Eagles Rumors: Lincoln Riley, Robert Saleh Among Candidates for HC Job

The Philadelphia Eagles' head-coaching search is beginning to take shape, with Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles reportedly among the candidates.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Eagles requested permission for an interview with Saleh a day after they fired Doug Pederson.

Saleh is viewed as one of the NFL's top assistant coaches and is perhaps the favorite to land the New York Jets' head coaching job. Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported Saleh is set to fly to New York for a second interview with the Jets.

The Eagles also reached out to Oklahoma Sooners coach Lincoln Riley about a jump to the pros, per Geoff Mosher of Inside the Birds. Riley has, to this point, resisted NFL overtures but has several connections to the Eagles organization.

Dan Graziano of ESPN also reported Philadelphia has requested an interview with Smith, who seems certain to be a head coach somewhere in the NFL next season after a two-year stint as the Titans offensive coordinator. Schefter previously noted Smith has been contacted for interviews with six other organizations.

Bowles is also part of the search, as ESPN's Sal Paolantonio (h/t Schefter) reported the Eagles have requested to meet with the Bucs defensive coordinator. Bowles went 24-40 during his four-year run as the head coach of the New York Jets from 2015 to 2018. He also went 2-1 as the interim coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2011.

The Eagles fired Pederson on Monday after he seemingly fell out with players and the organization in recent weeks. Pederson took a firestorm of criticism after benching Jalen Hurts in a winnable Week 17 game against the Washington Football Team, including from his own players. Meetings with Jeffrey Lurie left the owner unexcited about Pederson's vision for the future, leading him to the somewhat surprising decision to move on.

"My first allegiance is, what will be best for the Philadelphia Eagles and our fans for the next three, four, five years. It's not based on does someone deserve to hold their job or deserve to get fired; that's a different bar," Lurie told reporters Monday.

"It's not about, 'Did Doug deserve to be let go?' No, he did not deserve to be let go. That's not where I'm coming from, and that's not the bar in the evaluation process."

The Eagles have one of the worst head coaching openings, based on a combination of their lack of talent, cap woes and impending quarterback controversy. Carson Wentz's relationship with Pederson clearly deteriorated as the 2020 season progressed, with the quarterback's struggles leading Pederson to hand the keys to Hurts.

The next coach will likely have a heavy say in whether Wentz remains with the team in 2020, or the team decides to take a massive cap hit ($59.2 million, pre-June 1, per Over the Cap) to move on.

A competition may seem healthy in theory, but Hurts was clearly the best option this season and would likely prefer the organization go all-in on his development rather than pairing him with a potentially disgruntled Wentz.