Jihaad Campbell’s rookie season with the Eagles did not follow a conventional trajectory.
The first-round pick out of Alabama was touted as a versatile defensive weapon who offered the Eagles the ability to line him up in multiple spots. He could align inside or outside, off the ball or on the ball. Nakobe Dean’s injury rehabilitation, however, meant Campbell worked exclusively inside during training camp and started there next to Zack Baun for the first seven games of the season.
Then Dean returned, forced himself back into a permanent role, and the Eagles toyed with Campbell on the edge a little more, at a position that lacked depth, before eventually cutting his playing time when reinforcements emerged. Then Campbell was back to starting inside after Dean suffered a hamstring injury in Week 16. Overall, it’s hard to judge how the 21-year-old’s season with the Eagles went.
“Some adversity points,” Campbell said when asked to summarize his season Monday as the Eagles cleaned out their lockers after their playoff exit. “But when you look back at it, the only thing I can think about is being grateful, being thankful for the opportunities that I learned throughout the season, and just being able to be utilized and be trusted to be on the field.”
Campbell, who’s from Erial in Camden County, played in all 17 games and started 10 of them. He accumulated 80 tackles and had one interception to go with a fumble recovery and one forced fumble. Pro Football Focus graded him as the 13th-best of 88 linebackers. He excelled in pass coverage and was solid against the run.
Campbell is embarking on his first real NFL offseason, and it is an important one. He likely will be, as he said, utilized and trusted more next season because Dean is a pending free agent whose return to the Eagles seems unlikely. The Eagles paid Baun a premium price and have Campbell on a rookie deal waiting in the wings to replace Dean.
“Just hungry,” Campbell said of his offseason approach. “Of course, I’m going to give myself some grace and relax and get my mind off of things, but stay sharp spiritually, stay sharp physically, stay sharp mentally, and really do what I have to do to be the best absolute version of myself so when I come back I’m making sure that I’m staying on top of everything I have to do.”
Jihaad Campbell’s fumble recovery against the Bills was one of his highlight reel-worthy moments of 2025.
Campbell said he wasn’t given specific things to work on from the Eagles’ coaching staff, but he planned to work on “everything.” There were things he learned with the Eagles and from Vic Fangio that he “never really knew.” He learned plenty from Dean, too.
“That’s a damn good football player,” Campbell said. “I learned a lot from that guy, man, in the run game, blitzes, in the passing game. Really just being a baller, a person who knows football in general. It’s hard to come around guys who really know football and really dissect it in a simple format. That’s what he does, and that’s why he’s one of the best linebackers in the world.”
Campbell took his midseason demotion in stride. He said in November that his focus was on helping the Eagles win games in whatever way he could and staying prepared for when his number was called. The Eagles needed him to start their final two regular-season games. He was credited with two quarterback pressures in each of those games and had seven tackles vs. Buffalo and 10 vs. Washington.
How did Campbell handle the ups and downs with ease?
“I think it’s just all about controlling the things that you can control, and only that,” he said. “I make sure that I come in this building every day with a smile on my face, with a getting-to-work mentality, whatever it is.”
Jihaad Campbell’s role increased during the latter stages of the season.
It was unsurprising, then, that Campbell didn’t put himself in a box when asked Monday about his positional future. Nine months ago, the Eagles lauded his ability to be a chess piece at different spots. Where does Campbell see himself long term?
“I think it’s all about the value and how good you can be at anything you can be put in, whether that’s being an R3 or L3 on kickoff or punt return or any of those things on special teams,” he said. “For me, it’s all about just being trusted and being able to be utilized in this scheme wherever they want me to be at, whether that’s inside linebacker, outside linebacker, just making sure that I’m on top of my things and having continuous improvement.”
As he did this past season, Campbell seems content to go with the flow.
When 11-year-old Sam Salvo woke up on Christmas morning, he was surprised with tickets to the Eagles’ wild-card game. When he woke up on Monday morning, after the Eagles’ loss, he was all over the internet, thanks to his viral postgame rant.
“[When I got the tickets], I didn’t know who they were playing, but I was already excited,” Salvo said. “I thought they were going to win. I was like ready to do a backflip. I was so excited.”
Salvo remembers the excitement leading up to kickoff. Lincoln Financial Field, covered in Eagles green as fans piled in to watch the Birds take on the San Francisco 49ers, was ready to erupt. The Eagles took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter, but their Super Bowl defense ended early with a 23-19 defeat.
“It went from everyone being excited to be there, everyone getting ready for a dub,” Salvo said. “Then everyone got pretty sad really quickly. Everyone around me was sad.”
However, one fan in the crowd said something that resonated with Salvo: Win or lose, we’re the [expletive] Birds.
So Salvo left the stadium with his head held high, despite the crushing loss, and that’s when an opportunity presented itself. As he and his father walked toward the parking lot, they noticed 6abc reporter Briana Smith conducting interviews.
“When we were walking past the broadcaster, my dad was like, ‘No, I’m not trying to waste any time here,’” Salvo said. “And then I said, ‘I want to do it.’ So, I did it.”
The Blue Bell native stepped up to the microphone and let out what has become one of the most viral lines to come out of the Eagles’ playoff loss: I also want Kevin Patullo flipping burgers at the local McDonald’s.
“Whenever he’s an offensive coordinator,” Salvo told the camera, “it’s like he’s flipping burgers. … One half he’s cooking, and the other half is completely raw.”
The original post has more than a million likes. For Salvo, the attention was unexpected.
“Absolutely not [was I expecting it to go viral]. I had no idea,” the sixth grader said. “I was just hyped that I was on the news. Small win. But I never thought that I would expand this far.”
