Eagles Rumors: Nick Sirianni to Meet with Jeffrey Lurie on Friday to Discuss Future

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni will meet with team owner Jeffrey Lurie for his end-of-season exit interview on Friday, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Sirianni oversaw an Eagles team that started 10-1 before losing five of its final six regular-season games.

Philadelphia then fell 32-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card round, completing one of the most notable late-season collapses in recent history.

The former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator became the Eagles' head coach in 2021. He turned around a team that went 4-12 in 2020 by piloting the squad to a 9-8 record and a playoff appearance. The Eagles soared to a 14-3 finish and an NFC title in 2022.

However, the way the 2023 Eagles' season finished has called Sirianni's job status into question.

A report from Dianna Russini of The Athletic indicated what will be expected of Sirianni in this interview.

According to Russini, Sirianni "will be expected to have a plan for how he will improve the team," and that "will include a pitch on potential new coordinators and assistant coaches."

The Athletic also reported that Sirianni and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman "have been reaching out to available NFL coaches and coordinators, as well as coaching agents across the league, to evaluate potential coordinator candidates to join the coaching staff."

At a bare minimum, it appears that coordinator changes may be on the horizon. Philadelphia began this year with Sean Desai as the defensive coordinator, but Sirianni then gave playcalling duties to Matt Patricia near the end of the season.

The team was even worse defensively under Patricia. Per James Dator of SB Nation, Philadelphia gave up 26.75 points per game under Patricia and 363.25 yards per game (33 more than Desai). That stretch included a brutal defensive performance in a 35-33 home loss to the 4-13 Arizona Cardinals.

On offense, the coaching staff doesn't appear in sync with star quarterback Jalen Hurts. Philadelphia failed to score 20 or more points in five of its last seven games (including the playoffs) despite a wealth of talent on the offensive line and at the skill positions.

A report from ESPN's Tim McManus indicated a disconnect between Hurts and coaches:

"On top of those struggles, Jalen Hurts' desired direction for the offense has not materialized, which has been a source of disappointment for the franchise quarterback, according to a source with direct knowledge of Hurts' thinking. A disconnect between the visions of Sirianni, Hurts and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has affected the offense's ability to land on an identity, the source said."

Ultimately, it appears Sirianni's job is on the line.

Three years ago, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson went into an exit interview with Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman after a 4-11-1 season. After that interview, Pederson was fired after Lurie wasn't happy with his proposed changes.

McLane provided more insight, writing:

"No secret that if he stays, there will have to be significant changes made to his coaching staff. And there will need to be some bridging between Sirianni and QB Jalen Hurts, who didn't deny an ESPN report that he wasn't happy with the direction of the offense.

"A qualifier: Lurie went into his exit interview with former Eagles HC Doug Pederson after the 2020 season expecting to keep him. But he wasn't satisfied with Pederson's coordinator candidates, there was an impasse and Lurie fired him.

"But early indications are that Lurie hasn't yet made a final decision on Sirianni's future with the Eagles."

Now Sirianni is in a similar position, where he needs to give satisfactory answers to ownership and management to keep his job. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but changes are happening in some capacity in Philadelphia after a disastrous finish.