole if you get to know him.” Tom Brady describes his former teammate, Mike Vrabel, succinctly. Sean Payton’s opponent this weekend is another descendant of the Bill Parcells coaching tree, spending his playing career with the most accomplished coach of all-time and fellow Parcells acolyte, Bill Belichick.

Playing 14 seasons in the NFL at linebacker, mostly with the New England Patriots, Vrabel spent his entire career winning. He won three Super Bowls with New England, while making first-team All-Pro in 2007, and becoming a finalist for defensive player of the year that same season. He was also occasionally used as a weapon at tight-end, catching 12 career receptions with 4 of those being touchdowns.

After retiring from an illustrious playing career, Vrabel dove headfirst into coaching. First at Ohio State coaching linebackers, then under Bill O’Brien’s Houston Texans staff as linebackers coach and eventual defensive coordinator for a season, before being hired by the Tennessee Titans as their head coach in 2018. In six years with the Titans, Vrabel led the team to a 54-45 record and an AFC Championship appearance for one of the more successful eras of Titans football since the early 2000s.

Following a messy divorce from Tennessee, Vrabel found himself back home as the head coach of the Patriots. In one season, he’s taken the team from finishing 4th in the AFC East to finishing as the number 2 seed in the AFC. It’s been a fast rise for a young Patriots team piloted by second-year quarterback and MVP favorite Drake Maye.

One of the fundamental ideals of Bill Belichick’s coaching philosophy is “Do Your Job,” the idea that every player should focus on their individual responsibility to fit into the whole. It’s reinforced the vaunted Patriot Way, which, as former Patriots Drew Bledsoe described to ESPN, “I think it’s just that simply no one player or group of players is bigger than the team or the organization.” It’s a foundational view on coaching that Vrabel also shares. But while many of Belichick’s former proteges have tried to emulate the Hall-of-Fame coach and failed (looking at you Eric Mangini), Vrabel’s coaching style is completely his own.

Vrabel is known not only for his tough love and intensity. As former Patriots and Titans cornerback Logan Ryan told Masslive about his time in Tennessee, “All of our best players, our highest paid players were being challenged. And they weren’t used to that, seeing all of their lowest plays. And that’s kind of embarrassing. So you don’t want to be on that tape.”

Compared to other coaches, Vrabel is as hands-on as it gets (see here, for instance). He’s competitive and is often seen directly running a drill where players have to block or tackle him. During a joint training camp practice with the Washington Commanders this past summer, Vrabel dove into a big multiple-player scuffle that resulted in him getting a bloody cut on his cheek. There’s video of him slapping on a blocking pad over his chest for 1-on-1 drills with players like rookie offensive lineman Will Campbell and defensive tackle Christian Barrimore, where Vrabel directly teaches technique.

“He’s right there with us. I think that player comes out in him,” Patriots tight end Hunter Henry told ESPN. “You have to love a coach that has competitive juices like us.”

What Vrabel does well, like all great coaches, is teach. He’s clear in his vision for the Patriots and the style of violent, physical football he wants them to play. As Patriots linebackers coach Mike Smith said to ESPN, “That’s the thing with Vrabel ... you know exactly how he feels. I just respect that part. There’s no hidden agenda. What you see is what you get.”

Vrabel has also stressed the importance of the relationship between the players, one thing that wasn’t always top of mind for Belichick. In training camp, Vrabel makes it a point for players to get to know each other’s stories. As Vrabel once said to ESPN, “We need [players] to put the team first, and we’re going to ask everybody to make tough decisions,” Vrabel said of his focus on connectivity. “Hopefully, the better you know somebody and understand who they’re playing for, and trying to support, the things going on outside of [football], there’s a lot of similarities, and I think the better it is to work with them.”

On gameday, Mike Vrabel has proven himself to be an excellent in-game tactician. Taking advantage of all of the rules available on the field to give himself an edge. One famous example from Vrabel’s time in Tennessee is a 2020 Wild Card matchup against his mentor, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots, where Vrabel intentionally took too many men on the field penalties to run out the clock and get the win.

The culture he created has had an immediate impact in New England. Time will tell if it will make New England Titletown once again. As Brady put it, “I think he’s toned down in his old age.”

The Ever-Evolving Offensive Wunderkind

As Hall-of-Fame coach Bill Walsh once said, “A good leader is always learning.” Walsh led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowls alongside 49ers Vice President and Director of Football Operations John McVay. Three decades later, McVay’s grandson would grow to embody Walsh’s words.

Since becoming the youngest head coach in the league at age 30 when he was hired by the Los Angeles Rams in 2017, Sean McVay has defined the modern NFL offense. In his first year in Los Angeles, he took a floundering Rams offense from one of the worst in the league to first with an offensive philosophy that relied on running multiple run and pass plays out of similar-looking formations.

He took the team to an NFC Championship in 2018 before their first Super Bowl victory in 2021. He’s ushered in the most successful era of Rams football of all-time, delivering a 92-57 record in the regular season over 9 years and a 10-5 playoff record with 7 playoff appearances. His success famously resulted in the Sean McVay effect, where assistant coaches on his staff were given head coaching opportunities because everyone wanted a piece of McVay’s scheme.

Aside from his offensive ingenuity, what those around him respected the most was his ability to communicate complicated ideas. Rams General Manager Les Snead described how McVay came across during his head coaching interview to The Ringer in 2018.

“In those first 10 minutes, he probably articulated [the offense so well] to myself, (and other Rams executives)—who I’ll quickly say could never coordinate an offense, or defense, or special teams, even though we’re in football—that I guarantee we could’ve run a few of his plays.”

Former Rams quarterback Jared Goff echoed the sentiment.

“The way he communicated. The way he made something that’s so complicated seem so simple. Right then, it was like, ‘Wow.’”

However, after winning the Super Bowl, McVay burnt out and almost quit coaching football in 2022. The Rams followed up their Super Bowl win with a 5-12 season due to a slew of injuries. “We were supportive of whatever decisions he wanted to make,” Rams’ president Kevin Demoff said to ESPN.

McVay said of the early successes to The Athletic, “As a result of that chase, there were some good times, but there were a lot of times that I became somebody that I don’t like.” Instead of walking away from the game, McVay “How Stella Got Her Groove Back-ed” himself. He focused on being present, enjoying the journey, and appreciating those around him. “He gives off a ton of energy in the building, and he’s the heartbeat of the way the organization goes, but he also benefits greatly from the energy that people put into him,” said Demoff. “I think that’s probably the one place where you see a little bit of a difference.”

“I think what you try to do a much better job of is enjoying the journey,” said McVay. “I don’t know that I always did that.”

Self-reflection is McVay’s superpower. He is a “good leader who is always learning.” Matthew Stafford speaks to that humility and self-reflection, saying earlier in the season, “I think the coolest thing is just the honesty we have we each other. Whether things go the way we want or not, it’s how can we fix them, how can we get better…I appreciate the hell out of it. Not always the case in this league.”

Aside from his coaching-style, McVay has evolved schematically. He took a shotgun-heavy, wide zone offensive scheme and transformed it into an offense that plays under center at the highest rate in the league. The 2026 Rams offense relies on a power running game, more 12 and 13 personnel (two or three tight ends on the field, respectively), condensed formations, and keeping the quarterback under center to make run and pass plays look identical.

The offensive approach led quarterback Matthew Stafford to an MVP-contending season, a dominant performance by wide receiver Puka Nakua, and has the Rams knocking on the door of their third Super Bowl appearance in 9 seasons.

At the heart of it all is an offensive genius who rediscovered himself through success and adversity. The coach who never stops evolving. “He’s also extremely into pouring into people and getting the best out of them,” said McVay’s former assistant coach Jimmy Lake, “and genuinely, authentically wants people to succeed around him.”

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The Intellectual Defensive Innovator

Devon Witherspoon describes his head coach as “Nerdy for sure, but in a good way.” Mike MacDonald’s meteoric rise from Michigan defensive coordinator to Seattle Seahawks head coach isn’t a surprise. MacDonald learned from the best throughout his career, which started as a graduate assistant for Mark Richt at Georgia before joining John Harbaugh’s Ravens in 2014 as an intern and rising the ranks to linebackers coach by 2020, then going to the University of Michigan as defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh, before coming back as defensive coordinator of the Ravens under John Harbaugh again. He’s made the rare Harbaugh to Harbaugh back to Harbaugh jump.

John Harbaugh describes MacDonald well.

“He’s a great guy, he’s a great coach. He’s very diligent. Yes, he’s smart, he’s thoughtful, but he’s fundamentally grounded, and he’s very diligent. Every single day, all he thinks about is ways to help the guys be as good as they can be or attack the offense that he’s going against.”

At a time when most defenses in the NFL emulate the Vic Fangio staple of using two-high safeties to eliminate big plays, MacDonald is pivoting to the next phase of defensive football. A cosmic gumbo of influences rooted in eliminating big plays while also stopping the run. Through simulated pressures and match coverages, MacDonald creates an illusion of pressure and complexity that most offenses struggle to decipher.

He’s the latest coach to come from John Harbaugh and the Ravens coaching tree, which emphasizes the development and growth of young coaches. As MacDonald describes his coaching-style to Richard Sherman, he’s rooted in “old school principles, new school methods.” That means combining relentless hard work, tough love, and accountability with analytics, data, science, and fun nature.

Within that is a certain intensity that emanates from MacDonald.

“It was communication, leadership, clarity ... that jumps off with Mike,” Seahawks GM John Schneider said to ESPN. “I had talked to several people that had interviewed him already and they were like, ‘Wait until you look in this guy’s eyes, man. He’s there. He’s present. He’s on it.’ And he was. Everybody in that room felt it.”

Much like McVay, what sets Mike MacDonald apart is his ability to teach complicated ideas in a way that sticks with his players. He makes sure that every defender understands what everyone else on the defense is doing, and even implements a naming convention for his plays that makes it easier for players to learn and recall.

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey broke it down for ESPN:

“He’s doing a unique job. … I’ve kind of never experienced it…He’s really having everybody understand the whole philosophy of mainly just the group of coverages…So I think he’s done a really good job of kind of really helping us all be smarter, to where I know what the D-line’s doing. I also know what the linebacker is doing. I also know what the safety’s doing.”

Former Seahawks linebacker and current Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson echoed that sentiment, telling ESPN, “I don’t think Coach knows how smart he is…People can be smart and you not understand them. He’s smart and he understands us, and he coaches it so well.”

