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  • The Eagles cut Christian Elliss as the 2023 season unraveled. His new life with the Patriots has him back in the Super Bowl.

    The Eagles cut Christian Elliss as the 2023 season unraveled. His new life with the Patriots has him back in the Super Bowl.

    SAN JOSE, Calif. — Christian Elliss was cut from an NFL roster six times in the first three seasons of his career — four times by the Eagles. The last one, on Dec. 6, 2023, stung the most.

    “I remember just [being] on the phone with my dad, crying,” Elliss said. “I was like, ‘Dad, that’s the one that really broke me.’ Because I thought I was playing well. I knew I had the talent to play, but for whatever reason … I can’t remember.”

    The reasons were complex. The Eagles were reeling and injuries and subpar play at linebacker had forced general manager Howie Roseman to sign veteran Shaquille Leonard. Elliss played mostly on special teams, but he was viewed as the low man at linebacker and was waived.

    “Howie and who’s the head man over there …,” Elliss said before being reminded that Nick Sirianni was the Eagles’ head coach. “… and Nick, for whatever reason, they didn’t see me as a piece for them. But luckily Bill did.”

    That was Bill Belichick, the former Patriots coach. Elliss was claimed off waivers by New England the next day. And he hasn’t left, despite the coaching turnover that went from Belichick to Jerod Mayo to Mike Vrabel since Elliss’ arrival.

    Christian Elliss (53) was primarily a special-teamer in Philadelphia but has been a regular at linebacker for Mike Vrabel’s Patriots.

    Getting cast off by the Eagles may have broken Elliss, but he has put himself back together over the last two-plus years. And he has been made whole into a starting linebacker on a Patriots team that has exceeded expectations and will face the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s Super Bowl LX.

    Elliss, 27, may still have a chip on his shoulder. He and his wife, Kaysie, had two young children at the time, and he wasn’t sure about his future. But he said he now sees the silver lining in his sixth — and last — release.

    “Honestly, me going to the Patriots was probably the best thing for me,” Elliss said. “I had vets that showed me the ropes. I had coaches that believed in me and wanted me there. I think New England is the perfect spot for me.”

    Roseman probably regretted the decision. He had cut Elliss four times before, only to bring him back on the practice squad. But other NFL teams had about a season’s worth of film on the athletic linebacker, and not all of it as a member of all four special teams corps.

    “We saw that he had some traits that we wanted to work with,” Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf said. “He had been productive on special teams for those guys, and when he had the opportunity to play on defense, he had been productive, especially in coverage.”

    Elliss actually had started on defense for the first time in his career in the game before his release. He struggled in the blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but he wasn’t the only one. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai’s scheme was like Swiss cheese, and he eventually got demoted.

    But Roseman felt he needed to address the linebacker group at that time. He didn’t necessarily have to create a roster spot at that position, but he told Elliss if he cleared waivers, the Eagles would bring him back.

    His calculation proved wrong.

    “They did tell me that,” Elliss said. “But when I got six teams that wanted to claim me, that affirmed that, yeah, I can play.”

    Christian Elliss (center) in his final game as an Eagle, which saw the defense gutted in a 42-19 loss to the 49ers.

    Belichick had him work exclusively with special teams for the last month of the 2023 season. When the legendary coach left the Patriots in the offseason, Elliss had to convince another regime that he was worth keeping.

    He made the 2024 roster as a backup and special teams contributor. But by Week 5, he started logging significant playing time on defense and became a regular the rest of the way. When Mayo was fired after the season, Elliss said he wasn’t expecting to return, though.

    The Las Vegas Raiders made a play for the free agent. But because Elliss was restricted, the Patriots could match the two-year, $13.5 million offer. Vrabel and Wolf would remake most of New England’s front seven, but Elliss fit their vision and was retained.

    “We felt that even though he reached free agency, he was still ascending,” Wolf said. “And he’s really just improved and improved. He’s a great kid. He plays really hard. He’s got some of the traits you can’t teach. He’s super fast. He’s explosive. He’s got great change of direction.”

    There were initial struggles playing in a new scheme with new terminology in 2025. Elliss missed eight tackles in the first three games and was benched in the second half of the third game. But the Patriots stuck with him, and he steadily made progress.

    “I think he took it to heart,” linebackers coach Zak Kuhr said of the benching. “He made some different personal changes with how he was going to view his position and his role. And credit to him and how he went about it.”

    It has helped to have a head coach who played the position at a high level. Vrabel was a key cog in Belichick’s early Super Bowl-winning Patriots teams. He mostly played on the outside and often would rush from the edge, but he was open to moving inside to serve team needs.

    Mike Vrabel has won the respect of the entire Patriots locker room, including Elliss, in his first year as New England’s head coach.

    Elliss said Vrabel has instilled in the Patriots that same unselfish mentality.