The video has gained more than 20 million views on Instagram alone — in fact, that’s just the original post, and does not count the tens of millions of views its received on other platforms and in other posts. Naturally, Salvo has become quite the popular kid.
“[After the game] I was thinking about how much the offense changed when Kevin Patullo came in,” Salvo said shortly after the news broke Tuesday. “So I just wanted to say anything about him that could get him fired. And it worked.
“I’m feeling good about it. Now we can hire a new offensive coordinator. If we could get Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator, I think that would be great.”
Kevin Patullo lasted just one season as the Eagles offensive coordinator.
Salvo says he’s been bleeding green ever since his uncle gave him his first jersey … when he was born. Now, he also enjoys watching and analyzing games, listening to New Heights with Travis and Jason Kelce, and tuning into The Pat McAfee Show.
“He’s always been around grown-ups,” said his mother Zuzana. “So football Sundays have always been a huge thing. The talk and all that stuff has always been a big part of his life. You cannot stop that fire.”
Salvo’s passion for football is something he hopes to turn into a career down the line, if he doesn’t become a pro tennis player.
“I will absolutely try and be a football announcer,” Salvo said. “I don’t care if it’s college football, just any football.”
And as far as next steps for the Eagles this offseason, Salvo has a few more opinions on Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, whom he also said also needs to go during his viral interview.
“I’m not going to be mad if he stays, but I need him to show a little bit more effort,” Salvo said. “Because it’s been kind of annoying when we’ve been throwing him deep balls and he’s been showing no effort to even try and catch it.”
Brown, who had a heated exchange with Nick Sirianni during Sunday’s loss, has dodged the media twice since the end of the season.
After one season as Eagles offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo’s play-calling career is officially over in Philadelphia.
Patullo was the favored target for disgruntled Eagles fans throughout the season, but especially after the team’s wild-card round loss to San Francisco. His home was vandalized in November, a local golf simulator facility let fans hit golf balls at a photo of his face, and of course, he’s been getting flack from fans on social media all season long.
So it was no surprise that the announcement that the Eagles would find a new offensive coordinator for next season was met with cheers from most of the fans.
The Schefter tweet announcing Patullo gone has done wonders for my mental health.
While most fans are celebrating the decision, it appears that Patullo might not be gone entirely.
Further clarification here from a source:
Kevin Patullo will no longer be the #Eagles OC, but that doesn’t mean he has been fired. He could remain on staff as I mentioned was a possibility on my podcast yesterday.
As far as former players, Ike Reese said on 94 WIP that he thought Patullo was being made a scapegoat for the team’s failures this season.
“Let’s be honest — Kevin Patullo is a first-year offensive coordinator,” Reese said. “He was supposed to take the 29th-ranked passing offense and turn it into what, exactly?”
Emmanuel Acho, on the other hand, praised the move, and said Patullo’s failure should be the end of coach Nick Sirianni’s attempts to hire from within.
Now don’t allow Nick Sirianni to promote from within.
Go out and find the best for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, not the most convenient. https://t.co/TfGnintdq3
Even LeSean McCoy, who said earlier this week that he believed some of the problems on offense were due to Jalen Hurts, was thankful to see the team move on.
Jalen Hurts will begin his sixth season as the Eagles’ starting quarterback in September. He is about to have his seventh play-caller. Kevin Patullo, the 44-year-old, first-time offensive coordinator, was removed from his position on Tuesday in the aftermath of the Eagles’ wild-card exit. Now, Nick Sirianni and the Eagles will be tasked with hiring the team’s next offensive play-caller. The team’s last two internal promotions — Patullo and Brian Johnson — were finished after one season. If the team decides to fill the vacancy with an outside voice, here are eight candidates they could consider:
Brian Daboll is out of work after a mostly bad tenure with the Giants but is respected in league circles for his offensive mind.
Brian Daboll
Could the Eagles tap a division rival’s former head coach as their next offensive coordinator? Daboll, 50, was fired in November in the middle of his fourth season with the New York Giants. He has a history with Hurts, serving as Alabama’s offensive coordinator when Hurts was there in 2017, which culminated in a national championship.
Daboll has extensive experience as an offensive coordinator at the NFL level, serving in that role with the Cleveland Browns (2009-10), Miami Dolphins (2011), Kansas City Chiefs (2012), and Buffalo Bills (2018-21). With the Bills, he helped develop a young Josh Allen. But could he be bound for another head coaching gig? He is reportedly interviewing with the Tennessee Titans.
Kliff Kingsbury received high marks for his work with Jayden Daniels in 2024.
Kliff Kingsbury
How about another division rival’s former offensive coordinator? The Washington Commanders fired Kingsbury, 46, following their 5-12 season after two seasons in that role. He has worked with various notable quarterbacks, including Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech, Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals, and Jayden Daniels with the Commanders.
At the NFL level, Kingsbury called plays as the Cardinals head coach from 2019-22 and with the Commanders. While he came up in the “Air Raid” scheme, his offense in Washington attempted to strike a balance between the run and pass. He is drawing head coaching interest, though, as he interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens on Monday.
Browns now have requested a head coach interview with Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. pic.twitter.com/nxO3tZxMtl
Scheelhaase, 35, is currently serving as the Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator. It’s just his second season coaching in the NFL, including his 2024 stint as a Rams offensive assistant and passing game specialist, but he has made a quick impact. Scheelhaase has helped coach Sean McVay orchestrate a passing game that led the league in yards in 2025 and ranked 10th in 2024 with Matthew Stafford as its quarterback.
He doesn’t have NFL play-calling experience. However, he called plays at Iowa State in 2023 as offensive coordinator under new Penn State coach Matt Campbell (Sirianni’s roommate at Mount Union). The Eagles might have to get in line — according to multiple reports, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns have requested interviews with Scheelhaase regarding their head coaching vacancies.