MacDonald has reinvigorated a Seattle defense, taking it from one of the worst before his tenure to one of the top defenses in the league. Along with that, MacDonald has a clear vision of what offensive football he wants to play. And his firm belief in quarterback Sam Darnold has helped Darnold rise from reclamation project to leading one of the best offenses in the league.

One win away from Seattle’s first Super Bowl appearance since the 2015 heartbreak against the Patriots, MacDonald has shown that a little nerdiness might be what Seattle needs to bring home the Lombardi trophy.

It’s officially cuffing season. The cusp of Valentine’s Day. This is the time of year when people listen to Brian McKnight and Jagged Edge. In the dead of winter, we all look for love in the right places. The ideal partner you can cuddle up and win a Super Bowl with. I am, of course, referring to the perpetual merry-go-round that is the NFL coaching switcheroo. A game of head coach musical chairs that’s given most football fans vertigo and a healthy dose of sports-related anxiety.

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There are officially six teams still looking for head coaches after the New York Harbaughs, the Hotlanta Stefanskis, and the Nashville Salehs chose their leader of the (near) future. On top of those six teams, two additional teams are looking to fill their vacant offensive coordinator role: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and my Philadelphia Eagles. After a successful short-term fling with Kellen Moore that resulted in the Super Bowl, the Eagles are looking bounce back from a bad hookup with ex-offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who was a nice guy but couldn’t give the Eagles what they needed out of a relationship. He was unfortunately schematically ill-equipped and honestly a little clingy.

Since then, the Eagles have seen the man of their dreams, the Neo of the Matrix of offensive coordinators Mike McDaniel, decline their advances for a (literally) hotter partner in the Los Angeles Chargers. So the Eagles are left scrolling the apps for the perfect partner to build something with.

To help, we’re going to take a look at what the ideal offensive coordinator looks like for Philadelphia through none other than prompts you would see on the dating app Hinge. These prompts help you those in search of love find the right partner. As Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman, and Nick Sirianni scroll through the Brian Dabolls, Joe Bradys, and Jim Bob Cooters of the world, maybe aligning these prompts would inspire them to swipe right on their offensive coordinator of the future.

In his tenure as the offensive coordinator of the Cowboys, Kellen Moore’s offenses averaged a ranking of 11th in EPA/Play. With the Chargers, Moore’s offense ranked 18th in EPA/Play. In his two seasons as offensive coordinator of the Chargers, Shane Steichen’s offenses ranked 11th and 15th in EPA/Play, respectively. The Eagles don’t necessarily need a playcalling wunderkind to guide their offense (although that would be nice). They need a solid playcaller with enough experience to understand the rhythms of a game and how to take advantage of the talent at their disposal. An established playcaller with prior success also has the gravitas to challenge Sirianni and maintain full control over the offensive scheme. Both playcallers the Eagles promoted, who had no prior playcalling experience (Brian Johnson and Kevin Patullo), were fired after one season. Sometimes falling in love is about learning from our mistakes.

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The Sirianni offense is a steel cage. It hamstrings playcallers due to its inherent lack of motion, simplified concepts, and hitch routes run at a league-high rate. The Birds need someone who is going to challenge Sirianni to evolve his offensive system and modernize his beliefs. To eliminate what’s not working and transform what is. Jalen Hurts has significantly regressed as a passer, posting the second-worst EPA/Play and worst success rate of his career. He’s become more conservative, avoids the middle of the field, and relies on what he does best instead of expanding his game. Long-time Eagles reporter Derrick Gunn described the situation back in November, saying:

“Those things that [get] dissected on film [and] during practice, those things that are talked about among the quarterback coach, the offensive coordinator, the head coach, it has been constantly discussed all season long. Yet, when they transition to the field on a football game, [Hurts] plays his game. Not the game the coaches want him to play. He plays his game. I don’t think you can get out of that mode at this particular point. I think it’s what we’re going to have to watch all season long, is him playing his game.”

Philadelphia needs an offensive coordinator who will challenge Hurts to do the things he’s uncomfortable with. To grow in new ways that can expand his game. The key here is the quarterback coach hire that joins the new offensive head honcho in South Philly. I’m a fan of current quarterback coach Scot Loeffler, but the Eagles might do best to get fresh blood in the building to push Hurts outside of his comfort zone. All evidence shows that Jalen Hurts will do whatever it takes to win, and he’s proven he can improve season to season. The right coordinator fit can get the most out of him.

The Eagles’ passing game is as anemic as a malnourished Dracula. As I wrote earlier in the season, it seems like A.J. Brown runs three routes: a hitch, a go-route, and a slant. The Eagles started to diversify A.J.’s route tree later in the season by incorporating in-breakers and crossing routes, but it was too little too late. The Birds’ offensive strength, outside of a fully healthy offensive line, is their All-Pro wide receiving core. The new offensive coordinator needs to incorporate a diversified route tree that puts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in positions to do what they do best. That includes getting A.J.the ball on the run so he can tap into his YAC ability and getting DeVonta going out of the slot in the middle of the field. With safety valve Dallas Goedert most likely moving on to a new team, finding ways to get the most out of A.J. and DeVonta could define the success of the Eagles’ passing game next year.

The best playcallers put their players in the best position to succeed. One way to do that is to avoid predictability in your offensive scheme. Last season, Philly’s offense was as predictable as a Real Housewife getting in a shouting match. Defenses keyed in on what they were most likely to do based on their formations. A way to improve both the running and the passing game is to marry those concepts together.

Incorporate a multitude of playcalls and shifts out of individual formations so the defense can’t tell what’s coming. Use the passing game to open up similar looks for the running game instead of treating them like two separate priorities or focusing on establishing the run first. This gives Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and the pass catchers more easy buttons when catching the defense off guard.

This new coordinator will also be tasked to work with Jeff Stoutland to get a struggling running game back on track. They need someone with experience in finding the answers. By diversifying their looks and potentially handing protections back to Cam Jurgens at center, the Eagles could give their running game a much-needed jump start.

Philadelphia’s offense is at its best when Jalen Hurts uses his legs. In 2025, Hurts ran for the lowest yards and the fewest touchdowns in his career, eliminating a key part of his game. The new offensive coordinator needs to find ways to get Hurts to use his legs by setting up more favorable and timely quarterback runs to force the defense to respect the threat of his legs. That also means incorporating more quarterback roll-outs and shifting the pocket to misdirect the defense’s front seven. Klayton Adams and Sean Payton do a great job of shifting the pockets for Dak Prescott and Bo Nix to neutralize the pass rush and give their quarterbacks the ability to run off of play action.

Back in the Andy Reid and Doug Pederson eras, the screen game was a focal point of Philly’s offense (almost to a frustrating degree). But for some reason, the Sirianni offense has gotten away from them. Screens are a great way to keep the pass rush honest and a way to get players who excel at yards after contact, like Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, and A.J. Brown, the ball in favorable positions. Bring back the screen!

Backup running backs became a non-factor in 2025. Saquon Barkley had 65 fewer carries this year in the regular season than last year for some reason. But in 2025, backup running back Tank Bigsby had only 58 carries and 3 receptions despite averaging 5.9 yards per attempt. In 2024, backup runningback Kenneth Gainwell had 75 carries averaging 3.9 yards per attempt and 73 receptions. Getting Tank Bigsby involved is not only about keeping Saquon Barkley fresh for a full season, but an indicator that the coordinator is making the most out of all of the tools at his disposal. I will also need the new offensive coordinator to rip the page that has Will Shipley's 3rd down carries out of the playbook.

The offensive coordinator position in Philadelphia is a springboard to becoming a head coach in the league. The two coordinators with prior playcalling experience (Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore) became head coaches after their Super Bowl years. Despite the narrative, the opportunity to coach an uber-talented offense with the proven potential to become a head coaching candidate is a dream for your average offensive playcaller. As far as offensive coordinator positions go, this Philly job is the best out there.

Playoff football feels like watching a movie. Plotlines coalesce. Stories end and begin again. Familiar characters meet in familiar places for one last job. The games are action-packed, enthralling, unpredictable, and at times incomprehensible. Every loss kicks off a million different realities for a team that could rise again or fall forever. This, ladies and gentlemen, sounds like a Nic Cage movie.

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The playoffs are like watching The Wicker Man or The Rock. We’re talking drama, action, not being sure if you’re supposed to laugh or not. That’s why here at Burds of a Feather, we’re providing one-of-a-kind analysis that will make you say “why?” and “sure I guess that makes sense.”

For instance, doesn’t this remind you of facing the Texans’ defense?

Today, we’re analyzing the remaining teams in the NFL playoffs by comparing each one to a Nic Cage movie. If you have a Nic Cage fan in your life that you’re trying to get into professional football (which sounds like a very specific thing you’re trying to accomplish), then here’s a guide for you.

Chicago Bears - Moonstruck

“Why you wanna sell your life short? Playing it safe is just about the most dangerous thing a woman like you could do. You waited for the right man the first time, why didn’t you wait for the right man again?” - Nic Cage as Ronny Cammerari

The 2025 Chicago Bears are a love story. Between the city of Chicago and Ben Johnson. Between the NFL media and also Ben Johnson. Between Caleb Williams and, you guessed it, Ben Johnson. It’s at times a comedy of errors but also a story of love against all odds. The city of Chicago is Cher’s Loretta Castellini moving on from her Johnny Cammerari (Matt Eberflus), to find that Ronny Cammerari (Ben Johnson) is the one for her. Finding true love in Johnson has given Chicago the 8th-ranked offense in the league by EPA/Play. Their offense is as well-coordinated and harmonious as the symphonies that back Moonstruck’s score. As we saw in their fourth-quarter comeback against Green Bay last week, Chicago plays with the inevitability of true love. They find ways to thrive against all odds.

Houston Texans - Face Off

“Isn’t this religious, ah yes. The eternal battle between good and evil, saint and sinners... but you’re still not having any FUN!” - Nic Cage as Castor Troy (also played by John Travolta)

The Houston Texans have Face-Off’ed the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 2002 Bucs had the #1 defense in points allowed per game and the #18 offense by points per game. The 2025 Texans defense is ranked 2nd in points allowed per game and their offense is ranked 13th in points per game. The real question for Houston is if their defense can carry C.J. Stroud and a patchy offense all the way to a title. The Texans’ defense plays with the violence and intensity of this Nic Cage-John Travolta thriller. DeMeco Ryans is John Travolta’s Castor Troy (who is actually Nic Cage’s character, I know it gets confusing), a domestic threat who’s always one step ahead of you. The Texans are hoping their season ends like the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, riding a strong defense all the way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

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Seattle Seahawks - The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

“Paddington 2 is incredible.” - Nic Cage as Nic Cage

Sam Darnold is Nicolas Cage (I’m 100% sure this is the first time anyone has written that sentence). In this buddy action/meta commentary on Nic Cage’s career, Cage plays himself as a down-and-out star past his prime, only for a superfan (played by Pedro Pascal) to invite him to his cartel-funded mansion. So Sam Darnold is Nic Cage. A longtime down-and-out quarterback turned true reclamation project after a stellar year in Minnesota.