    “I’ve never had a coach where he’s truly a player’s coach, meaning he holds everyone to the same standard. Not everyone does that in the league,” Elliss said. “Everybody has favorites one way or another. It’s just human nature. But for him, he doesn’t let it show, at least on the field or at least in the building.

    “He makes sure everyone’s held to the same standard. No one gets away with anything. If you’re BS-ing in practice, if you’re putting your own self above the team, he never lets that slide.”

    Growing up third-oldest of 12 children — seven of whom were adopted — Elliss may have understood the importance of the collective more than most. He also comes from a football family. His father, Luther, played 10 seasons in the NFL, and his brothers Kaden, Noah, and Jonah also have played in the league.

    Noah spent parts of the 2022 and 2023 seasons on the Eagles as a practice squad defensive tackle. Christian and Jonah, a linebacker for the Denver Broncos, met in the AFC championship game. Their emotional embrace after the game touched many.

    Only one could advance to the Super Bowl. Christian will be making his second appearance. He played 24 special teams snaps for the Eagles three years ago. He said he watched and rooted for his old team last year when it avenged the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the first Super Bowl meeting.

    Christian Elliss came up short while with the Eagles in his last Super Bowl appearance and has another shot at an elusive ring this Sunday.

    Elliss might have flourished in Vic Fangio’s scheme. The Eagles had long undervalued linebackers, but the defensive coordinator has spearheaded an organizational shift with investments made in Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell, for example.

    Baun was instrumental in the defensive dominance of Kansas City. But the front four set the tone and harassed quarterback Patrick Mahomes into taking six sacks and committing three turnovers.

    “Ball disruption. When you affect the quarterback, when you make him so he can’t set his feet and he’s always on his toes, it’s hard for them to produce,” Elliss said. “And I think the Eagles really did that well.”

    Elliss should get opportunities to get after Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. He already has generated seven pressures in just 18 pass rush attempts this postseason. Two years ago, after his release, he was thinking more about survival than the Super Bowl.

    “I was cut, I think, six, seven times in my early NFL career,” Elliss said. “And, honestly, I remember asking my dad, ‘Dad, is this meant for me? I don’t want to keep getting cut.’ It’s a terrible feeling, especially [because] I had two kids at the time. So that’s definitely hard.

    “But I believe trials and tribulations produce endurance, they produce character. And I think it helped me in the long run.”

  • Philly’s Don Bitterlich scored the first points in Seahawks history. But he made his name playing the accordion.

    Philly’s Don Bitterlich scored the first points in Seahawks history. But he made his name playing the accordion.

    Don Bitterlich’s Chevy Caprice was loaded with everything he needed for his gig that night at an Italian restaurant in Northeast Philly: an accordion, a speaker, and a pair of black slacks.

    He learned to play the accordion as a 7-year-old in Olney after his parents took him to a music shop on Fifth Street and he struggled to blow into a trumpet. His father pointed to the accordion, and Bitterlich played it everywhere from his living room on Sixth Street to Vitale’s on Saturday nights.

    The owner of Vitale’s — a small restaurant with a bar near Bustleton and Cottman Avenues — paid Bitterlich $175 every Saturday. It was a lot of money for a college student in the 1970s. First, he had to finish football practice.

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    Bitterlich went to Temple on a soccer scholarship before football coach Wayne Hardin plucked him to be the placekicker. He never even watched a football game, but soccer coach Walter Bahr — the father of two NFL kickers — told Hardin that Bitterlich’s powerful left leg was fit for field goals.

    Bitterlich went to football camp in the summer of 1973, while also playing soccer for Bahr and trying to keep up with his accordion. He had yet to officially make the football team that August, so there was no use in canceling his 10 p.m. Saturday gig at Vitale’s. Bitterlich was due to play there in 90 minutes, but the Owls had yet to include their kicker in practice. He was hoping to leave practice by 8:45 p.m., and it was almost time.

    “I’m watching the clock,” Bitterlich said.

    Don Bitterlich holds his Seahawks football card. He scored the first points in Seahawks history as a kicker.

    He asked an assistant coach if the team was going to kick, and the coach shrugged him off. A half-hour later, he asked again. He had to go, Bitterlich said.

    “He said, ‘Go where?’” Bitterlich said.

    Bitterlich set records at Temple, played in an all-star game in Japan, was in his dorm when he was selected in the 1976 NFL draft, and scored the first-ever points for the Seattle Seahawks, who play Sunday in Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots.

    He made it to the NFL despite knowing little about football until he became Temple’s kicker. It was a whirlwind, he said.

    He really made his name with the accordion, the instrument he’s still playing more than 50 years after he had to rush to a gig from football practice.