From yesterday:#49ers OC Klay Kubiak emerging as future head coach candidate#FTTB
Could the Eagles tap the offensive coordinator for the team that knocked them out of the playoffs this year? Kubiak, 37, doesn’t call plays under San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, so the Eagles could attempt to interview him. Is he ready for that responsibility? Kubiak, the middle son of former Houston Texans and Denver Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, has spent all five seasons of his NFL coaching career with the 49ers. Among his previous titles were offensive passing game specialist (2024) and assistant quarterbacks coach (2022-23).
Todd Monken had some success with Lamar Jackson before John Harbaugh’s staff was fired earlier this month.
Todd Monken
The 59-year-old Monken is the most experienced candidate on this list, as he concluded his 37th season coaching (11 at the pro level) this year. He spent the last three seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator under former coach John Harbaugh, working with dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won his second NFL MVP award under Monken in 2023, and All-Pro running back Derrick Henry. Monken served in the same role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2016-18) and the Cleveland Browns (2019).
But would Monken be willing to part ways with Harbaugh, who is bound to get hired to another head coaching gig this offseason? According to The Athletic, one of the issues that led to Harbaugh’s firing in Baltimore was his unwillingness to oust Monken. Monken has interviewed with the Browns regarding their head coaching gig, too.
Mike McDaniel was Vic Fangio’s boss in Miami and would be his peer in Philadelphia, under this scenario.
Mike McDaniel
Could Vic Fangio reunite with his former head coach? McDaniel, 42, was fired by the Dolphins last week after four seasons as their head coach and offensive play-caller. He is part of the Shanahan coaching tree, having worked with both Mike in Denver and Washington and Kyle in Atlanta and San Francisco, including a stint as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator in 2021. Like Shanahan’s offense, McDaniel’s scheme is known for its emphasis on speed and misdirection. He has expertise in the running game, having spent four seasons as the 49ers’ running game coordinator (2017-20). McDaniel reportedly will interview for head coaching jobs (Browns, Falcons, Titans, and Ravens) and an offensive coordinator position (Detroit Lions), so he is in high demand.
Doug Nussmeier has experience with the Eagles, but the current Saints offensive coordinator would have to come to Philadelphia in a lateral move.
Doug Nussmeier
Could the Eagles turn to a familiar face to fill the vacancy? Nussmeier spent the 2024 Super Bowl-winning season as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach under Kellen Moore. While the running game was the focal point of the offense, Hurts was efficient as a passer that year, completing a career-best 68.7% of his passes and throwing just five interceptions, his lowest total as the starter.
When Moore departed for the New Orleans Saints’ head coaching job, he took Nussmeier with him and made him offensive coordinator (with Moore as the play-caller). The 2025 season was Nussmeier’s first with that title in the NFL, but he’s been an offensive coordinator at various college programs, including Fresno State, Washington, Alabama, Michigan, and Florida.
Frank Reich was a head coach in Indianapolis and Carolina, and also has a winning past in Philly.
Frank Reich
The familiar faces don’t end with Nussmeier. Reich, the former Eagles offensive coordinator (2016-17) under Doug Pederson, could be available after spending the 2025 season as Stanford’s interim head coach. With the hiring of new coach Tavita Pritchard, Stanford announced that Reich would stay on as a senior adviser. But could he be lured back to the NFL? He brings six years of NFL head coaching experience with Sirianni and the Indianapolis Colts (2018-22) and the Carolina Panthers (2023). Reich also worked with Sirianni while he was the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers (2014-15) and Sirianni served as quarterbacks coach.
The Eagles fell from eighth in total offense in 2024 to 24th in 2025. Their historic running game from 2024 fell off despite returning 10 of 11 starters. And in the end, it is first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo who will face the consequences.
The Eagles announced Tuesday that Patullo had been removed as offensive coordinator two days after they were knocked from the NFL playoffs with a 23-19 home defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, a game that was a microcosm of the season for the Eagles and their offense.
The Eagles managed just six points in the second half against a banged-up and below-average 49ers defense that seemed there for the taking. Their playoff hopes ended and Patullo’s fate was sealed when Jalen Hurts threw an incomplete pass into triple coverage on fourth-and-11 from San Francisco’s 21-yard line with 40 seconds left in the game.
The Eagles kept things in house when they elevated Patullo, who has been with the team since head coach Nick Sirianni was hired in 2021, from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator a year ago after Kellen Moore left to become the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. But continuity on the coaching staff did not result in continued offensive success for the Eagles.
In a statement, Sirianni said he “met with Kevin today to discuss the difficult decision.”
“He has been integral to the team’s success over the last five years, not only to the on-the-field product but behind the scenes as a valued leader for our players and organization,” Sirianni said.
“Ultimately, when we fall short of our goals, that responsibility lies on my shoulders.”
Some of the Eagles’ issues were out of Patullo’s control. A once-elite offensive line, for example, was rarely if ever at full strength. But other things were in his control, like the play-calling and the scheming of an offense that couldn’t force teams out of stacked boxes with a dynamic enough aerial assault. Or scheming a running offense that found ways to utilize Saquon Barkley’s skill set and find him more space.
Kevin Patullo talks with Jalen Hurts on fourth down late in the fourth quarter against the 49ers.
To Patullo’s credit, the Eagles had the most efficient red zone offense in the league and turned opportunities into touchdowns at a higher rate (70.45%) than any other team. Getting into the red zone, however, was an issue. The Eagles had a higher three-and-out percentage than even the New York Jets and too often were stagnant offensively.