Most people thought his production in Minneapolis was an outlier until Seattle became his cartel-funded mansion. Klint Kubiak is the Pedro Pascal to Darnold’s Nic Cage, reminding Sam Darnold of how great he can truly be. Sam Darnold is ranked 4th in the league in quarterback success rate, and though they’ve tailed off in recent weeks, Seattle’s offense boasts the playmaking power to go all the way.

Not to mention, the Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent sounds like how it feels to coordinate Seattle’s defense. Mike McDonald has a defense loaded with talent, all playing in the right key. They are the arms-dealing cartel, ruthless and physical. With a talented offense and top defense, Seattle could go all the way.

San Francisco 49ers - Con Air

“Sorry boss, but there’s only two men I trust. One of them’s me. The other’s not you.” - Nic Cage as Cameron Poe

Kyle Shanahan is Nic Cage’s Cameron Poe. A man who’s been unfairly locked away for years (and by locked away we mean not winning the Super Bowl). One of the best coaches of our generation has yet to win a Super Bowl as a head coach, despite piloting a top 10 offense in 5 out of his 9 seasons as a head coach in San Francisco and a top 5 offense in 3 out of 9 seasons. It’s been a long, heartbreaking road, but Kyle has a chance to go against all odds to find his way home (aka winning a championship).

The injuries to the 49ers’ defense are Cyrus “The Virus” played by John Malkovich, trying their best to bring everything down. But Shanahan didn’t come this far to come this far. Shanahan already beat the Philadelphia Eagles with this injured team (who I guess, in this instance, are evil inmate Earl “Swamp Thing” Williams. He’s hoping Brock Purdy (the #1 ranked quarterback by success rate) is his Vince Larkin (played by John Cusack), who can help him get home to see his daughter (aka the Lombardi trophy) before it’s too late.

Buffalo Bills - Ghost Rider

“He may have my soul but he doesn’t have my spirit.” - Nic Cage as Johnny Blaze

The Buffalo Bills have died a million deaths. Those deaths mostly came at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Josh Allen and the Bills have lost to Patrick Mahomes 4 out of the last 5 seasons. But this season feels different. With no Patrick Mahomes in a way, Sean McDermott’s team has been reborn.

Much like Nic Cage in Ghost Rider, they’ve been given one more chance to reclaim their soul by making it to the Super Bowl. To make it there, they’ll have to defeat their biggest opponent…their own defense. The Bills currently allow the 5th most rushing yards per game. But Josh Allen, much like Nic Cage’s Johnny Blaze, is a superhero capable of conquering the odds. Can he do it on the road to Buffalo’s first Super Bowl victory?

New England Patriots - The Rock

“I drive a Volvo, a beige one. But what I’m dealing with here is one of the most deadly substances the earth has ever known, so what say you cut me some FRIGGIN’ SLACK?” - Nic Cage as Stanley Goodspeed

Mike Vrabel is the Sean Connery to Drake Maye’s Nic Cage. They’re teaming up together to break into Alcatraz, which we’ll call the playoffs. After being out of the playoffs for the past 3 seasons and not making it past the wild card round since they won the Super Bowl in 2018, Patriots football is back. Mike Vrabel (aka Sean Connery’s John Mason) is using all of his skills to help Drake Maye, aka Nic Cage’s Stanley Goodspeed, disable the rockets on their way to the Super Bowl.

The Patriots have the #1 offense by EPA/Play in the league. Vrabel and Maye have helped this team go from finishing 4th in the AFC East last season to the #2 seed in the AFC. But we’ll see if this unlikely yet dynamic duo has enough to disable the firepower of the Houston Texans’ defense and make it out alive.

Denver Broncos - National Treasure

“I’m gonna steal the Declaration of Independence.” - Nic Cage as Ben Gates

The Denver Broncos have almost lost many times. Yet despite the second-half deficit, they always find a way to figure it out. Denver’s 15th-ranked offense by EPA/Play and 8th-ranked defense have defied destiny. They’ve had moments where winning looked as impossible as stealing the Declaration of Independence. But the Broncos find a way to win, boasting 12 comeback victories in this season alone.

Their defense has been their guide, their cypher. And Sean Payton is Nic Cage’s Benjamin Franklin Gates, an overconfident adventurer who’s skilled at finding treasure in unlikely places. The “treasure” here is wins, despite the inconsistency of quarterback Bo Nix, who ranks 17th in the league in EPA/Play. Can Payton and his partner, defensive specialist Vance Joseph team up like Ben Gates and Riley Poole (played by Justin Bartha) to find the ultimate treasure?

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The Los Angeles Rams - Gone in 60 seconds

“Without disappointment you cannot appreciate victory.” - Nic Cage as Memphis Raines

The Los Angeles Rams are a mirage. A blur. Once you think you’re locked in a death match with them, they hit the gas to leave you in the dust. Sean McVay is Nic Cage’s Memphis Raines. The best in the game at stealing cars (or running an offense in McVay’s case) and pulling away from the competition.

The 2nd-ranked Rams offense (by EPA/Play) is a Ford Shelby GT500, with classic but high-performing parts (like Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams) fine-tuned with some upgrades (Kyren Williams and all-universe receiver Puka Nakua), built to ride to victory. With the 7th-ranked defense in tow, Los Angeles is looking to steal a win from the red-hot Chicago Bears. Is McVay up to the task, or does the ride end here?

Defense does not win championships. Defense does not guarantee victories on the long road to the Super Bowl. Defense can not overcome a bad offense or prevent the cracks that slowly trickle throughout a broken team from becoming fissures that swallow every playoff hope and dream.

What defense does is afford you opportunities. Room for error. A door to walk through if you’re bold and savvy enough to open it. In isolation, a great defense can drag you close to the finish line, but your feet will continue to fall short unless the offense can grab the baton.

This is the story of the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles. A tale of two teams. One, a suffocating defense that bends without breaking. That makes giants bleed and stars implode. The other, a relentlessly underwhelming offense with all the talent in the world but no clue what to do with it. Jekyll and Hyde. Two halves that cannot exist as a whole.

The Eagles’ season is over after a brutal 23-19 loss in the wild-card round to the San Francisco 49ers. A loss to recent rivals that happened at home in South Philadelphia. I was there at the stadium to witness all of the Eagles’ weaknesses from this season compound. Their deficiencies caught up with them. You can only outrun your ghosts for so long. They are a collection of loose threads being pulled one at a time until the whole thing finally unravels.

If I were to ask you in Week 5 to play Nostradamus and predict why the Eagles might lose in the first round of the playoffs, you probably would’ve guessed every reason correctly. Poor offensive output and execution, a hole at the second cornerback spot, a missed extra point by Jake Elliot, and bad in-game decision-making. The issues that plagued this team all season are the same ones that led to their downfall against the 49ers.

Kevin Patullo’s offense struggled to move the ball in the second half against a 49ers defense that’s missing nearly half of their season-opening defensive starters. Lane Johnson’s last-minute absence didn’t help, but it also shouldn’t have mattered. The broken Niners got pressure on Hurts, covered our all-world pass catchers downfield, and forced Jalen to play out of rhythm. Bright moments were provided by Dallas Goedert, who scored two touchdowns in the redzone, and Saquon Barkley, doing all he could in the running and passing game to make something out of nothing.

Disjointed playcalling, poor situational awareness, and brutal execution slowly sank this offensive ship. A.J. Brown had the first truly awful game I’ve seen him play in his career in Philadelphia, with three key dropped passes that could’ve singlehandedly shifted the gravity of this contest. One catch could’ve set up Philadelphia in the redzone for a much-needed score. Another, where A.J. dropped a wide-open 3rd down pass in the middle of the field, threatened to prematurely end the game’s final drive.

Jalen Hurts struggled to be a difference maker and failed to take advantage of his legs when the team needed it most. The offensive line provided inconsistent blocking for Barkley and committed key penalties that set the offense behind schedule. The Eagles’ offense is defined by a series of third-and-longs. The team lacked urgency when falling behind in this game, almost with an air of expectation that they would score when the time came. Hubris that led to their downfall.

This season, Jake Elliot has failed to live up to his value as the second-highest-paid kicker in the league. Elliot’s missed extra point after the Eagles’ first touchdown came back to kill this team. Down 23-19, the Eagles were forced to play for a touchdown instead of having the option to kick a field goal to send this game to overtime. On the season, Elliot has made 74% of his field goals, his worst mark since 2020. He’s 37th in the league in field goal percentage and 26th in field goals made. His miss destroyed any room for error this team had, as it has many times throughout this season.

On defense, Quinyon Mitchell played the game of his life. His two interceptions against Brock Purdy gave Philadelphia every opportunity to win. But the Eagles’ offense failed to capitalize, scoring only a field goal off two turnovers.

Unfortunately, the secondary also did their best to make 49ers 3rd string wide receiver Demarcus Robinson look like Jerry Rice. Robinson cracked 100 yards receiving for the first time since Week 10 of 2022, when he played for the Ravens. Most of the damage came against cornerback Adoree Jackson, who, overall all has played better this season but struggled in this one.

Vic Fangio’s black hole defense always got close but not close enough, allowing Brock Purdy to find his way out of a mess, escaping pressure to scramble for yards or find his pass catches downfield. Kyle Juszczyk single-handedly kept drives alive with catches in the middle of the field after George Kittle left the game with an Achilles injury. Christian McCaffrey found the endzone twice.

Nick Sirianni’s questionable decision-making once again reared its ugly head. In the final drive of this game, the Eagles had all three of their time-outs. Having those timeouts in their pocket made it possible for them to get the ball back in the instance that their last offensive drive stalled out (which it did). It gave them room for error. But on a fourth-down attempt, Sirianni chose to burn that timeout, making it so that if the Eagles did not convert, the game would be over. They did not convert; the game ended.

The 2025 Eagles were never really a contender. They were a deeply flawed team that was incapable of winning the hand when the cards were in their favor. They could not take advantage of a wide-open NFC race by beating an injured team. The cracks that trickled throughout the season finally consumed them.