    He has long been a regular at German festivals, restaurants, banquets, and even marathons. A German club in the Northeast called Bitterlich “the hardest working accordion player in the world.” He played a gig on Sunday night in South Philly and another on Monday morning near Lancaster.

    Flyers fans once joined a club by getting hit by a puck. It made them ‘feel special’ — and protected the team.

    Bitterlich, 72, who worked as a civil engineer until retiring last year, said he played more than 100 gigs in 2025. Football stopped years ago, but the show rolls on.

    “These days,” he says, “most people around hear me playing the accordion, and they don’t know that I kicked in the NFL.”

    Becoming a kicker

    Bitterlich was home in Warminster — his family moved from Olney just before his freshman year at William Tennent High — when Bahr called. The Temple soccer coach had been a star on the U.S. team that upset England in the 1950 World Cup and was one of the best players to come out of Philadelphia.

    “He had this raspy voice,” Bitterlich said. “He smoked cigars during practice and basically chewed and ate half of it as well. He always called me ‘Bitterlich’ but called me ‘Donald’ if I screwed up.”

    Don Bitterlich (20) at Temple, likely during the 1975 season.

    So Bitterlich figured he was in trouble when his coach called him “Donald” on the phone.

    Bahr asked Bitterlich whether he knew who Hardin was. Yes, he said. Bahr said he had just talked to the football coach and told him Bitterlich could kick. The coach had watched Bitterlich since he played soccer for Vereinigung Erzgebirge, a German club his grandfather founded off County Line Road. He told Bitterlich he could do it.

    “So I said, ‘No soccer?,’” said Bitterlich, who was also the mascot at basketball games in the winter. “‘No, you’re my starting left midfielder.’ I was thinking, ‘How is this going to work?’”

    Bahr told Bitterlich to call the football office, get a bag of balls, and start kicking. He kicked every day at the German club and tried to figure it out. He was soon splitting his day between football camp in Valley Forge and soccer camp at the old Temple Stadium on Cheltenham Avenue in West Oak Lane. Each sport practiced twice a day and Bitterlich found a way to make them all.

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    He played a soccer game that season in Pittsburgh, flew home with the team, and then took a taxi from the airport to Temple Stadium to kick for the football team. He was studying civil engineering and balancing two sports plus his accordion.

    It eventually became too much. Hardin told Bahr that he would give the kicker a full scholarship to play football. That was it.

    “With the football scholarship, I got room and board,” Bitterlich said. “So I was living on campus after commuting from Warminster. It was insane. I was so worn out.”

    Making history

    Bitterlich kicked a game winner in October 1973 against Cincinnati as time expired, made three kicks at Temple longer than 50 yards, and was the nation’s top kicker in 1975. The soccer player made a quick transition.

    “Coach Hardin always said, ‘If I yell ‘field goal,’ I expect three points on the board,’” said Bitterlich, who was inducted into the Temple Hall of Fame in 2007. “He expected that. The point of that was that he trusted you. That was his way of saying, ‘I’m not asking you to do anything that I don’t think you can do.’”

    Don Bitterlich performs with his accordian on Sunday during The Tasties at Live! Casino.

    The coach helped Bitterlich understand the mental side of kicking, challenging him in practice to focus on the flagpole beyond the uprights. Try to hit the flag, he said.

    “That had a huge mental impact on me,” Bitterlich said. “You have that image, and then when you do your steps back and you’re set, that’s all you can see. It made all the difference in the world for me. Once you have that image, you zone out any of the noise. You’re just focused on that image.”

    It helped him focus in September 1976 when the Seahawks opened their inaugural season at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. They drafted Bitterlich five months earlier in the third round. The Kingdome’s concrete roof made the stadium deafening, but Bitterlich felt like he was back in North Philly practicing at Geasey Field as he focused the way Hardin taught him to.

    He hit a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter, registering the first points in franchise history. The Seahawks had quarterback Jim Zorn and wide receiver Steve Largent, but it was the soccer player who scored first.

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    Bitterlich’s NFL career didn’t last long, as the Seahawks cut him later that month after he missed three field goals in a game. He tried out for the Buffalo Bills, but a blizzard hindered his chances. He signed with the Eagles in the summer of 1977, missed a field goal in a preseason game, and was cut.

    He landed a job as a civil engineer in Lafayette Hill. He received a call on his first day from Eagles coach Dick Vermeil, who said the San Diego Chargers wanted to try him out. Bitterlich flew to California the next day but turned down a three-year NFL contract that would pay him only slightly more than his new job back home.

    “Plus, the real reason I turned down their offer was that they couldn’t hold for a left-footed kicker,” Bitterlich said. “Their holder just couldn’t get the ball down. I didn’t want to sign that contract. ‘What’s going to happen in two days when that guy can’t get the ball down?’”