Patullo’s removal as coordinator marks the second time the Eagles internally hired and then removed a first-year offensive coordinator in the last three seasons. They elevated Brian Johnson from quarterbacks coach to coordinator in 2023 and then fired him after a smaller regression than the one Patullo oversaw.
Patullo, 44, spent time with Sirianni on the Indianapolis Colts coaching staff and was brought to the Eagles with Sirianni in 2021 as the passing game coordinator. Patullo added an associate head coach title in 2023 before becoming offensive coordinator. Before the Eagles, Patullo was a passing game specialist with the Colts and also spent time as the team’s wide receivers coach.
The Eagles’ next offensive coordinator will be the seventh play-caller Hurts has had in the NFL in what will be his seventh NFL season. Before Patullo, Hurts had Doug Pederson, Sirianni, Shane Steichen, Johnson, and Moore. Hurts also had six play-callers in college.
The next one will be a critical hire charged with revamping a high-priced offense. The Eagles are likely to cast a wide net.
This is a developing story that may be updated.
Staff writer Jeff McLane contributed to this article.
PITTSBURGH — The Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh is over.
The longest-tenured head coach in major American professional sports stepped down from his job leading the Steelers on Tuesday after yet another quick playoff exit.
The announcement came a day after the end of his 19th season in Pittsburgh, where he was a relative unknown when he was hired to replace Bill Cowher in early 2007.
“Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication and success we have shared over the last 19 years. It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “He guided the franchise to our sixth Super Bowl championship and made the playoffs 13 times during his tenure, including winning the AFC North eight times in his career. His track record of never having a losing season in 19 years will likely never be duplicated.”
Tomlin won one Super Bowl and went to another during his first four seasons in Pittsburgh before the club settled into a pattern of solid if not always spectacular play followed by a playoff cameo that ended with the Steelers on the wrong side of a blowout.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni (left) and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin meet on the field after an Eagles win on Oct. 30, 2022.
The 53-year-old Tomlin won 193 regular-season games in Pittsburgh, tied with Hall of Famer Chuck Noll for the most victories in franchise history. But their resumés diverged when it comes to the playoffs. While Noll won four Super Bowls in the 1970s, Tomlin went just 8-12 in the postseason, losing each of his last seven playoff games, all by double-digit margins.
The last came on Monday night, when the AFC North champions squandered some early momentum before getting blown out, 30-6, by Houston, the most lopsided home playoff loss in team history.
There were chants of “Fire Tomlin!” as the clock kicked toward zero, though they weren’t nearly as impassioned as they were in late November while the Steelers were getting pushed around by Buffalo in a loss that dropped their record to 6-6.
Tomlin, as is his way, did his best to tune out the noise and his team responded, the way it seemingly always did during his tenure. Pittsburgh won four of its final five games, including a sweep of Baltimore that gave the club its first AFC North title since 2020.
The optimism, however, dimmed once the Texans asserted themselves. The NFL’s top-ranked defense suffocated Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh’s offense while the league’s highest-paid defense wilted late.
It was a familiar and frustrating pattern for a place where, as Tomlin noted not long after his introduction, “the standard is the standard.”
And while that remains the case for a team whose members walk by six Lombardi Trophies every day on their way to work, the results had plateaued. The Steelers finished with nine or 10 wins in each of Tomlin’s final five seasons, often doing just enough to squeak into the playoffs before being exposed by a more talented opponent.
Tomlin had two years left on the contract extension he signed in 2024, with the club holding the option for 2027.
His departure leaves the Steelers looking for a head coach for just the third time since they hired Noll in 1969.
The Eagles season ended sooner than expected, and that means there are plenty of questions surrounding the team as eight others continue to battle in the playoffs. Here’s what they’re saying about the Birds after their early exit …
‘Mediocre across the board’
Former Eagles center Jason Kelce believes the offensive coordinator isn’t the only person who should be blamed for Sunday’s loss.
“I know that everybody is out on Kevin Patullo. I happen to know the guy, I love Kevin Patullo,” Kelce said on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown. “I know he’s a great coach. I know it wasn’t the best performance this year, offensively. They had the No. 1 highest-paid offense in the league and were mediocre across the board. That’s unacceptable. They had their chances to win that game [Sunday]. The players didn’t make the plays.”
"[The Eagles] had their chances to win that game yesterday, and the players didn't make the plays!"@JasonKelce acknowledges the coaching issues throughout the year, but holds the players accountable for losing against the 49ers 😳 pic.twitter.com/EiBdITdGXs
The 49ers defense held the Eagles to 19 points in Sunday’s loss at Lincoln Financial Field. Kelce praised the San Francisco defense for its efforts in the win over the defending champs.
“What Robert Saleh did to that defense, it’s commendable what they’ve done to get to here,” Kelce said. “It’s absolutely a testament to that organization and how well they’re built and how they function across the board. Kyle Shanahan with the trickeration, finding a way to get things open. You tip your cap to them. But Philly had their opportunities.”
Although Kelce may not be among those calling for Patullo to get fired, his coworker Marcus Spears certainly is.
“I’m not going to teeter around it, Kevin Patullo’s [butt] needs to be gone,” Spears said on Monday Night Countdown. “This was a horrible year of calling the offensive plays. And I don’t think the Philadelphia Eagles offense is as bad as we watched it based on the talent. That’s what kept us on the string all year long.”
"Kevin Patullo's ass needs to be gone." @MSpears96 feels strongly about the Eagles offensive play-calling this year 😬 pic.twitter.com/5nAFUxLunA
Patullo has been a member of the Birds coaching staff since Nick Sirianni arrived five seasons ago, but this was his first year as the offensive coordinator after he replaced Kellen Moore, who took the head coaching position with the New Orleans Saints. After the Birds’ short postseason run, ESPN’s Get Up show posed the question: Was Kevin Patullo the Eagles’ weakest link this season?