Their offense is the manifestation of unrealized potential. The nadir of disappointment. They are fundamentally broken. It’s been clear all season that Kevin Patullo is ill-equipped to be an offensive coordinator for a championship team. The time Patullo requires to grow into his role is time that a championship core cannot afford him.

Philadelphia reached the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs, and the offense still never established an identity. They’re playcalling is a collection of disparate ideas. They are 52 cards from separate decks pulled one by one, hoping that maybe this one will work before they toss it away, regardless of the outcome.

Sometimes they run pieces of an under-center offense. Sometimes they go spread empty. And sometimes they run condensed formations where a backup tight end is responsible for key blocks that they simply cannot make. It’s an offense that one pieces together on paper without knowledge of who their talent is and what their strengths are. It’s entry-level. It lacks cohesion, philosophy, or a system of beliefs.

I don’t think Kevin Patullo is entirely to blame for the Eagles’ offensive struggles this season. In this game, there were plenty of opportune play calls that players failed to execute. But at the same time, I know he’s not the solution. This offense is fundamentally and systemically broken. That is not an issue that a first-year offensive coordinator is capable of fixing, nor is Nick Sirianni.

Sirianni, for all of his talents as a detail-oriented teacher, motivator, and culture-builder, has proven that his fatal flaw is recognizing coaching talent. He does not have a John Harbaugh eye for identifying coordinators who can elevate his team. His choice to promote Kevin Patullo wasted a year of a championship core for the opportunity to give a friend a chance. His lack of urgency throughout the season to fix what was broken resulted in a lost season and stretched locker room relationships close to their breaking point.

Sirianni is a coach who needs an experienced playcaller by his side who knows how to maximize offensive talent. A coach who’s been there before, whose voice can be loud enough in the room that it can keep Sirianni from embracing his worst instincts.

So where do we go from here? Through all of the rubble, this team will look different in 2026. The defensive talent will fundamentally shift, with the free agency of players like Jaelan Philips, Nakobe Dean, and Reed Blankenship. The offense should remain consistent, aside from Dallas Goedert, who’s bound to sign a big contract elsewhere. The contract for Jalen Carter will be massive and limit flexibility. The contract decision for Jordan Davis may do the same. The talent advantage will, unfortunately, diminish.

On offense, this loss could force the Eagles to embrace the reinvention they’ve so desperately needed. To let go of the past and embrace the next era of Eagles football. Metamorphosis can be gut-wrenching. But change is the only way you stay ahead in the NFL. Hopefully, a new offensive coordinator can collaborate with Sirianni to modernize this offense and establish the strong identity it’s been lacking.

But for now, this one hurts deeply. It’s a loss that will stay with this fanbase for a long time. The air left the stadium so slowly over the course of three hours that we barely recognized we weren’t breathing. The all too familiar feeling of disappointment, despite recent successes, that’s deeply ingrained in this fanbase crept in once again. The season for the most talented team in the league didn’t end with a bang, but a whisper.

Holding a grudge is one of Philadelphia’s great pastimes. It runs through every single red blood cell in the bleeding heart of every Philadelphian. Because we know that hating is a renewable energy. Hating inspired our Founding Fathers to do some founding. It powers our entire city, trickling down Broad Street with a ferocity that makes raising your middle finger to a Cowboys fan a chemical reaction that happens on a molecular level. Philadelphia holds grudges like air in our lungs. We’ll never let you forget when we beat you, and we’ll never forgive you for making us lose. No one likes us, we don’t care because Go Birds.

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As Philadelphia football has reached its apex during the Nick Sirianni era, so have the San Francisco 49ers. Kyle Shanahan’s Niners have joined the Eagles as the only teams to appear in an NFC Championship in the past three seasons. They’re an offensive rocket ship. A team that’s turned the last pick in the 2022 draft into an All-Pro difference maker next to one of the greatest running backs of our generation. The Eagles and the 49ers have locked talons on the road to the Super Bowl, plummeting to the ground to see who will let go before they make impact. Shanahan’s high-flying offense has played foe to the Nick Sirianni Eagles for the past two seasons, with Philadelphia’s lone win being the most important: a 31-7 NFC Championship victory in 2022.

If the Kansas City Chiefs are Philadelphia’s “Ivan Drago,” then the 49ers are more of a “Clubber Lang.” They’re the Draco Malfoy to our Harry Potter. A rival also at the peak of their powers, who is meant to be reckoned with. This Sunday, the Eagles will host San Fran in South Philly for Wild Card Weekend. It’s a win-or-go-home game that both of these playoff-worn teams are familiar with. An electric Kyle Shanahan offense takes on the immovable force that is Vic Fangio’s defense. It’s a supernova taking on a black hole. On the other (less inspiring) side of the ball, a struggling and disjointed Eagles offense takes on a battered 49ers defense.

The Eagles are 3-2 against the Kyle Shanahan-led 49ers, yet QB1 in our hearts, Jalen Hurts, is only 1-2 against San Francisco in his career. And in another form of kismet, head coach Nick Sirianni is just 3 wins away from tying 49ers head coaching great George Seifert for the most wins in a head coach’s first five seasons.

But make no mistake, there’s still more beef than a Big Mac. So how did it all go down?

Deebo Versus Philadelphia

As philosophers and Atlanta rappers YoungbloodZ and Lil’ Jon said in their single Damn!, “Don’t start no shit, won’t be no shit.”

Two moments from the 2023 NFC Championship game served as the big bang of this beef. The first happened with 10:28 to go in the first quarter. On 4th and 3, Jalen Hurts took the snap and rolled to his left to evade pressure. Eyes fixed down the field, he floated a pass to DeVonta Smith, who reached his outstretched arm to the sky and made a one-handed catch over his defender to reel in the ball on his way to the ground. The replay contested that Smith may not have completed the act of the catch on his way to the ground, but referee Alan Eck (more on him later) and his crew maintained that it was a catch. The Eagles would go on to score the first touchdown of the day on a Miles Sanders touchdown run.

The second moment came with 7:00 left in the first quarter. On 2nd and 6, Eagles edge rusher and certified demon Haasan Reddick peeled around the right guard and met Brock in the backfield, hitting Purdy’s arm to force a fumble. The hit also tore Purdy’s UCL, taking him out for the remainder of the game. Forced to start backup journeyman (and man who led the Washington Commanders to a victory over the Eagles’ backups last week) Josh Johnson, San Francisco fell 31-7, and the Eagles marched on to the Super Bowl.

Also, Jonathan Gannon said this before the game, which is unrelated but was just kind of weird.

The ramifications of the NFC Championship game rippled throughout 2023. Many 49ers players thought DeVonta Smith’s catch and Brock Purdy’s injury contributed to an illegitimate Philadelphia win. “They didn’t see us at our best” was the argument, but also a fundamental truth of the realities of professional football.

But no one took issue with the win more publicly than Deebo Samuel. The flagbearer of the grudge. If this is truly a beef, then Deebo is the butcher. Samuel locked in on his one-man mission to talk shit on the Eagles. After the NFC Championship game, Deebo Samuel called then-Eagles cornerback James Bradberry “trash” in an appearance on the I Am Athlete podcast. Following James Bradberry’s untimely pass interference penalty on the Chiefs’ last drive of Super Bowl LVII that served as the nail in the coffin for the Eagles, Samuel tweeted this to stoke the flames:

In an interview with Complex Magazine in the spring of 2023, Deebo said that the Eagles were his most hated team “100 %.”

“All the trash talk coming from the Eagles fanbase and the players, you just get tired of that…I ain’t going to keep going on about what could’ve happened and what would’ve happened, but yeah, it would’ve definitely been a different outcome. … We lost because we played with 10 people.”

The opportunity for revenge came in week 13 of the following season. San Francisco had a shot at redemption against the 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles. Leading up to the game, when asked about his comment about Bradberry earlier that year, Samuel responded, “I don’t regret nothing I said.” Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown then invited Eagles fans to troll Deebo Samuel. Bradberry had to respond to the unfortunate (yet hilarious) question about his thoughts on another man calling him trash.

That game was a dark day in Philadelphia sports. Deebo’s Revenge resulted in Shanahan’s 49ers completely dismantling the Birds to the tune of 42-19. Brock Purdy threw for 314 and two touchdowns against Sean Desai’s defense (I’m getting PTSD just writing this). Deebo beat up Philly with 119 yards and two touchdowns. The Niners had five straight touchdown drives spanning over 70 yards.

To make things weirder, San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw threw a jab at Eagles Chief of Security/man who does everything without saying a word, Big Dom. Both Dom and Greenlaw were ejected for the scuffle. The Eagles crowd cheered as Dom left the field, the only thing they were cheering for all night.

After the game, the 49ers celebrated. San Fran left guard Trent Williams harkened back to the NFC Championship game, saying, “I had full confidence we’d have this kind of game from the jump. We’ve got a quarterback, so that made it easier this time.” The 49ers went on to make it to the Super Bowl that year before falling to a familiar foe, the Kansas City Chiefs.

To deepen the rivalry, following the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl victory, Howie Roseman traded defensive end Bryce Huff to the 49ers. Huff was the Eagles’ crown jewel free agent signing in the 2024 offseason, but upon joining Philly, it was clear that he wasn’t a scheme fit. His playing time took a nosedive. Following the trade, Bryce said:

“There’s a plethora of things that went down. I don’t wanna get into specifics. Being in the league for five years, I kinda knew what it felt like to be in a good situation. ... I kind of knew where it was headed fairly early on into the season, probably even training camp if I’m being honest.”

Jordan Mailata added fuel to the fire this week, saying:

This Sunday serves as the first matchup between Philly and San Francisco since that fateful week 13 beatdown in 2023. For players, most of the young Eagles defense wasn’t on the team for that meltdown. Saquon Barkley was still carrying the rock in New York. And San Fran’s team has seen similar turnover in that timeframe. But for fans, revenge is on the mind. As for Alan Eck, the referee who called the NFC Championship game in 2022? He’ll be the referee for Sunday’s game as well, much to the chagrin of 49ers fans.

Vic Versus Shanahan

On top of the bad blood between these teams sits a less hostile matchup between the defining offensive and defensive coaches of the modern NFL. Offensive wunderkind meets the father of modern NFL defense. Two coaches with deep respect for one another. Shanahan has said of Fangio, “Vic schematically, he has always been the best to me.” Shanahan is 1-3 against Fangio in his career. The last time they faced each other was when Fangio was the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in 2018, in which the Bears held Shanahan’s 49ers offense to 9 points. But a lot has changed in those 8 years.