    A week later, the San Francisco 49ers called. He flew back to California, tried out against another kicker, and was told he won the job. But the 49ers decided to sign Ray Wersching, who had been cut the previous season by the Chargers. Bitterlich turned down the chance to replace Wersching in San Diego, and now Wersching was swooping in for the job Bitterlich wanted in San Francisco.

    “I went back home and said, ‘That’s enough,’” said Bitterlich, who played three NFL games. “It started to get disappointing.”

    “I love to play,” Bitterlich says of his accordion. “I usually don’t take breaks. Most bands will play 40 minutes on, 20 minutes off. I just play through.”

    Still playing

    His NFL journey was hard to imagine that day at practice as he watched the clock at Temple Stadium and thought about how long it would take to drive to Vitale’s. Bitterlich told the assistant coach that it was almost time to play his accordion. That, the coach said, was something he would have to talk to Hardin about. Fine, Bitterlich said.

    “I didn’t know if I was going to make the team or not, and I knew I was going to play soccer,” Bitterlich said. “So I just went over and told Coach.”

    Hardin heard his kicker say he had to leave football practice to play the accordion and laughed.

    “He said, ‘Yeah, I heard something about that,’” Bitterlich said.

    Bucko Kilroy was once called the NFL’s dirtiest player. He became much more than that in a six-decade career.

    The coach stopped practice and let Bitterlich get in the mix. He nailed six field goals and the other kicker shanked a few. The job felt like his. He hit a 47-yarder and looked over at Hardin.

    “He’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah. Go ahead. Go,’” Bitterlich said.

    Bitterlich was soon in his Chevy Caprice, heading down Cottman Avenue on his way to Vitale’s. He wasn’t late to his accordion gig that night. His football career would end a few years later, but the music has yet to stop.

    “I enjoy it,” Bitterlich said. “I love to play. I usually don’t take breaks. Most bands will play 40 minutes on, 20 minutes off. I just play through. I really don’t take a break. I love it.”

  • Eagles fan and WWE star Nikki Bella responds to Cooper DeJean chants on Raw amid dating rumors

    Eagles fan and WWE star Nikki Bella responds to Cooper DeJean chants on Raw amid dating rumors

    Nikki Bella thought fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday night were booing her, but the Philly crowd was actually cheering “Coop” at the WWE Hall of Famer.

    Bella, who was in the ring for WWE’s Monday Night Raw, reportedly began casually dating Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean in January, according to TMZ. Neither Bella, 42, nor DeJean, 22, has publicly confirmed they are dating, but Bella’s reaction to the crowd indicates there is some connection between the two.

    While the “Coop” cheer has become common at Lincoln Financial Field since the Eagles drafted DeJean out of Iowa in 2024, it caught Bella, an Eagles fan, off guard during Monday night’s show.

    “Is that for the Eagles not getting in the Super Bowl, or for us?” Bella quipped while in the ring with her twin sister and tag team partner, Brie Bella.

    Brie corrected her sister on what exactly the Philly crowd was shouting.

    “I actually think they were saying ‘Coop,’” Brie Bella said.

    “Oh,” Nikki Bella replied. “Can you blame a girl for having good taste? I mean, Pro Bowl, baby.”

    Rumors emerged that Bella, whose real name is Nikki Garcia, was dating DeJean in December after Bella posted a video of herself at the Linc wearing an Eagles baseball jersey with DeJean’s name on the back.

    Bella was also spotted at Eagles training camp in August when Raw made a previous stop in Philly, and posted multiple pictures with DeJean on social media. TMZ reported in January that DeJean and Bella had gone on dates but that Bella still considered herself to be single.

    “It was so magical just to see all the players, to meet everyone,” Bella said on her podcast, The Nikki and Brie Show, in an episode titled “Big Ring Energy” after her visit. “For them, they talked with us like we were family. Everyone wanted to know the story of why we were here.”

    Brie interjected, “Well, hopefully one day they are family” with a laugh, before Nikki quickly changed the subject.

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    Bella divorced former Dancing With the Stars coach Artem Chigvintsev in 2024, shortly after Chigvintsev was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in California. The Napa County District Attorney declined to charge Chigvintsev. Chigvintsev and Bella share joint custody of their son, Matteo.

    DeJean was named a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2025. He finished his second NFL season with two interceptions and 93 tackles.

    Bella stepped into the ring at Xfinity Mobile Arena to announce that she would join Brie to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, which is held by Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky.

    Nikki and Brie — with the latter coming out of retirement for Sunday’s Royal Rumble after a four-year absence — have not wrestled as a tag team since October 2018.

  • NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says expanding the regular season to 18 games is ‘not a given’

    NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says expanding the regular season to 18 games is ‘not a given’

    SAN JOSE, Calif. — Not so fast on an 18-game NFL season.