“The frustrating part about watching that offense, and it’s happened all year and it’s very on display in this game, is that it appears as if they’re not trying unless they’re trailing,” Domonique Foxworth said on Tuesday. “What I’m watching in the second half, it’s second-and-8, it’s second-and-10, it’s third-and-10, it’s third-and-11. And they’re running the ball and throwing swing passes. I’m not a fan of the Eagles, I’m just a fan of football. Like, come on. I imagine Eagles fans are watching this like, ‘Try something. We won a Super Bowl last year. We’ve been together all year and our answer on third-and-10 is a swing pass to Saquon Barkley?’”
A lot was made about the Eagles going conservative in the second half Sunday, but it’s been an issue throughout the season.
“This is the point that we made about this team all year. And maybe they just weren’t as good as we wanted them to pretend that they were,” Foxworth continued. “But the point that we made was, the reason we wanted them to be more aggressive offensively is that there will come a game where the breaks won’t come your way and you wish that you would have extended the lead. And I’m watching this game and they’re like, ‘We’re up by one, let’s go ahead and punt.’”
Foxworth also noted the difference between how the Eagles and Niners attacked those situations, with San Francisco being proactive while the Eagles seemed content to sit back and wait for something to happen.
“You watch this [49ers] team, which knows they’re not that good — or knows that they don’t have that much of a margin of error — they’re like, ‘Look, we’ve got to take shots.’ And we’re watching the Eagles like, ‘Come on. Do something, do something, do something.’”
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown had multiple costly drops in the team’s wild-card loss.
‘Our offense becomes dull and stale’
Although most of the blame is being directed toward Patullo, there are some critics, including former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, who have questioned Jalen Hurts’ role in this year’s predictable offense.
McCoy went on The Speakeasy podcast after the game and said the quarterback was holding back the offense. “We can’t do different exotic looks, different formations, different motions because I’m hearing that [Hurts] can’t really do it,” he said.
But Hurts didn’t appear to hold back the offense a year ago, and former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb defended the Super Bowl LIX MVP on 94 WIP.
“Let me break it down for this, and I know there’s a lot of rumblings about what Jalen wants to run and what he doesn’t like,” McNabb said. “He’s deserving of that decision as the quarterback of the franchise. He’s the face of the franchise. He’s won you a Super Bowl. He’s been Super Bowl MVP. You know he’s been in this league long enough where he decides what he likes and what he doesn’t like.
“It’s our choice as the quarterback to be able to be comfortable with what we’re calling. So we can eliminate that whole mindset that everybody on the outside is trying to create. That whole narrative.”
Instead, to McNabb, there was one critical moment that changed the Eagles offense for the rest of the season.
“To me, with this offense, everything shifted ever since A.J. [Brown] started talking he wasn’t getting the ball,” said McNabb, who played alongside another outspoken wide receiver in Terrell Owens. “The offense shifted and everything was kind of going to A.J., and DeVonta [Smith] being the third option. And so, that’s kind of to me where it took us away from what we were very successful with last season to what’s going on with this season. And we didn’t make that change.
“And so we’re trying to please people now. So, our offense becomes dull and stale because we don’t move guys around.”
Jalen Hurts knew the score. He knew Kevin Patullo was done. It made zero sense for the Eagles quarterback to say he wanted the offensive coordinator to return, knowing it was a fait accompli.
“It’s too soon to think about that,” Hurts said Monday when asked about wanting Patullo back. “I put my trust in Howie, Nick, and Mr. Lurie.”
The Eagles haven’t officially fired or demoted Patullo as of this writing, but it’s only a matter of time before Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni, and Jeffrey Lurie come to that conclusion after a once-banging offense ended a calamitous season with a whimper on Sunday. (Editor’s note: Patullo was removed from his position Tuesday).
It was hard to find any source within the NovaCare Complex who expected otherwise. And if you listened closely to Hurts’ comments at his locker stall the day after the Eagles lost to the San Francisco 49ers, you could hear in his tone an elegy for Patullo.
“I hate that, you know … [pause] … I hate that,” Hurts said before another pause. “I hate that it ended this way, but I know we’ll be better from it.”
Hurts was talking about how the season ended, but he just as easily could have been talking about Patullo’s fate.
He could have also, of course, stood up on his stool and defended the coach. He could have taken accountability for his role in the first-time play-caller’s struggles. He could have pointed to specific plays he failed to make and specific ways he limited the offense.
But it really made no sense. Patullo will be the latest coordinator to exit the annual roller coaster that is having Hurts as your quarterback. From the highs of getting head coaching promotions (see: Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore) to the lows of getting canned (see: Brian Johnson and eventually Patullo).
Hurts, meanwhile, will remain and have a fifth different coordinator and sixth play-caller since Sirianni became head coach in 2021. And if you want to go all the way back to college — as Hurts has noted before — he’ll have his 14th different play-caller in the last 11 years.
That’s a lot of change and most of it out of his control, especially in Philadelphia after Sirianni gave up play-calling during his first year. But Hurts isn’t a pup anymore. And even he seemed to acknowledge that play-caller turnover isn’t a credible excuse after he won a Super Bowl in his first season with Moore.
“I accept the change,” Hurts said when asked about areas he wanted to work on this offseason. “I accept that those things come, whether expectations are met or whether we’re making Super Bowl runs. I’ve experienced both ends of it, and so I have a unique perspective on that.
“So I’m not going to allow that to be an excuse for us not to make championship runs and for us to not have the success that we desire and that I desire.”