The Philadelphia defense will face a 49ers offense that (outside of last week against Seattle) has been red hot. Since Brock Purdy returned in week 11, the 49ers are averaging 31 points per game. Purdy ranks 3rd in EPA/Play and 1st in Success Rate this season. Though the receiving core led by Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall is underwhelming, running back Christian McCaffrey is on track to have the third-best season of his illustrious career by yards and rushing touchdowns. This isn’t the same Shanahan offense Fangio faced with the Bears. Shanahan’s scheme will be a true test for the young Eagles defense (except for Quinyon Mitchell who covers receivers better than paint covers a house).

Fangio has his own ties to San Francisco, serving as defensive coordinator there under Jim Harbaugh for 4 seasons and a defense that included all-time stars like Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman. Uncle Vic looks back on that time fondly, saying “We had a lot of success there. Really enjoyed it out there. Met my partner out there that I’m still with…I enjoyed it out there, we had a lot of good players. Guys, I really enjoyed coaching.”

Hopefully, Vic looks back on this Sunday just as fondly.

Weakness Versus Weakness

The other side of the ball for both teams is a little less inspiring. It’s like both teams are bringing a banana to a gun fight.

Robert Saleh’s defense is an infirmary, depleted by a variety of injuries across the board. Star edge rusher Nick Bosa and all-universe linebacker Fred Warner went out for the season early in the year. Warner’s backup Tatum Bethune tore his groin last week against Seattle and is out for the playoff run. Rookie star edge rusher Mykell Williams also tore his ACL early in the season. Linebacker Dee Winters is dealing with an ankle injury.

On the season, the 49ers’ defense is ranked 25th by EPA/Play. They’re coming off a loss to the Seattle SuperDarnolds, where they allowed 171 yards rushing to Seattle running backs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. Their pass defense has been up-and-down.

But it’s unclear if a struggling Eagles offense can take advantage. With all the talent in the world, the Birds’ offense has been underwhelming under first-year coordinator and least popular person in Philadelphia, Kevin Patullo. Wide receiver A.J. Brown has come on late in the season since letting his frustrations be known and is top 5 in most receiving metrics since the middle of November. Running back Saquon Barkley has struggled to find running room, and Hurts’ consistency has waxed and waned. That being said, an injured 49ers linebacker core could mean a big day for the touchdown magnet, Dallas Goedert.

For whatever happens, Philadelphia always remembers. The collision course is set as it has been in the past 5 years. Only time will tell who will call whom “trash” on a podcast and start the whole thing over again.

Week 18 was jazz. A series of disparate notes weaving themselves together to craft a cohesive melody. The melody in this instance was playoff seeding, with several games determining which teams get into the tournament and which teams get home-field advantage. And week 18 did not disappoint. Every hour was electric. If the NFL is scripted (like they say in the depths of Reddit), then this was their best work yet.

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If Week 18 was jazz, then the Philadelphia Eagles’ backups were a group of 4th graders playing the recorder in music class. Each one unsure which note they’re supposed to be playing at any given time or how it’s all supposed to come together. The “Backup Birds” fell to the Washington Commanders 24-17 in a game that can best be described as “gross.” Commanders’ third-string quarterback (and man who could do 14 different jersey swaps with himself) Josh Johnson had moments where he Space Jammed Patrick Mahomes, throwing his first touchdown pass since the first season of White Lotus premiered.

For the Birds, the #2 seed was on the line. With the 2-seed comes the opportunity to guarantee home-field advantage for most of the playoffs. And playing playoff football in Philadelphia is like trying to answer emails while being surrounded by a pack of Dobermanns. But earlier in the week, Nick Sirianni made the difficult decision to rest most of the Eagles’ starters, and rightfully so. The 2-seed is valuable, but so is resting your players before a long and arduous playoff push.

With the 2-seed still in arm's reach, the Eagles needed two things to happen: They needed their backups to beat a bad Commanders team at home, and for the Detroit Lions to upset the Chicago Bears. The Detroit Lions did their part, beating the Bears on a last-second field goal to give the Birds a chance. Unfortunately, the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles love to make everything hard.

Backup quarterback and occasional Prince Who Was Promised Tanner McKee looked inconsistent and overwhelmed by a struggling Commanders defense, much to the chagrin of several Philadelphia Sports Radio long-time listeners and first-time callers who at one point said that Tanner should start for the Birds. Backup quarterbacks are our drug of choice in Philadelphia. From A.J. Feeley to Jeff Garcia to Playoff God Nick Foles. If climbing greased poles didn’t exist, they’d be our favorite thing.

Unfortunately, Tanner couldn’t put it together in this one. He went 21/40 for 241 yards with a touchdown and an interception. When playing in rhythm, he made some truly great throws. But McKee also had moments where he missed open receivers, bailed out of clean pockets, and made questionable decisions. He looked like who he is, a backup quarterback.

On defense, Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett seized the opportunity to start at cornerback by getting as many penalties as they could. Both backup cornerbacks singlehandedly fueled Washington’s offense through ill-timed pass interference and holding calls. Jakorian Bennett is a lover who gives out free hugs to any receiver running in his direction. Kelee Ringo isn’t quite sure where he is on the field at any given moment.

On a late touchdown run by Josh Johnson, Kelee Ringo completely turned his body away from a scrambling Johnson to guard an already covered receiver, allowing Johnson to score out of the kindness of his heart. If we learned anything from this game, it’s that gratitude is important. And I couldn’t be more grateful for Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and (fuck it) even Adoree Jackson.

Tank Bigbsy, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and Jalyx Hunt were bright spots, showing that the Eagles have some talented depth. Bigsby ran like his name. He ran like his shoes were on fire. He ran like he might never touch the rock again. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. evoked visions of his father by consistently pressuring Josh Johnson and the Commanders’ running backs at the line of scrimmage. Jalyx Hunt is one of the biggest performers of the 2025 season and had two turnovers on the day.

For a meaningless game, this game still meant a lot. Even though the piece didn’t come together last night, there’s still a lot of music to play. The Birds will host the San Francisco 49ers in South Philly next weekend. The next chapter in the story of two teams who genuinely dislike each other. And the Eagles will be ready, fresh, and well-rested for another chance to hold the Lombardi Trophy.

Feel free to read the Game Recap or jump to Trending Up/Trending Down

GAME RECAP

Throughout the afternoon, Eagles fans were primarily tracking two games: Eagles vs. Commanders and Detroit vs. Chicago.

Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee took the field 1-0 in his career as a starter. Starting alongside McKee was starting receiver DeVonta Smith, who was in the game in pursuit of reaching the 1,000-yard receiving mark. After the Eagles’ first drive stalled, Washington quarterback Josh Johnson steadily moved the Commanders’ offense down the field with a quick passing attack and timely scrambles.

At 4:37 PM EST, the Detroit Lions struck first against the Chicago Bears, going up 3-0.

Josh Johnson overthrew Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks in the endzone, forcing the Commanders to settle for a field goal. Luckily for Eagles fans, Commanders kicker Jake Moody missed the 24-yard kick.

On the ensuing drive, McKee hit DeVonta Smith on a beautiful 27-yard pass to give DeVonta 1,000 yards on the season, and Philly immediately took Smith out of the game. McKee hit Jahan Dotson for 15 yards, and two plays later threw a shot over the middle to backup tight end Grant Calcaterra for a 15-yard touchdown to bring the Birds up 7-0.

The Commanders answered with a touchdown drive of their own. After a Jakorian Bennett pass interference call (his second penalty of the day already) gave the Commanders the ball at their own 1-yard line, Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez works his way into the endzone for the score to tie the game at 7-7.

At 5:05 PM EST, the Detroit Lions score on a 30-yard field goal to go up 3-0.

On Philly’s next drive, they worked their way into the redzone thanks to a healthy dose of Tank Bigsby. McKee delivered a short pass to Bigsby that went for 31 yards, which included Bigsby delivering one of the filthiest jukes you’ll ever see.

At 5:18 PM EST, Jared Goff throws a 15-yard TD to Jahmyr Gibbs to lead the Chicago Bears 13-0.

In the redzone, the Eagles lined up to go for it on 4th and 1, but called a timeout after attempting to get the Commanders to jump offsides. In a strange decision, the Eagles’ offense went back out onto the field to go for the touchdown, but McKee was flushed out of the pocket immediately, and the pass fell incomplete.

On Washington’s next drive, Jalyx Hunt dove to intercept a pass intended for Deebo Samuel to get Philadelphia the ball back. Tanner McKee responded to that opportunity by throwing an interception of his own to Washington safety Jeremy Reaves. After a 14-yard pass to Terry McLaurin and an 11-yard scramble by Josh Johnson, the Commanders nailed a 56-yard field goal attempt by Jake Moody before halftime to bring the score to 10-7.

On their second drive coming out of the half, Josh Johnson fumbled the snap, and it was recovered by Jalyx Hunt, his second turnover of the game.

6:13 PM EST, former Eagles and current Lions cornerback Avonte Maddox intercepts Bears quarterback Caleb Williams

Driven down the field by Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia made use of the turnover by scoring on a Tank Bigsby 2-yard run to bring the Eagles up 14-10.

At 6:24 PM EST, Lions kicker Jesse Bates makes a 25-yard field goal to lead Detroit over Chicago 16-0

Later in the quarter, McKee hits backup wide receiver Britain Covey for a 12-yard gain before finding backup tight end Kyler Granson for a beautiful 12-yard sideline sliding catch.

6:34 - Caleb Williams throws a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jahdae Walker, and the Bears score a two-point conversion to make it 16-8.

After a Tank Bigsby 13-yard run, the Eagles’ offense stalled out and settled for a 39-yard field goal to go up 17-10.

On the Commanders’ next drive, a pass interference call against backup cornerback Mac McWilliams gave Washington the ball in the redzone. It was the fourth penalty on an Eagles cornerback for the day. A false start by Washington backed them up 5 yards, but another pass interference call in the endzone on Jakorian Bennett gave Washington a fresh set of downs on the goal line. After the Eagles’ defense stopped Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt for a big loss on first down and a Chris Rodriguez run on second down, Josh Johnson found tight end John Bates for a touchdown to tie the game at 17-17.

6:53 PM EST, Caleb Williams throws a touchdown pass to Coleston Loveland, and the Bears score on a two-point conversion to tie the game against Detroit.

After a 3-and-out by the Eagles offense, a defensive pass interference call on Kelee Ringo gave the Commanders a 32-yard gain. The Commanders finished the drive by scoring on a Josh Johnson scramble, where Kelee Ringo turned away from Johnson to allow the score to give the Commanders a 24-17 lead.