    A week after Patriots owner Robert Kraft made it seem inevitable, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said expanding the regular season to 18 games is “not a given.”

    “We have not had any formal discussions about it and, frankly, very little, if any, informal conversations,” Goodell said Monday at his annual state of the NFL news conference ahead of the Super Bowl. “I’ve heard people talk about it in the context. It is not a given that we will do that. It’s not something we assume will happen. It’s something we want to talk about with the union leadership.”

    Last Tuesday, Kraft made it seem 18 games was a foregone conclusion.

    Sean Mannion’s former coaches predict he will be ‘a home run hire’ for Eagles: ‘His internal memory is ridiculous’

    “I want to tell you guys that we’re going to push like the dickens now to make international (games) more important with us,” Kraft told 98.5 FM last week. “Every team will go to 18 (regular-season games) and two (preseason games) and eliminate one of the preseason games, and every team every year will play one game overseas.”

    Clearly, word reached Goodell.

    He mentioned that the NFL Players Association will be going through a leadership transition and that the conversation will be complex. Goodell pointed out player safety concerns, competitive issues, the potential need to add another bye and roster sizes as areas that have to be addressed through collective bargaining.

    The current CBA between the NFL and its players’ union expires in 2030.

    “As (the NFLPA) determines their priorities, we are doing the same at the ownership level so that when we get together, we can address these issues together,” Goodell said.

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    The momentum for an 18th game took off when Goodell made an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show at the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit and said: “I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season (game) any day, that’s just picking quality. If we got to 18 (regular season) and two (preseason), that’s not an unreasonable thing.”

    He’s walked it back previously but not to this point.

    The NFL added a 17th game in 2021 in the most recent CBA.

    Seattle Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp hinted Monday night that owners would have to give up a bigger piece of the financial pie to get an 18th done.

    “For the 18th game to happen, there’s obviously going to be some negotiation,” Kupp said. “There’s some things, give and take. Unfortunately, it’s one of those things. If the 18th game is on the table, there’s going to have to be some talks about what makes that worth it to the players. And we’ll get to that point. We’ll cross that bridge.”

    Tisch-Epstein

    The NFL will look into New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and his association with Jeffrey Epstein after his name showed up more than 400 times in files released by the U.S. Justice Department regarding Epstein.

    “Absolutely we will look at all the facts,” Goodell said. “We’ll look at the context of those and try to understand that. We’ll look at how that falls under the (league personal conduct) policy. I think we’ll take one step at a time. Let’s get the facts first.”

    Tisch said last week he knew Epstein and that they “exchanged emails about adult women” and “discussed movies, philanthropy and investments.” But Tisch, 76, denied going to Epstein’s island and was never charged in the investigation.

    Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

    The documents were disclosed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted after months of public and political pressure that requires the government to open its files on the late financier and his confidant and onetime girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

  • Sean Mannion’s former coaches predict he will be ‘a home run hire’ for Eagles: ‘His internal memory is ridiculous’

    Sean Mannion’s former coaches predict he will be ‘a home run hire’ for Eagles: ‘His internal memory is ridiculous’

    SAN JOSE, Calif. — When Sean Mannion was a quarterback with the Minnesota Vikings, his position room would play a game called “Stumpy.”

    The objective was to be the last one to be stumped when then-position coach Andrew Janocko asked each quarterback the specifics of certain plays in Minnesota’s offensive playbook. Mannion might have been a journeyman backup in the NFL, but he had the recall of a Hall of Famer, his former coaches said.

    “He was always the champion of that game,” Janocko said.

    Mannion was hired as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator last week. He may have only two years of coaching experience, but Klint Kubiak and Janocko, who coached him with the Vikings and are now on staff with the Seahawks at Super Bowl LX, believe the 33-year-old is ready for the job.

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    Kubiak was Mannion’s first quarterbacks coach in Minnesota in 2019 and 2020. When he was promoted to offensive coordinator a year later, Janocko succeeded him. In September 2021, Kubiak said Mannion was one of the smartest players “he’d ever been around” and that he was like “an extra coach” on the field.

    “I still feel the same way about that,” Kubiak told The Inquirer on Monday. “Sean’s a really bright guy. He’s extremely hardworking. He just understands football at a whole other level. He was trained by [Los Angeles Rams coach] Sean McVay early. He had really great coaching at Oregon State.

    “He was our backup quarterback. He was always the guy bringing things up in the game-planning process that helped us make plays better, or get rid of bad plays. He just understands the whole picture.”

    Kubiak and Janocko, who called the Mannion hire “a home run,” may be biased. But if Eagles coach Nick Sirianni hadn’t tabbed him to be Kevin Patullo’s replacement, it’s possible that Kubiak, who is slated to become the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach after Sunday’s game vs. the New England Patriots, would have recruited Mannion from the Green Bay Packers.

