Schefter: Eagles Don't Believe Nick Sirianni Hot-Seat Rumors Are 'Substantiated'

The Philadelphia Eagles finished the regular season by losing five of their last six games after a 10-1 start, leading to more than a little bit of frustration amongst the fans and questions about whether Nick Sirianni is, or should be, on the hot seat.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Sunday's NFL Countdown that it doesn't appear as though the organization is there yet with the head coach:

"There continues to be speculation about Sirianni's future despite the fact that the Eagles have gone to the playoffs in three straight seasons. The organization doesn't believe it's substantiated but the wild card to all of this, of course, is what does the owner Jeffrey Lurie think? And nobody really knows that. It's not like he's telling people but if Lurie is unhappy with how this team shows out in the postseason then it becomes an issue that could be worth tracking."

From an outside perspective, firing Sirianni after he went 34-17 in his first three seasons—leading the team to a trio of playoff appearances, the Super Bowl last season and helping develop Jalen Hurts into a legitimate MVP candidate during the 2022 season—would likely be more than enough to guarantee his job security.

Philadelphia is a tough market, however, and the Eagles have been downright disastrous down the stretch, getting blown out by the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys and losing to non-playoff teams in the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants, all while a potential division title was very much up for grabs.

The main gripe is that the transition from both former offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to Brian Johnson and from former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to Sean Desai—and later Matt Patricia—has gone poorly.

On the offensive side, the Eagles went from being third in both yards and points last season under Steichen—now the head coach for the Indianapolis Colts—to eighth in yards and seventh in points under Johnson.

The offense, while predictable at times, hasn't been the main issue, however. That distinction belongs to a defense that went from ranking second in points allowed and eighth in yards allowed last season, leading the NFL with 70 sacks, to one that ranks 26th in yards allowed, 30th in points allowed and is tied for 19th in sacks (43).

The change in coordinators isn't the only reason the Eagles have struggled—Hurts has been far more turnover-prone this year, while the Eagles didn't adequately address needs at linebacker and cornerback, have been beat up at cornerback and have struggled to generate pressure from a front four that is largely the same group as last season—but it's been the main talking point in Philadelphia, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Given that those were Sirianni appointments, he's held responsible, at least with the fans. And if the Eagles get blown out in Tampa Bay on Monday night, it's likely big changes will follow. Whether that extends to Sirianni's own job security remains to be seen.