With 2:32 left in the game, Tanner McKee hit Will Shipley for 12 yards. A few plays late,r he hit Jahan Dotson for 16. Facing a 4th and 3 as the drive stalled out, McKee threw an incomplete pass, targeting backup tight end Kyler Granson to give Washington the ball back.

7:19 PM EST, Lions kicker Jake Bates makes a last-second kick from 42 yards to give Detroit a win over Chicago.

The Eagles’ defense stepped up to stop Washington’s offense and give Tanner McKee the ball back with 1:03 remaining. After two straight incompletions and a 7-yard loss on a sack, McKee missed Jahan Dotson on a deep shot on 4th down to solidify the Eagles’ loss.

TRENDING UP

• Jalyx Hunt: Hunt is on one this season. Big Pimpin’ had two turnovers in this one, including an insane diving interception catch. If Hunt can keep this momentum going, he could come up big in the playoffs.

• Jeremiah Trotter Jr.: Yes I got teary-eyed when Jeremiah Trotter Jr. did his dad’s ax man dance. I’ll take all the nostalgia I can get. There was a time when the Eagles’ linebacker core was as effective as picking a lock with a toothbrush. But in this new era of Eagles football, we are linebacker-rich. We’re the Warren Buffett of linebackers. Trotter was absolutely everywhere this game, making huge plays to stop running backs short of the line of scrimmage and shedding blocks to get pressure on Josh Johnson. Shout out to Ax Man Jr. He’s always ready when he gets his opportunity.

• DeVonta Smith: There was also a time when we relied on Jalen Reagor to save us. The Birds spent years in wide receiver wilderness. That’s why we’re so grateful for DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. With an insane catch, DeVonta Smith went over 1,000 for the season in this game, the 3rd time he’s gone over 1,000 yards in his 5-year career.

TRENDING DOWN

• Kelee Ringo: I don’t know if Kelee had money on this game or if someone slipped Zzquil into his Gatorade, but my man was twisted in this one. Ringo gave up timely penalties and at one point literally turned his back to Josh Johnson as the Washington QB was running into the endzone. I can’t believe there was a time when we seriously considered Ringo as an option to start at the second cornerback slot. That being said, Ringo is a savant at kick return coverage, so there’s that.

  

• Jakorian Bennett: The Washington Commanders played the “Jakorian Bennett - Kelee Ringo” offense today. Jakorian crashed out in this game, both figuratively and literally kept crashing into Terry McLaurin. Jakorian’s penalties were directly responsible for putting Washington in scoring position 3 times. 3 TIMES!? A great coaching point for Bennett is that you can’t tackle players before they have the ball.

• Tanner McKee: Early in this game, I hit up the group chat and compared Tanner McKee to Tom Brady and said he could start for half of the teams in the league. I believe that this is the first time in my life that I performed witchcraft. Those texts singlehandedly cursed Tanner McKee and turned him from a prince into a frog, then into a Kenny Pickett. Consider this my formal apology for using my powers for evil.

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HOT TAKES

• Resting the Starters was the Right Move: The Birds field one of the healthiest teams in the league. In the playoffs, having your roster intact matters. I wish the Eagles beat the Commanders to guarantee the #2 seed and a rematch with the injured Green Bay Packers, but I agree that rest is more important than a chance at a higher seed. Philadelphia can field a refreshed roster against an embattled 49ers team coming off an intense loss to Seattle.

• Give Josh Johnson a Farewell Tour: At 39 years old, Josh Johnson has played for 14 NFL teams. It’s our responsibility as a country to let him play for all 32 teams. We need to give Johnson one season where the remaining 18 teams sign him for at least one week. Let my man run the full gauntlet. Josh Johnson knows that the truth about playing quarterback in the NFL is that it’s just like playing Pokémon Blue Version. You gotta catch ‘em all (any by "em” I mean paychecks from every NFL team that exists).

THINGS ONLY I CARE ABOUT

• Grant Calcaterra Looks Like One of the Cast Members of Super Troopers: No further explanation required

  

Welcome to America’s favorite game show…WHO’S GETTING FIRED (crowd applauds)! The game show where we guess which NFL Head Coach will be fired on Monday and forced to rehabilitate their career by becoming the offensive coordinator of Kent State. We wanted to get Wayne Brady to host this episode, but unfortunately, Burds of a Feather runs on a $0 budget, and we have no way of getting in touch with him.

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This Monday is Black Monday, the day the season dies for all non-playoff teams and the day that most underperforming head coaches are relieved of their duties. It’s an opportunity for struggling teams to turn the page on a vague new era. A little infusion of hope, like that New Year’s Resolution you have to eat only green vegetables for the entire year.

Being an NFL head coach is a brutal business. There are only 32 of those positions available in the world, which means their jobs are as secure as a phishing email from someone claiming to be a Nigerian prince. Coaches deal with relentless scrutiny into every word they say, every decision they make, and how the team plays week-to-week. It’s like if the city of Philadelphia got together and decided I wasn’t responding to Slack messages at work quickly enough and lobbied for me to be fired.

So let’s take a look at our contestants who will either win the prize of continuing to lead their franchise or be forced to debate Rex Ryan on ESPN next year. Our contestants include:

• Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals

• Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

• John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

• Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals

• Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

• Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins

• Aaron Glenn, New York Jets

• Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons

• Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders

So without further ado, let’s play WHO’S. GETTING. FIRED!

SEAT IS COLD, BUT THE MARRIAGE IS STALE

John Harbaugh (Ravens Head Coach for 18 seasons)

• Record: 8-8 this season (180-112 all-time)

• Fatal Flaw: Can’t get back to the Super Bowl

• Fired coordinators: None

• Showing Improvement: In weeks 1-9 the Ravens ranked 20th on offense and 25th on defense by EPA/Play. In weeks 10-17 they improved to 13th on offense and 9th on defense. They will make the playoffs if they beat the Steelers on Sunday night.

• Controversies: None this season, but Baltimore is coming off an offseason when Harbaugh described cutting kicker Justin Tucker, who was accused of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists, as “a complex decision” and didn’t handle that entire situation in the best way.

• Major Injuries: Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike was out for 14 weeks, and star quarterback Lamar Jackson has been dealing with a hamstring injury all season.

• Outlook for Next Year: The Ravens have all of their picks next year and are middle of the pack in cap space available. A year with a healthy Lamar Jackson could turn the tide.

• Patience of Ownership: The Ravens have only had 3 coaches ever, and two since 1999. They are only a year removed from winning the division two years in a row, and two years removed from losing in the conference championship. So I don’t think ownership is in a rush to make a change.

• VERDICT: NOT FIRED. The Ravens are a season removed from winning the AFC North. The defense has regressed in the past two seasons with the loss of defensive coordinator (and now Seattle Seahawks head coach) Mike McDonald, but they’ve righted the ship in recent weeks. The Ravens could still win the AFC North with a win over Pittsburgh on Sunday night, so I don’t think this is the end of the road for Harbaugh.

Mike Tomlin (Steelers Head Coach for 19 seasons)

• Record: 9-7 this season (192-114 all-time)

• Fatal Flaw: Bad taste in offensive football

• Fired Coordinators This Season: None

• Showing Improvement: In weeks 1-9, Pittsburgh was ranked 13th on offense and 24th on defense by EPA/Play. In weeks 10-17, their offense regressed to 18th, and their defense improved to 10th.

• Controversies: Following a loss to the Packers in October, Cam Heyward mentioned how there’s “not a lot of fight” in the Steelers. Questions about defensive effort have crept up from time to time this year. But overall, Tomlin has run a tight ship. Tomlin also sidestepped issues with wide receiver George Pickens when Pittsburgh shipped him out to Dallas.

• Major Injuries: T.J. Watt out for 3 games

• Outlook for Next Year: Pittsburgh is the second-oldest team in the league with no long-term starter at quarterback. They have 7 picks in the first four rounds of the 2026 NFL draft, but chances for a quick turnaround are low.

• Patience of Ownership: The Steelers have had 3 coaches since 1969, and they’ve haven’t fired any of those coaches. Bill Cowher retired after winning the Super Bowl. Chuck Noll retired in 1991 after 23 seasons.

• VERDICT: NOT FIRED. Pittsburgh literally doesn’t fire coaches, so the only ticket out of town for Tomlin is if he decides to resign or if he and the Rooney family decide to mutually depart ways. Tomlin is a great coach, but his inability to hire competent offensive coordinators or provide stability to that side of the ball has been his downfall. That being said, I don’t see Pittsburgh moving on this season.

Zac Taylor (Bengals Head Coach for 7 seasons)

• Record: 6-10 this season (52-62 all-time)

• Fatal Flaw: Desperately needs Joe Burrow

• Showing Improvement: Improved from 22nd on offense and 32nd on defense in weeks 1-9 to 15th on offense and 18th on defense in weeks 10-17.

• Fired coordinators: None this year, but fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo after last season, only to see the defense regress.

• Controversies: None

• Major Injuries: Lost Joe Burrow and Trey Hendrickson both for 9 games

• Outlook for Next Year: The Bengals need a defensive overhaul. They lost 4 games by over 20 points, and the defense held opposing teams under 20 points only 3 times this season. That being said, a fully healthy season of Burrow should raise the floor, and they have the 8th-most cap space in the league for the 2026 offseason.

• Patience of Ownership: The Bengals haven’t won a playoff game in 3 seasons, but owner Mike Brown has only employed two coaches since 2003.

• VERDICT: NOT FIRED. The loss of Joe Burrow gives Taylor some grace, and the Bengals’ offense overperformed with Joe Flacco at the helm. I think Taylor gets another year to lift this team to playoff contention before his seat starts to warm up.

SEAT IS MUCH WARMER THAN I’D LIKE

Todd Bowles (Buccaneers Head Coach for 4 seasons)

• Record: 8-9 this season (35-33 with the Buccaneers all-time)

• Fatal Flaw: Needs an offensive coordinator playing on All-Madden

• Showing Improvement: The Buccaneers started the season hot but slowly regressed. Their offense slid from 17th in the league by EPA/Play to 22nd, and their defense slid from 3rd in the league by EPA/Play to 28th. They started off the season 6-2 before finishing the year 2-7.

• Fired coordinators: None

• Controversies: None

• Major Injuries: Pretty much everyone. Baker Mayfield has been dealing with an ankle injury all year. Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey missed 14 games. Running back Bucky Irving missed 7 games, wide receiver Mike Evans missed 9 games, wide receiver Chris Godwin missed 8 games, and right tackle Luke Goedke missed 6 games, among others.