    New Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion (left) was coached by Kevin O’Connell (right), Andrew Janocko, and Klint Kubiak when he was a backup for the Minnesota Vikings.

    “We always knew that someday when Sean was done playing, we would all want to hire him on our coaching staff,” Kubiak said.

    Mannion likely wouldn’t have called plays in Las Vegas. But he will in Philadelphia, despite having never done it before.

    “Everyone’s got to start somewhere,” said Kubiak, who’s been an offensive coordinator with three teams. “You learn on the job. When you’re the quarterback, all you do is call plays all day. You get it from the coach, but sometimes the coach screws it up, and you’ve got to fix it. It’s not your fault, but it is your problem.

    “Sean will have no problem calling plays.”

    Janocko, like Mannion, has never called plays. He’s the heir apparent to Kubiak in Seattle. He’s also an ex-quarterback. He said there are always growing pains for first-time play callers. But Mannion’s mind, he said, will give him an advantage over opposing defensive coordinators.

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    “The way he diagnoses and processes information, his internal memory is ridiculous,” Janocko said. “You could ask him things on the call sheet that maybe we hadn’t talked about since Wednesday, and he would know the little minutiae about it.

    “Just his general understanding of coverages and what the defense was trying to do, in his mind he was always one step ahead. So I just see that translation to play caller going through the roof.”

    Kubiak and Janocko said they can’t predict how Mannion’s offense will look. The Eagles clearly wanted to bring in someone who has had experience with the Kyle Shanahan system. Mannion spent two seasons with McVay and several others with Shanahan acolytes. But he was exposed to other schemes, too.

    West Coast guy

    Mannion was born in San Jose and played football at Foothill High School in nearby Pleasanton. He was a four-year starter in college for Oregon State before the Rams selected him in the third round of the 2015 draft.

    He spent his rookie season in St. Louis but moved back to the West Coast when the Rams relocated to Los Angeles. Janocko, who was born in Clearfield, Pa., and played at Pittsburgh, said he teased Mannion about their geographical differences.

    Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, soon to be the Raiders’ head coach, says new Eagles OC Sean Mannion “will have no problem calling plays.”

    “Me being an East Coast guy and him being from the West Coast, I’d always rib him that he was going to open his own co-op,” Janocko said. “I’ll be interested to see how he does in Philly getting a cheesesteak.”

    Kubiak said Mannion’s authenticity is one of his best traits. He said he’s built up thick skin from playing quarterback when his “back’s against the wall.” Philly’s different, of course. There might not be a job with as much scrutiny as Eagles offensive coordinator.

    Shane Steichen, Kellen Moore, and Frank Reich were successful enough to become head coaches. Patullo, Brian Johnson, and Mike Groh suffered a far worse fate. Kubiak said Mannion can’t mentally shoulder all the burden.

    Mannion is expected to make some changes to the offensive staff. Josh Grizzard has already been hired as pass game coordinator. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is expected to stay, although he may no longer also be run game coordinator.

    The Eagles hired a young, green OC in Sean Mannion. Just like they did with Jon Gruden.

    “Any time you’re in that role, you don’t do it by yourself. It’s all about having a great staff with you,” Kubiak said. “They have one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL. They brought [Grizzard] from Tampa with him. Nick is an offensive coach.

    “Great staffs do it together. One guy has his name on the job, but when I’m calling a game, there’s five other assistants talking to me on each play.”

  • Jeffrey Lurie admired Kellen Moore as OC in Dallas and hired a similar coach, Sean Mannion, for the Eagles

    Jeffrey Lurie admired Kellen Moore as OC in Dallas and hired a similar coach, Sean Mannion, for the Eagles

    Folks keep trying to compare little-known Sean Mannion with previous Eagles hires. In fact, the best comp was in Dallas.

    It’s true that Mannion, the new offensive coordinator, shares some characteristics with former Eagles OC Jon Gruden, a former wide receivers coach whom Jeffrey Lurie and the Eagles hired at the age of 31. Similarly, when the Eagles hired 40-year-old Packers quarterbacks coach Andy Reid to be their head coach in 1999, Reid had never called plays, established a scheme, or formulated a game plan.

    But by 1999 Reid had been a coach for 17 years, and by 1995 Gruden had been a coach for nine years. Mannion, by contrast, has been a coach for just two years, both with the Packers, one of them as Matt LaFleur’s “offensive assistant,” the NFL’s equivalent of an unpaid internship.

    That doesn’t mean Mannion can’t do the job.

    Bill Belichick’s cheating cost him first-ballot Hall of Fame induction. It might have also cost the Eagles a Super Bowl title.

    After all, Mannion is no bigger risk for the Eagles than Kellen Moore was for the Cowboys in 2019.

