National Football League

Eagles could lose 'secret sauce' with both coordinators in high demand

Updated Feb. 13, 2023 5:14 p.m. ET

Success often comes with a price.

That's a lesson the Philadelphia Eagles are about to learn, and for them, the price of winning the NFC championship and reaching Super Bowl LVII could be very high. They are going to lose one, and possibly two of their coordinators, which would be a huge blow to their chances of making another run next season, and to head coach Nick Sirianni's staff.

The first loss could come on Monday, just one day after the Eagles' heartbreaking, 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, when offensive coordinator Shane Steichen is expected to finalize a deal to become the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, according to multiple league sources. The second might not be far behind, since defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon remained in Arizona after the Super Bowl, a source confirmed, so he could interview for the Arizona Cardinals' head coaching job that might be his to lose.

If both Steichen and Gannon leave, the Eagles would be the first team to lose both their coordinators in the same offseason since the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013. And replacing them won't be easy. The Eagles have been a top-10 defense in both of Gannon's seasons and ranked No. 2 overall this year. Steichen helped turn the Eagles into the NFL's third-best offense, and has overseen the rapid rise of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie raved about Sirianni's staff at the end of the regular season, calling the assistants a big part of the "secret sauce" of Philadelphia's success.

Now others want that recipe, too.

"You're hoping that you have success. You're hoping you lose guys for the benefit of them and their career and their family," Sirianni said last month, when asked about the possibility of losing both coordinators. "But you hate to lose guys because the reason they're here in the first place is because I felt like they were really good coaches."

The rest of the NFL clearly agreed, particularly about the 37-year-old Steichen, who interviewed for jobs with the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers and the Colts this offseason while helping guide the Eagles to the Super Bowl. He first got on the head-coaching radar in 2020 when he was the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers and oversaw quarterback Justin Herbert's blockbuster rookie season.

The work he's done with Hurts in two seasons has been remarkable, taking an erratic-but-talented young player and helping turn him into the runner-up in the MVP voting this season. Many believe the rise of Hurts and the Eagles can be traced to when he took over playcalling duties from Sirianni midway through last season.

Hurts' postgame presser

Jalen Hurts discussed the Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs.

Gannon, 40, wasn't quite as in-demand this offseason. His only interview had been with the Texans. But there had long been speculation in league circles that new Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort was waiting until after the Super Bowl to interview both Gannon and Steichen. He reportedly has built a friendship with Gannon over the years, even though they have never worked together before.

The Cardinals do have two other finalists on their shortlist — Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Both have already interviewed for the job twice.

Sirianni has raved about Gannon's work, transforming what was a middling defense without much of a pass rush last season into a powerful unit this season with a remarkable 70 sacks. Sirianni has sometimes marveled at the criticism Gannon gets from the Philadelphia media — a point he made strongly after the Eagles beat the Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs last month.

"Sometimes I have to hear some things about Jonathan Gannon, but this guy is an unbelievable coordinator," Sirianni said. "The fact that he doesn't get respect from our (local) radio station blows my mind. It blows my mind. This guy is an incredible coordinator. People love to play for this guy.

"So, every time I hear an answer about Jonathan Gannon I laugh to myself. As a matter of fact, coaches from other teams ask me, ‘Does Jonathan Gannon get crap here?' I'm like, ‘Somehow, yeah.' Like, this guy is incredible. He's going to be a head football coach in the National Football League because of what he does. This guy is a stud. He's a stud."

Kelce's postgame presser

Eagles center Jason Kelce talks about Philadelphia's loss in Super Bowl LVII.

How Sirianni would replace that "stud" isn't clear. The top internal candidate would figure to be Dennard Wilson, the defensive backs coach who added the title of "defensive passing game coordinator" this year. Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley would be an intriguing candidate, but Steichen is expected to keep him on staff in Indianapolis. Their top choice probably would've been former Broncos coach Vic Fangio, who signed a two-week consulting contract to help the Eagles prepare for the Super Bowl, but he has since agreed to become the defensive coordinator in Miami instead.

As for replacing Steichen, that seems like it will be easier. Sirianni is expected to promote quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson to the job, according to a team source, though passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo will get some consideration, too.

Whatever Sirianni ends up doing, he said it's a scenario he's been thinking about for a while.

"Of course, I want to keep these guys. They're great coordinators," he said. "But in the event that I lose them, I have an idea of what I want to do at both spots. I feel like we have a lot of good options, and I feel like we have a lot of good options in the building that we'd be excited about if that were to happen."

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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