Hurts is just one piece of the puzzle, just as Patullo was. They’re major parts of the machinery, so they rightfully get the most attention. But too much outside blame was placed on the coordinator because he was new, while not enough was directed toward the quarterback because of his previous success.
It’s understandable. Doesn’t make it accurate.
Inside the Eagles, most understood that there were myriad reasons for the offense’s decline. The personnel wasn’t as good. The offensive line wasn’t as healthy. The coaching staff wasn’t as sharp. And it’s damn hard to repeat as champions. The margin for error is slim in the NFL.
The Eagles’ best leaders looked internally at themselves and what they could improve and refused to point fingers. But there was definitely some redirecting of criticism, with the split about evenly distributed between Hurts and Patullo.
The Hurts critics just seemed louder. Some of the gripes were performance-based. Like the offense isn’t exotic and moves slowly because Hurts can’t read complex defenses or doesn’t want pre-snap motion. Or his inability to process post-snap limits middle-field throws. Or he doesn’t want to run as much anymore.
All claims can have some semblance of truth, but the first two didn’t seem to hinder the offense when the going was good. The scheme, as wide receiver DeVonta Smith said Sunday, was essentially the same since 2021.
There was more nuance than that. The system evolved to become more run-based. Moore brought in some new passing concepts in 2024, but some were never used. The Eagles could rest on their talent more than most.
But they rolled it back again in 2025 as running back Saquon Barkley said on Monday — similar to how they did in 2023 — and defenses caught up. And Patullo, as it increasingly became clear, wasn’t able to consistently dial up sustainable drives. He showed his acumen in the red zone, but getting there was often a battle.
If there was a conflict between Hurts and Patullo that went public, it was over designed quarterback runs. Hurts didn’t originally deny reports that he didn’t want to run as much, but when asked last week about how that factored into his good health this season, he suggested that it wasn’t his doing.
“The approach this year, and the way the games have been called with this coordinator — with Coach KP — it’s just kind of gone that way,” Hurts said. “I’ve taken it in stride and [am] giving my best with the position they’ve put me in.”
It’s hard to believe that Hurts doesn’t have a say in those conversations. He has said his influence has steadily increased. Some team sources have said it’s much greater than has been conveyed. But if he has been overpowering coaches, isn’t that as much of an indictment of Sirianni and Patullo as it is the quarterback?
Hurts was asked Monday how comfortable he had been with being uncomfortable in the offense.
“I think that’s the essence of what my career has been,” Hurts said. “Can’t say that every situation I’ve been in has been the most comfortable, but I’ve been able to find my way out of it and find ways to win and find ways to success. And so that’s a part of growth, and I’ve never run away from growth.”
Hurts has progressed. He’s better as a drop-back passer. He’s better at reading coverages. He’s better vs. the blitz. But in his growth as an NFL quarterback, he may have lost sight of how his mobility made him dynamic.
“He is not who he thinks he is,” an Eagles source said.
Teammates openly call him “Lil Jordan” in reference to his relationship with Michael Jordan, being one of the faces of the Air Jordan brand, and wanting to emulate and be the NFL version of the iconic basketball player. It’s a slight tease and Hurts rolls with it, several players said.
He is an easy target. No one faces as much scrutiny. And some of the internal forces against him seem to be holding his famously stoic demeanor against him. He isn’t the most cuddly creature.
But he has taken steps in that regard, as well. When A.J. Brown made it apparent he was frustrated with Hurts earlier in the season, he went to the receiver first to clear the air, two sources close to the situation said.
“That was mostly about not being on the same page,” one source said.
It took a while, but Hurts and Brown, whose friendship dates back almost a decade, have smoothed things over off the field. It’s unclear if they’ll be on the field together next season, although the quarterback intimated that he wants the receiver back.
“A.J. and I have talked. We’re in a good, great place,” Hurts said. “I know you all can talk to him and ask.”
The last sentence was a sly reference to Brown not talking to reporters in over a month. He again wasn’t available during locker clean-out day.
Hurts, meanwhile, didn’t miss a media requirement all season. He’s heard the criticisms and he’s hardly ever thrown shade toward a teammate, coach, or otherwise. Maybe he could have taken some of the arrows for Patullo.
But that stagecoach has departed. There will be a new coordinator in town soon enough. Hurts wouldn’t say how much influence he’ll have over the decision. He still may not be especially approachable, but Roseman, Sirianni, and Lurie have his number.
“Overall, my line is always open,” Hurts said. “And so however involved or whatever level of inquiry I [have], I’ll definitely be available. Ultimately, I put my focus on controlling the things I can.”
On Tuesday, the final episode of HBO’s in-season Hard Knocks show following the NFC East will debut, which will encompass the Eagles’ season-ending loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round.
The season didn’t end the way that Eagles producer Shannon Furman may have hoped, but the final episode is a 50-minute look inside the Birds’ final game.
Furman is the mastermind behind the Eagles’ segments of the show. Because the in-season Hard Knocks is released on the Tuesday the following week, Furman said it’s important for the film crew to come in with a plan each week on which players to spotlight.
Unlike the training camp edition, this year’s in-season Hard Knocks covered the entire division, leaving the Eagles with approximately 12 minutes to fill on the show every week, edited down from several dozen hours of footage per week.
“It’s so tough with the Eagles, because there’s so many guys and there are so many choices,” Furman said. “It ends up happening, like, ‘Who has an event this week? Who’s doing something?’ Week 1, it was like, ‘Let’s follow the quarterback,’ and then we had heard everybody saying Jordan Davis was a big personality.”