    When Jerry Jones named Moore the offensive coordinator in Dallas, Moore was a short-term, insignificant NFL backup with only one year of coaching experience, as the Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach. He was 29.

    Mannion is a short-term, insignificant NFL backup with one year of experience as a position coach. He is 33.

    He also is a consolation prize.

    The Eagles wanted a Josh McDaniels-type OC like Mike McDaniel or Brian Daboll, former head coaches and accomplished coordinators. McDaniel chose the Chargers. Daboll went to Tennessee.

    The Birds got Mannion. He’s not nothing.

    Sean Mannion, 33, has two years of coaching experience in the NFL.

    This might sound like a desperate attempt to cope with what legitimately should be cast as a repudiation of the Eagles by the best and the brightest. This also might sound like an attempt to diminish the injury concerns the Eagles have at offensive line, the commitment concerns they have with A.J. Brown, and the performance concerns they have with Jalen Hurts.

    Maybe it is, a little bit.

    Sometimes, though, as anyone who’s been married can tell you, your first choice isn’t your best choice.

    Sometimes, you don’t get what you want. You get what you need.

    A grudging admiration

    Few owners keep their ear to the ground the way Lurie does. Over his three decades of ownership he routinely has attended the Senior Bowl, which serves as the NFL’s de facto job fair, where aspiring young coaches gather to distribute resumés and a place where executives meet to gossip about hot new coaching prospects.

    As soon as Moore quit playing in 2017, his sixth season in the NFL and his third with Dallas, including practice squads, he was identified as a comer. In 2018, as QB coach, he corrected Dak Prescott’s slump. In 2019, when Wade Wilson retired, Jones controversially promoted Moore, who wasn’t even 30 and looked like he wasn’t even 20.

    Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore watching practice in 2020.

    According to an Eagles executive at the time, no one was more impressed by Jones hiring such an outside-the-box candidate than the NFL owner who spends most of his time thinking outside of the box: Jeffrey Lurie.

    Jones’ gamble paid off.

    In 2019, as OC, Moore pushed Dallas’ offense from 22nd to No. 1. That didn’t save the job of head coach Jason Garrett, but it did convince Jones to ask incoming head coach Mike McCarthy keep Moore as the OC. Sure enough, after a dip in 2020, Dallas was No. 1 in 2021, too.

    All along, Lurie was watching Moore’s success and acknowledging the wisdom of Jones, his archrival, with grudging admiration.

    The Cowboys offense then ranked No. 4 in 2022, but by the end of that season McCarthy had so badly mismanaged the Cowboys that he needed a scapegoat. He chose Moore to be his fall guy, and so fired him. (Two years later, Moore was interviewing for McCarthy’s job.)

    Later that winter the Eagles lost OC Shane Steichen, who became the head coach in Indianapolis. Why didn’t Lurie pounce on Moore then?

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    Because the Eagles were coming off a Super Bowl appearance, and, according to league sources, head coach Nick Sirianni, having gained even more authority over his staff, wanted to promote from within. Hurts, in line for a huge contract extension, had earned a seat at the hiring table, too. Quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson had been hired in 2021 in part because of Johnson’s preexisting relationship with Hurts. With Hurts’ blessing, Sirianni promoted Johnson.

    Moore instead went west in 2023 as the offensive coordinator for Justin Herbert and the Chargers. A year later, as part of a purge by new head coach Jim Harbaugh, Moore was available again. Johnson had struggled in 2023, and was fired. Lurie pounced. Moore became the Eagles’ OC. The Birds won the Super Bowl after the 2024 season. Moore then got the head coaching job in New Orleans.

    The Eagles won Super Bowl LIX with Kellen Moore as their offensive coordinator.

    He remains the only offensive coordinator in Eagles history to win a Super Bowl calling his own plays — thereby, arguably, the greatest offensive coordinator in Eagles history.

    Those are big shoes for Mannion to fill.

    Déjà vu and Nick Foles

    Moore declined to comment for this column, which is unfortunate, because, in 2019, he nearly was in Mannion’s exact position as an unproven coordinator in a high-pressure market. He also inherited an offensive roster full of pedigreed players, such as running back Ezekiel Elliott, offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Zack Martin, wideout Amari Cooper, and of course, Prescott, who was an overachieving, second-tier draftee who had not completely polished his game.

    The same can be said of Hurts, who is surrounded by a similarly pedigreed cast: four Pro Bowl offensive linemen, two 1,000-yard receivers, and a running back halfway to the Hall of Fame.

    There are differences, of course. Upon becoming OC, Moore had spent four seasons in Dallas as either a player or coach, and so was familiar with the players, coaches, and the unique culture inside The Star, the Cowboys’ training compound.

