NFL Rumors: Eagles Were 'Confident' Jonathan Gannon Would Reject Cardinals HC Job

The timing of the Arizona Cardinals' pursuit of Jonathan Gannon wasn't the only thing that caught the Philadelphia Eagles off guard when it came to their defensive coordinator last offseason.

ESPN's Tim McManus and Josh Weinfuss reported Wednesday the Eagles "were confident Gannon was returning for a third season."

Gannon's hiring as the Cardinals head coach was a contentious one. In April, Arizona and Philadelphia reached a settlement in which Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort admitting to calling Gannon prior to Super Bowl LVII, which was a no-contact period.

According to McManus and Weinfuss, the then-coordinator not only didn't tell the Eagles about the call but also failed to inform the team he intended to interview with Arizona about its coaching vacancy.

As a result, Philly missed the window to hire Vic Fangio, an experienced coordinator who was hired as a consultant for the team ahead of the Super Bowl. Fangio was described by McManus and Weinfuss as the "preferred replacement," but he had committed to become the Miami Dolphins' defensive coordinator before the Eagles made a formal approach.

During a May appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic's John Kincade Show, ESPN's Adam Schefter said Fangio "probably would not have taken the Dolphins defensive coordinator job and would be the defensive coordinator in Philadelphia today if everything was on the up and up."

Fangio neither confirmed nor denied the report when questioned by reporters:

As McManus and Weinfuss detailed, the domino effect of Gannon's decision is still being felt.

The Eagles hired Sean Desai as their defensive coordinator in February, and Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported on Dec. 17 they had already taken play-calling duties away from him. Senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia was "basically the new defensive coordinator."

It looks like for the second successive offseason Philly will be in the market for a coach to run the defense.