• Outlook for Next Year: The Buccaneers could run it back with a healthy roster, but they have a long list of premium free agents hitting the market next year, including Mike Evans, Lavonte David, and Jamel Dean. They’re middle of the road in cap space.

• Patience of Ownership: The Glazers have had 8 coaches since 2000. Gruden had the longest tenure during that time with 7 seasons. Every other coach had 3 seasons at most until Bowles.

• VERDICT: NOT FIRED. I think Bowles is a season away from the super hot seat. If you take a step back and look at his tenure, Bowles has been a perfectly average coach in Tampa Bay. He inherited a 13-4 Bucs team and went 8-9 in his first year. His best season was last year when Liam Coen (who’s leading the Jaguars to the playoffs) was his offensive coordinator, and the team went 10-7. I think the sheer amount of injuries gives him some cover this year, and if he makes the playoffs, he’ll afford himself a little more grace.

Raheem Morris (Falcons Head Coach for 2 seasons)

• Record: 7-9 this season (15-18 all-time)

• Fatal Flaw: Developing a quarterback

• Showing Improvement: The Falcons improved on offense, going from the 24th-ranked offense weeks 1-9 to the 14th-ranked offense weeks 10-17. They started 3-7 before going 4-2 for the remainder of the season, including big wins over the Buccaneers and the Rams.

• Fired coordinators: None

• Controversies: There was defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s son prankcalling Shadeur Sanders on draft night, but let’s not put that on Raheem

• Major Injuries: They lost right tackle Kaleb McGary all season to a leg injury and starting quarterback Michael Penix for 7 games. The Falcons have the sixth most value lost to injury, according to Sports Info Solutions.

• Outlook for Next Year: The Falcons lost 5 games by one score, including losing to the Patriots by 1 point and losing to the Panthers and Colts in overtime. Wins in one-score games fluctuate from season to season. That being said, Atlanta has no first round in 2026 after trading it to the Rams as part of the James Pearce Jr. deal (one of the worst trades in recent memory). They are towards the bottom of the league in cap space available and have big free agents hitting the market, including Dee Alford, Leonard Floyd, and Kyle Pitts.

• Patience of Ownership: Arthur Blank is frustratingly patient. He’s employed four coaches in the last 15 years. Even Arthur Smith got three straight 7-10 seasons.

• VERDICT: NOT FIRED. The Falcons showed some fight in the latter half of the season. The loss of Michael Penix Jr. gives Morris an excuse. If I were Morris’s agent, I’d use the steady improvement of his offense and the big moments from the defense as evidence that this team is heading in the right direction. Morris is also beloved by players and coaches across the league. The most concerning thing is how inconsistent Penix looked before his injury, but I think Morris gets another season to guide the young quarterback’s development.

Aaron Glenn (Jets Head Coach for 1 Season)

• Record: 3-13

• Fatal Flaw: Coaching the New York Jets

• Showing Improvement: Uhhhh no. The Jets went full Jets like they’ve never Jets’ed before. They went from 26th-ranked offense and defense by EPA/Play to 30th and 31st respectively.

• Fired coordinators: No, but maybe he should

• Controversies: None

• Major Injuries: Lost offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker for the season, star wide receiver Garrett Wilson for 9 games, and running back Braelon Allen for 12 games.

• Outlook for Next Year: The Jets are in rebuilding mode. They traded superstar defensive players Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams before the deadline. They have 4 picks in the first two rounds and a host of free agents they can choose not to re-sign to reset the franchise, including Quincey Williams, Breece Hall, and Alijah Vera-Tucker.

• Patience of Ownership: No one would describe Woody Johnson as patient. He’s had 8 coaches since the turn of the century. Rex Ryan was the longest tenured at 6 seasons. Robert Saleh lasted 3 seasons with 3 straight losing records.

• VERDICT: NOT FIRED. The Jets are burning all the crops and hoping new ones grow. They’re ripping this thing down to the studs. I think Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey get at least 3 seasons to show upward mobility before Woody pulls the plug.

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SEAT IS ON THE SURFACE OF THE SUN

Kevin Stefanski (Browns Head Coach for 6 Seasons)

• Record: 4-12 this season (44-56 all-time)

• Fatal Flaw: Regressing offense and quarterback decision-making

• Showing Improvement: Not at all. They’ve been ranked 31st on offense by EPA/Play all season with a top-ten defense that’s regressed slightly.

• Fired coordinators: None this season, but he has gone through two offensive coordinators in his tenure.

• Controversies: Unfortunately, Stefanski was caught up in the Deshaun Watson saga that crippled Cleveland’s franchise. More recently, his decision to start rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel over rookie quarterback Shadeur Sanders has caught a lot of heat as Shadeur looks like the more talented prospect and the one who should’ve started all season.

• Major Injuries: Lost offensive tackle Dawand Jones for 13 games

• Outlook for Next Year: Stefanski has only won 1 playoff game in his tenure with the team. Cleveland has two first-round picks next year (their own and Jacksonville’s after the Travis Hunter trade), and they currently own the 6th pick in the draft. That being said, they only have $8 million in cap space in 2026, and pretty much their entire offensive line will be free agents and are over 30 years old.

• Patience of Ownership: Stefanski has been given the longest leash of any Browns coach since the Haslams became majority owners. Since 2012, Browns coaches have averaged 2 years on the job with 3 one-and-dones.

• VERDICT: FIRED! Stefanski’s coach of the year magic has run out. If the NFL has a hell, it’s in Cleveland. The Browns are in for a long, arduous rebuild (as they typically are). They lack the talent on the offensive side of the ball to compete with the contenders, and Stefanski has shown that he doesn’t have the answers. While Stefanski is a solid coach, I think this relationship has run its course.

Mike McDaniel (Dolphins Head Coach for 4 Seasons)

• Record: 7-9 this season (35-32 all-time)

• Fatal Flaw: Being tied to a limiting quarterback and an inability to set a defined culture

• Showing Improvement: The Dolphins cratered to start the season, going 1-6 in their first 7 games. They improved to 6-3 in their next 9 games. Their offense and defense improved from being ranked 27th and 28th by EPA/Play, respectively to 8th and 15th.

• Fired coordinators: None this season

• Controversies: McDaniel has dealt with his fair share of controversies, mostly regarding the team’s culture. Players called out the team in the offseason for lacking toughness, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has called out coaches and teammates in press conferences for lack of accountability and leadership multiple times throughout the season. Not to mention, Tyreek Hill alluded to the fact that he’d like to be traded at the end of last season.

• Major Injuries: The Dolphins have the 5th-most value lost to injury according to Sports Info Solutions. They lost offensive lineman Germain Ifedi for the season and Austin Jackson for 10 games. Their star wide receiver Tyreek Hill also missed 12 games.

• Outlook for Next Year: The Dolphins have had back-to-back losing seasons and need a talent overhaul. They have 5 picks in the first 3 rounds of the draft next year, but lack significant cap space. Players returning from injury should help, but the Dolphins need an infusion of talent to shift their identity.

• Patience of Ownership: Stephen Ross fired General Manager Chris Grier in the middle of the season. Since Ross became the majority owner in 2009, he’s employed 7 coaches, including interim head coaches Dan Campbell (yes, the Dolphins could’ve had Dan Campbell as their head coach) and Todd Bowles (they could’ve also had Todd Bowles). McDaniel is the only coach to last 4 full seasons.

• VERDICT: NOT FIRED. The Dolphins’ improvements over the latter half of the season show that McDaniel still has some juice. But moving on from Tua Tagovailoa and Chris Grier means that McDaniel is the last man standing at the rodeo. I think he gets one more season to show what he can do with quarterback Quinn Ewers or a veteran who can raise the ceiling for this offense. Owner Stephen Ross can be impulsive, so things can change. But for now, I think McDaniel is safe.

Jonathan Gannon (Cardinals Head Coach for 3 Seasons)

• Record: 3-13 this season (15-35 all-time)

• Fatal Flaw: Losing close games

• Showing Improvement: Arizona is on an 8-game losing streak. In weeks 1-9, they had the 18th-ranked offense and 16th-ranked defense by EPA/Play. In weeks 10-17, the offense and defense regressed to 27th and 29th.

• Controversies: Remember that time Gannon hit running back Emari Demarcado in the shoulder pad after Demarcado fumbled the ball? Not great.

• Major Injuries: The Cardinals rank number 1 in total points missed due to injury by Sports Info Solutions. Their roster is an infirmary, especially at the running back position. They lost starting running back James Connor for the season in week 3 and backup Trey Benson for 9 games. Quarterback Kyler Murray missed 8 games, and they lost both of their starting cornerbacks for the year. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison also missed 4 games.

• Outlook for Next Year: A fully healthy roster alone should help them improve, but this team desperately needs a quarterback. They lost 8 games by one score, which could fluctuate next year. Arizona currently has the 5th pick in the draft, and Gannon could reset the clock on himself by getting a rookie starting QB. That being said, moving on from Kyler Murray would give the Cardinals $54.7 million in dead money to deal with, while gaining them just $1.5 million in cap space.

• Patience of Ownership: The Cardinals have had 6 coaches in the past 20 years. 5 out of those 6 have had three or more years before being fired. Only 3 of those coaches got over 3 years. Whisenhunt got 6, Arians got 5, and Kingsbury got 4, but they all made the playoffs at least once. Denny Green was fired after 3 straight losing seasons. Gannon also has 3 straight losing seasons.

• VERDICT: FIRED! Gannon was brought in to maximize a roster with budding talent and to figure out the Kyler Murray problem. While Arizona has been locked into tight contests, the team still lacks significant improvement on either side of the ball. Gannon coaches with the energy of Marty Mauser, but that fiery attitude can come back to bite him sometimes. With the 5th pick in the draft, this is a chance for Arizona to start fresh with an offensive-minded head coach who can help a newly drafted young quarterback grow. It’s a chance to hit the reset button for a team that needs it.

Pete Carroll (Raiders Head Coach for 1 Season)

• Record: 2-14 this season

• Fatal Flaw: Father Time/Hiring his son as offensive line coach

• Showing Improvement: LOL

• Fired coordinators: Fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly midseason

• Controversies: None

• Major Injuries: Lost left tackle Kolton Miller for 12 games

• Outlook for Next Year: There’s hope, maybe? The Raiders have 5 picks in the first 4 rounds of next year’s draft and the 3rd most cap space. They also have young building blocks in Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers. That being said, they were one of the healthiest teams in the league and were still terrible, so the talent deficit is huge.

