Who is New Eagles Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion?

There's a new man(ion) in towns calling plays for Philadelphia

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.

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?

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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.

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.