The Philadelphia Eagles came into the postseason riding a huge skid, losing five out of their last six coming into their Wild Card matchup on Monday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Another poor performance on Monday led to the end of their season, and potentially the end of Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni’s tenure with the organization.
Sirianni has been the head coach of the Eagles for the last three seasons, most notably leading the team to the Super Bowl last season.
Expectations were high coming into this season that the Eagles could match their success from last season, or even exceed them with a Super Bowl championship. Instead, the Buccaneers continued the Eagles’ stunning collapse down the stretch of the season with a 32-9 victory to knock them out of the postseason.
WE KNEW ALL ALONG. MOVING ON 👉 pic.twitter.com/sN8ZQUF4Ut
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 16, 2024
Some fans could chalk this loss up to injuries. Star wide receiver A.J. Brown was not able to play in Monday’s matchup, and star quarterback Jalen Hurts appeared to be dealing with injuries in the game.
However, other fans are blaming Sirianni for the loss, even calling for him to lose his job just one year after nearly winning the Lombardi Trophy.
Nick Sirianni might need to update his LinkedIn.. #Eagles
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) January 16, 2024
The Eagles have fired far better coaches than Nick Sirianni.
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) January 16, 2024
“Nick, are you getting fired tomorrow?”
Nick Sirianni: pic.twitter.com/QDSJBw5oQJ
— Kendall Beck (@KBeckEagles) January 16, 2024
Nick Sirianni waking up to a call from HR pic.twitter.com/uYzCxLsbME
— Hard Rock Bet (@HardRockBet) January 16, 2024
“Hey Nick you think you’re gunna be unemployed next week?”
Nick Sirianni: pic.twitter.com/GTPWXQtF2V
— Cumanders (@cumanders) January 16, 2024
It may seem a bit premature for the Eagles to potentially fire Sirianni after three pretty solid seasons as head coach. However, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has shown in the past that he can have a very short leash with head coaches in the past regardless of past success.
Look no further than how Sirianni got the head coaching job in the first place. Lurie ultimately made the call to fire former head coach Doug Peterson after the 2020-21 season, just three years after winning the Super Bowl.
ESPN’s Troy Aikman also spoke about Sirianni’s job security after the game, detailing that he “wouldn’t be surprised to see Sirianni fired given Lurie’s reputation as an owner.
“You can tell they weren’t feeling it,” said Aikman on the Eagles. “It was obvious when they came out here and took the field. So what happens then is they have got to re-energize the fanbase. To do that typically there has got to be changes. What changes will that be? I don’t know. Will it be Nick Sirianni? I’m not sure, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is knowing Jeffrey Lurie and what has has done in the past. But you cannot go into next season status quo. There have got to be some changes.”
"I know there's a difference between what players and coaches say, and what they feel. They said all the right things, but you could tell they weren't feeling it… You cannot go into next season status quo." – Troy Aikman on the Eagles' finish and potential offseason changes pic.twitter.com/i1tT4MigLX
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 16, 2024
Even if Sirianni does ultimately hold onto his job for the 2024-25 season, he will likely have a far shorter leash than he had coming into this season due to the Eagles’ struggles down the stretch.
[Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Twitter/X]