• Patience of Ownership: Mark Davis’ patience is as short as his bowl cut. Since Davis took over the franchise from his father in 2011, he’s employed 10 coaches, including interim head coaches. No coach has lasted more than 3 seasons. That includes two one-and-dones (Hue Jackson and Antonio Pierce).

• Verdict: Fired. The only thing that could save Pete Carroll is the emptiness of Mark Davis’s wallet. Davis has been shoveling out money to a slew of head coaches whom he has fired before their contracts ended. But if Mark can find it in his purse strings, moving on from Carroll would be a great choice. The 74-year-old Carroll is a bad fit for a rebuilding team looking to take the long road to becoming competitive. He was supposed to instill a culture of toughness and professionalism for a franchise that desperately needed it, but he’s failed to do so. Accepting the sunk cost and splitting up might be best.

Before we accidentally drink too much champagne and fall asleep as the ball drops us into 2026, it’s important to reflect on the year we left behind. The highs, the lows, the Super Bowl victories, the unfortunate offensive performances, the all-time defensive displays, and that time a star defensive player spat on a guy for no apparent reason.

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2025 was an incredible year for Eagles fans (side note: someone needs to do a power ranking of “years”). The Birds won their second Lombardi Trophy behind Super Bowl MVP (and man who looks like he should be the love interest in a ’90s sitcom) Jalen Hurts, along with a legendary showing by Zack Baun, Cooper DeJean, and an Eagles defense that collapsed the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty. I’m not crying, you’re crying.

The night of the Super Bowl was a dream. Blow the Whistle played from every corner. I drank Jose Cuervo offered to me by a stranger on the street (bad idea), and DJ’s set up booths for dance parties all along Broad Street (better idea). Philly exploded with joy and Miller High Life. A week later, the city celebrated with a parade that featured players who got way too drunk (more on that later), and Gillie Da Kid drove around what looked like an Eagles dune buggy.

The Birds started the 2025-2026 season with a superhuman-like invincibility. They drifted from breathtaking wins to frustrating losses before finding themselves again. Howie Roseman did Howie things by trading for defensive end Jaelen Phillips, taking a talented Eagles defense from good to great. Franchise legend Brandon Graham got sick of golfing and decided to unretire. Za’Darius Smith, on the other hand, retired after being an Eagle for five games and is most likely reading this from a cabana in Cabo. And Nick Sirianni is now ranked second all-time with the most wins by a head coach in his first 5 seasons, only behind legendary 49ers coach George Seifert.

After years of heartbreaking losses and midseason collapses, Eagles fans are finally once again sitting atop the football world. It is a truly special time to bleed Kelly Green. So to celebrate, we’re going to take a look back at some of the best Eagles moments from 2025, from non-football memories to top plays and even some New Year’s resolutions for our favorite Eagles.

Alexa, play Green Day “Good Riddance.”

Top 5 Non-Football Moments from 2025

5. AJ Brown Reading Inner Excellence

We all struggle to find the time to read. A.J. Brown understands you have to use downtime whenever you can find it. During a frustrating outing for A.J. against the Green Bay Packers in last postseason’s wild card round, cameras caught A.J. Brown reading the motivational book Inner Excellence on the sideline. The book, which A.J. read all the time to center himself before and during competition, rose to be the number 1 seller on Amazon after this moment. Even the author of the book, Jim Murphy was stunned. “I just looked at Amazon last night and it got to No. 1, so that was a surprise. It had probably never been higher than probably 8 or 9,000. In the thousands, somewhere.” Who says people don’t read anymore?

4. The Positivity Rabbit

Every once in a while, something comes along in your life that helps you navigate a difficult time. The inflatable Easter bunny the Eagles players installed in their locker room was not one of those things. After back-to-back losses to the Cowboys and the Bears to round out a “November to Unremember”, Eagles players were living on a prayer. That prayer was answered with the Positivity Rabbit. Apparently, it was backup running back AJ Dillon’s idea. As Dillon said, “I was like, ‘Oh, look at this. On sale and it’s big. We’ll put it here and get the guys laughing a little bit.’ And the vibes were high. But it didn’t work. So I came in and took it down.” We’ll miss you, Positivity Rabbit. Thank you for changing our lives. We hope you’re inflated in the big yard in the sky.

3. Drunk Quinyon

The Eagles’ Super Bowl parade gave fans the rare opportunity to see their favorite players absolutely cooked, including one of the league’s best cornerbacks. Quinyon was twisted. Hammered. My guy was 80% Bud Light. He looked like me in college, stumbling back to my dorm after a Beer Olympics (or me now after exactly two glasses of boxed wine). Good for Quinyon. Life is about the simple things, like celebrating your accomplishments by getting lit in front of an entire city. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2. Brandon Graham Unretiring

The “How Stella Got Her Groove Back-ing” of Brandon Graham has been a delight. Graham is a legendary franchise figure, beloved in the locker room and across the city. Having him back on this team just feels right. Plus, being 36 myself and talking about a 37-year-old man retiring makes me jealous, so I’m glad he got his ass back to work. Not only that, but Graham has played really well as of late. Before Jalen Carter’s return against Buffalo, Graham was filling in as a defensive tackle, where he recently had 3 sacks in two weeks. Working gets a bad rap. Sometimes watching the action from the couch gets boring when you still have the itch to play (or when you have 10 kids to support like Philip Rivers). It’s been great to have BG back.

1. Howie Takes a Can to the Head

Howie is a man of many talents. One of those talents is determining contract structures that can give Philadelphia the financial flexibility to take risks that improve the team in the short and long term. Another talent is taking a beer can straight to the dome. During the Super Bowl parade, an eager Birds fan tossed Howie a beer can. In love languages, this is considered an “act of service.” Unfortunately, the can was thrown with the accuracy of J.J. McCarthy and it hit the Trade Technician straight in the forehead. Following the blow to the head, Roseman continued celebrating at the parade with an indent of a can on his forehead with a cigar in hand. Howie literally looked like Jay-Z on the cover of The Blueprint. During his speech, Roseman addressed his battle wound, saying “I bleed for this city.” Let this serve as a reminder to get some arc on that Miller High Life next time you toss it at someone.

Top Eagles Plays of 2025

Honorable Mention: Frankie Luvu Jumps Offsides 3 Times Trying to Stop the Tush Push

My favorite moment in the NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders wasn’t Barkley taking his first touch for an amazing touchdown or A.J. Brown’s insane catch on a 4th and 5 in the second quarter. It was Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu putting it all on the line to stop the tush push. Luvu leapt over the offensive line early, not once, not twice, but three times. So much so, that the ref had to warn him that if it happened again, they’d reward the Eagles a touchdown, which I didn’t even know was a thing.

5. DeVonta Smith Levitates

Locked in a defensive clash with the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, the Eagles held onto a narrow 3-0 lead into the fourth quarter. With the game on the line, Jalen Hurts threw to a well-covered DeVonta Smith. Smith levitated over Packers safety Evan Williams to rip the ball out of the sky and away from Williams’ outstretched hand to score a touchdown and put the Eagles up 10-0 in a game they’d end up winning 10-7.

4. Cooper DeJean Super Bowl Pick 6

A quarter and a half into the Beatdown by the Bayou, the Birds were up on Patty Mahomes and the Chiefs by 10. Buried in 3rd and 16 and holding onto hope, Mahomes took the snap and rolled to his right. He rifled a pass straight into the arms of “Great White Hope” Cooper DeJean, who takes the rock 38 yards back for a touchdown.

3. Saquon Barkley Dashing Through the Snow

The Birds held a narrow 22-15 lead in the fourth quarter of the divisional game against the Los Angeles Rams with snow covering the ground. Barkley saw the challenge and said “bet,” distorting time and space, taking the handoff from Hurts 78 yards to the house. This (and having a Scrooge McDuck pool of gold coins to dive into) is what I dream about.

2. Jordan Davis Field Goal Block and Return

This is literally Friday Night Lights shit. An ending you only see in a Disney Channel Original Movie. After trailing 26-7 in the first half, the Eagles stormed back to lead the Rams 27-26. With Los Angeles in field goal range and 3 seconds on the clock, the Rams’ kicker lined up to deliver LA the victory. Little did he know Eagles defensive tackle (and genuinely large man) Jordan Davis had been riding Peloton all season. All of those Ally Love classes have led to this. Davis put up his mitt, blocked the kick, and took it to the house to lock up the Eagles’ comeback win. Pete Berg is pissed he didn’t write that ending.

1. The Dagger

An all-time play in Super Bowl history that locked up the Beatdown in the Bayou for Philly. This play is more poetic than a chapter from Inner Excellence.

New Year’s Resolutions for Eagles Players and Coaches

A.J. Brown - Stay on Social Media

A.J. Brown hasn’t been shy about expressing his displeasure with the Eagles’ offense in the past. And honestly, it always reaps positive results. Since A.J. Brown went on a Twitch stream alluding to his frustrations in early November after the Eagles beat the Packers, he is 4th in the league in receptions, 5th in the league in receiving yards, and 3rd in the league in receptions of 10+ yards. Let this be a lesson to all of us that if you’re pissed about your job situation, talk about it on your social media platform of choice and reap the rewards.

Jordan Davis - Keep Pelotoning

Jordan Davis is having a career year, and he owes a lot of that to his excellent conditioning from offseason Peloton workouts. With his production this season, Davis is going to ride his way into a big contract.

Jalen Carter - Don’t Spit on Anyone

Especially before the game even starts. Keep your loogie to yourself homie.

Lane Johnson - Stay Healthy

The Eagles’ offensive line desperately needs their leader back. The Birds are 18-26 without the greatest right tackle of all-time. Our boy will be back for the playoffs, and they’ll need him.

Nick Sirianni - Hire an Etsy Witch to Fix the Offense

The Eagles’ offense is the worst it has been in the Sirianni era by both EPA/Play (12th in the league) and Success Rate (21st in the league). The offense has tried new things recently to get a little juice, but they still struggle with a stale running game, disjointed play-calling, and a lack of adjustments. For this postseason run, maybe an average offense that can score sporadically is enough to get the job done with how elite the defense has been. But for a little extra magic, I encourage St. Nick to take a scroll on Etsy and hire a witch to put some spell on Kevin Patullo to turn him into Shane Steichen or on the offensive line to turn them into a literal brick wall. Either way, I’m feeling good vibes for the Birds heading into the playoffs.

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