The team filming the footage sent it in batches to the editing team in Mount Laurel each day leading up to Tuesday’s release date, flagging segments it particularly liked or thought would be good to include. Sometimes, like after the Monday Night Football loss to the Chargers in November, the filming crew submitted the last of the footage after midnight, less than 24 hours before the episode aired.
There’s so much footage that often gets cut for time or is reused later. Furman said the Hard Knocks team shot a lot of footage of Davis for the first episode, which was released on Dec. 2, that got cut because of time restraints. But she loved the segment so much that they eventually worked him into a later episode.
Hard Knocks also mics up players during games, and the game footage caps the episode. Furman quickly learned that some players were much better mic’d up than in an interview setting, like DeVonta Smith.
“He’s a quiet guy off the field, and then he gets on the field and he turns into a completely different person,” Furman said. “Everybody is a little bit different. Some people stay completely the same. Some people get more quiet when they’re on the field than they are when they’re off, so you just get to see all different sides of people.”
Furman hoped that the show provided a new look into the team beyond what spreads on social media. She was struck most by the passion the players had for coach Nick Sirianni, and how much they respected and related to him personally.
“As a person who grew up in Philadelphia, learning about Nick, he is Philadelphia,” Furman said. “Everyone should love this guy, because he is the definition of our city, the fiery, where maybe it comes across as arrogance at times, but at the same time you still love him. It’s like a lovable arrogance. He’s perfect for this city.”
The Eagles’ 2025 season came to an end sooner than many expected Sunday night, with an underwhelming 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers ending the dream of a Super Bowl repeat.
With the offseason officially here, The Inquirer has identified the most significant questions the team will face as it attempts to avoid the sting of a premature exit at this time next year.
Do you expect a change with embattled offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo?
The offense’s performance this season did not reflect well on Patullo. The unit finished the year 19th in the league in scoring, 24th in total yards, and 13th in expected points added per play, which measures the average points added by the offense on each play.
For comparison’s sake, here’s how the 2023 Eagles offense fared under former offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, who was fired in the offseason: No. 7 in scoring, No. 8 in yards, and No. 9 in EPA per play.
The Eagles seem certain to move on from Kevin Patullo as the play caller.
Yes, that season was different, as the Eagles lost six of their last seven games. But both the 2023 and 2025 offenses regressed substantially following Super Bowl appearances. The 2025 Eagles returned 10 of 11 offensive starters from the Super Bowl-winning team, and yet the most expensive offense in football couldn’t make it past the wild-card round.
While all of the offense’s shortcomings this season can’t be pinned exclusively on Patullo, something has to change. If the Eagles fire a coordinator and decide to hire an external replacement, there’s always a chance that person would want to handpick his own assistants. In 2024, Kellen Moore brought in former quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier. Vic Fangio overhauled the defensive staff. — Olivia Reiner
Is there any reason to expect changes with A.J. Brown or any of the other skill-position stars?
Four of the offense’s big five skill players — Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, Brown, and DeVonta Smith — are under contract through at least 2028. Brown is under contract through 2029. Dallas Goedert, meanwhile, is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year.
Given Goedert’s status as a pending free agent, his future as an Eagle is in question. The 31-year-old tight end had a career year with 11 touchdowns, plus two more in the postseason. After an injury-riddled 2024 season, he stayed mostly healthy and started 15 games in 2025. But he’s an aging — and potentially expensive, given his touchdown output — tight end who took a step back as a run blocker this year.
It would be expensive for the Eagles to move on from A.J. Brown.
Then, there’s the elephant in the room. Will Brown be back in 2026, let alone finish out his contract in Philadelphia? He voiced his frustration with the offense’s inconsistency earlier in the season. While he made an impact on paper during the regular season and eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for a fourth straight year, he also was part of the problem at times, especially in the wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He finished with three receptions on seven targets for 25 yards.
Brown’s contract would be very difficult to move. Cutting him before June 1 would incur $72 million in dead money in 2026. The Eagles would still be on the hook for $43 million in 2026 if they traded him, too. But, as our colleague Jeff McLane wrote, would a change of scenery benefit the 28-year-old wide receiver, send a message to the locker room, and eventually clear some salary-cap space? — Reiner
Besides Goedert, which Eagles are scheduled to become free agents? Which members of that group will be the highest priorities for the team to re-sign?
As Reed Blankenship noted Sunday in the locker room: “It’s not going to be the same.”
“Who knows where we all end up?” the safety said. “That’s just part of the business side of it. They can’t keep us all. I wish they could.”
Blankenship is one of the Eagles’ nearly two dozen free agents. Like Blankenship, a few are notable players who may not be back.
Will the Eagles be willing to pay 31-year-old Dallas Goedert?
Let’s start with Goedert, who had a career year — the most prolific touchdown season in the history of Eagles tight ends. There are zero tight ends on next season’s roster as it stands. Along the offensive line, reserves Fred Johnson, Brett Toth, and Matt Pryor are free agents. So is wide receiver Jahan Dotson. Deeper reserves like running back AJ Dillon, quarterback Sam Howell, and injured fullback Ben VanSumeren are set to hit the market, too.
Blankenship, linebacker Nakobe Dean, and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips are the marquee names among the defensive free agents. Two more starters from Sunday’s game are also scheduled to be free agents: safety Marcus Epps and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson. Other free agents include edge rushers Brandon Graham, Joshua Uche, Azeez Ojulari, and Ogbo Okoronkwo. Punter Braden Mann’s contract also is up.
As for which players the Eagles will prioritize, it’s not hard to imagine them wanting to rework something with Goedert before they look elsewhere for a tight end. Phillips will be at or near the top of the priority list, too. The Eagles are thin at edge rusher and could use an impact player like Phillips at the top of the depth chart to pair with Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith. Blankenship’s position is a priority, but it remains to be seen what his market looks like and what the Eagles decide to do at safety. Rookie Drew Mukuba will be coming off a season-ending injury at one of the safety spots.
As for Dean, he may be the most expendable among the top free-agents-to-be with Jihaad Campbell waiting in the wings. — Jeff Neiburg
Howie Roseman has a reputation for being aggressive in all aspects of the Eagles’ business.
What is the Eagles’ salary-cap situation heading into the offseason? What does history say about their willingness to be aggressive on the free-agent front?
According to Over the Cap, the Eagles have $20.3 million in cap space for 2026. It is not a lot, partially because some Eagles have increases in their cap hit. Jalen Hurts’ cap number, for example, jumps from $21.87 million this past season to $31.97 million next season.
The Eagles have 40 players under contract and have eight draft picks. As it stands, they again will have a high-priced offense. Seven of the eight players with cap hits of at least $9 million are offensive players.
While there isn’t a ton of money available for Howie Roseman to play with, history shows us he is willing to be aggressive to create more room and to improve his roster to compete for a Super Bowl. He also has mastered the art of structuring contracts to game the NFL’s salary-cap system. — Neiburg
The Eagles moved up to select Jihaad Campbell in the 2025 draft.
How many draft picks are the Eagles scheduled to have in 2026? How aggressive do you expect them to be in moving draft capital to address other needs (or to move up in the draft)?
The Eagles are set to have eight draft picks, including three projected compensatory picks, in 2026:
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3 (from the New York Jets in the Haason Reddick trade)
Round 3 (projected compensatory pick for Milton Williams)
Round 4
Round 4 (projected compensatory pick for Josh Sweat)
Round 5
Round 5 (projected compensatory pick for Mekhi Becton)
Roseman has a track record of moving up in the draft, even if it’s just a couple of spots, to go get a player on the team’s short list. His most significant jump came in 2016 when he moved up six spots from No. 8 to No. 2 to select Carson Wentz. Last year, Roseman moved up one spot from No. 32 to No. 31 to get Campbell.
He goes after what he wants in veterans, too, with his most prominent example occurring in 2022 with his draft-day acquisition of Brown from the Tennessee Titans. Given that the Eagles have eight picks, Roseman has plenty of ammo to make moves and address the team’s needs. — Reiner
The limited availability of tackle Lane Johnson this season means the Eagles must consider the future along the offensive line.
Which personnel groups do you expect Howie Roseman to concentrate most on upgrading heading into 2026?
Where to begin? The Eagles still have a pretty solid roster, but they do have some flaws and are set to have a few holes.
They have no tight ends. They have no obvious answer yet for a Lane Johnson replacement. How long is Landon Dickerson going to hold up? They went heavy at offensive line toward the end of the draft last season, but they could soon need top-end talent.
They are in the market for wide receiver help, regardless of where the Brown saga leads them. They need edge rushers. They need cornerbacks. They may need a new kicker.
A high-impact edge rusher, like Phillips, should be high on the list of most important personnel groups to upgrade the talent level, and it will be interesting to see how the Eagles go about addressing tight end. They obviously will sign a few in free agency and could draft one. Could Goedert return?
There are a lot of unanswered questions right now. It’s that time of year.
The Johnson replacement is a tricky one, too. He still is very good when he’s on the field, but the clock is ticking. Same for Dickerson, who has had multiple surgeries and has played through plenty of pain. — Neiburg
Will another NFL team lead the charge to ban the Tush Push, as the Packers did last offseason?
Will the Tush Push be in the spotlight again this offseason? What are the mechanics of a potential rule change from a league/competition committee standpoint?
Earlier in the season, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Tush Push was getting banned in the spring. This year, instead of detractors fixating on its aesthetics and its player safety risks, its officiating was called into question.
But false-start penalties mounted on the Eagles as the season progressed. Defenses improved at stopping the play, too. The Eagles grew less effective on the Tush Push and eventually, in short-yardage situations, stopped running it entirely. The last Tush Push the Eagles ran in the regular season occurred in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders. It failed, just like four of their previous six attempts.
The public outcry against the Tush Push seems to have dissipated with the Eagles’ waning efficiency. In fact, fans seemed to love the Buffalo Bills’ 10-yard push sneak for a touchdown in their wild-card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bills were among the teams that voted to effectively ban it in the offseason, too.
Unless there is new injury data that suggests the play is dangerous, the path to a ban is unclear. The officiating of the play still would be an issue on a traditional quarterback sneak. Perhaps the league again would seek to eradicate an offensive player pushing the runner downfield on any play, which was illegal in the NFL before 2005. Ironically, it was legalized because it was difficult to officiate.
A rule proposal, either submitted by the competition committee or by one of the 32 clubs, would be the first step to getting rid of the play. That proposal would need at least 24 “yes” votes from the 32 owners at the spring league meeting to pass. Last year, the Green Bay Packers submitted an assisting-the-runner proposal, but it didn’t garner the requisite support. — Reiner
The Rams’ return trip to Philly next season should be among the highlights of the 2026 home schedule.
Who are the Eagles’ 2026 opponents?
In addition to their six division games, the Eagles will face the 2025 winners of the NFC North (Chicago Bears on the road), NFC South (Carolina Panthers at the Linc) and AFC North (Pittsburgh Steelers at the Linc); they’ll face the entire NFC West (Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks at the Linc, 49ers and Arizona Cardinals on the road) and the entire AFC South (Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts at the Linc, Jaguars and Tennessee Titans on the road).
The Eagles are scheduled to play nine home games in 2026. Dates are expected to be announced as part of the NFL schedule release in May.