    Also, Mannion won’t inherit as stable a situation as Moore, who followed Scott Linehan, who had the job for four years. Mannion will be succeeding Kevin Patullo, Sirianni’s longtime right-hand man who was removed from the job on Jan. 13 following a disastrous one-year run.

    On the other hand, Mannion has more connections than Moore. Between playing and coaching, Mannion has been around accomplished offensive minds such as Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, for whom Mannion worked the last two seasons, and Rams head coach Sean McVay, for whom Mannion played in 2017 and 2018.

    It’s also worth noting that, when Mannion was a rookie in the 2015, the Rams’ starting quarterback was a former Pro Bowl MVP named Nicholas Edward Foles.

    Endorsements

    In 2019, immediately after promoting Moore, Jones defended the move by citing Moore’s ability to communicate clearly, Moore’s high football IQ, and Moore’s strength of character.

    Immediately before the promotion, Moore’s candidacy received a major endorsement from Prescott, who not only had been coached by Moore but also had been Moore’s teammate. On a Dallas radio station, Prescott called Moore a “genius phenom. … He’s special. He knows a lot about the game. Just the way he sees the game, the way he’s ahead of the game. He can bring a lot to us, a lot of creativity.”

    Lurie likely won’t offer comments regarding Mannion until he speaks with the press at the owners’ meetings at the end of March in Phoenix.

    Packers quarterback Jordan Love, in his third season as a starter, cut his interception total from 11 in 2023 and 2024 to six in 2025. Backup Malik Willis got better, too. Neither has called Mannion a “genius phenom.”

    Neither has Sirianni, who has issued the only statement from the Eagles, who have not scheduled a media availability with Mannion and his bosses.

    Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is welcoming yet another offensive coordinator.

    In a statement that defined banality, Sirianni called Mannion “a bright young coach with a tremendous future ahead of him in this league. I was impressed by his systematic views on offensive football and his strategic approach.”

    The franchise’s excitement paled in comparison to the region’s fascination with this hire.

    Over the last three weeks or so, the process of replacing Patullo received unprecedented media attention, considering it was the hiring of an assistant coach. That’s partly due to intensified media coverage of everything NFL, but also because the Eagles are in a window to win right now. Fairly or not, no one bore as much blame for the 2025 one-and-done playoff run as Patullo. No one will face as much pressure for 2026 as Mannion.

    This is similar to the situation Moore inherited in Dallas in 2019, and he shined.

    That doesn’t mean Mannion will, too, but, in Lurie, Eagles fans can take heart.

    With Gruden and Reid in his history, Lurie has a wonderful track record when over-hiring position coaches from Green Bay.

  • NFL draft season has officially kicked off. Here are some early Eagles-focused takeaways.

    NFL draft season has officially kicked off. Here are some early Eagles-focused takeaways.

    MOBILE, Ala. — The snowstorms that swept the country over the last two weeks affected travel plans for many, including those within the NFL. Texas was hit with three inches between the first and second practices of the East-West Shrine Bowl, forcing NFL scouting staffs to change travel plans.

    And getting from the Dallas area to Mobile, Ala., was no easier. Changed and canceled flights, long days in the airport, and sold-out hotels made scouting the next group of NFL players difficult. But that didn’t stop teams from sending big contingents of scouts, coaches, and front office executives in droves to watch and interview players who will soon fill their rosters.

    Every team at both the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl all-star games meets with every participant, so the Eagles have not zeroed in on any prospects just yet, but that process has begun, With that in mind, here’s what we learned from attending the all-star game circuit:

    Six potential Eagles draft targets who are rising after the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl

    Heavy presence at the Shrine Bowl

    All 32 teams were accounted for in some capacity in Frisco, Texas, for Shrine Bowl practices, and the Eagles sent several scouts, including personnel consultant Darren Sproles, director of college scouting Ryan Myers, West Coast area scout Rod Streater, and northeast scout Ben Ijalana.

    Many of these scouts spend all season on the road meeting and making connections with prospects, and attending the all-star game circuit gives them an opportunity to watch players up close and interview them directly.

    The Eagles were among a handful of teams that had strong representation from scouting personnel at the Shrine Bowl. The Lions, Rams, Dolphins, Colts, Raiders, and Panthers were among the teams with several scouts interacting and intently watching prospects from the sidelines at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility. Dallas, too, had many within the organization roaming the sideline.

    Darren Sproles (center) with other Eagles scouting personnel during the Shrine Bowl quarterback throwing session on Jan. 22.

    Eagles scouts were on hand during the quarterback throwing session the day before Shrine Bowl practices began. Considering that new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion was the OC of the West team in Frisco, Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski and Louisville’s Miller Moss could garner strong late-round consideration from the Eagles, who might consider drafting another QB after not retaining sixth-round pick Kyle McCord.

    Hurtt and Singleton work directly with prospects

    Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt relished his opportunity to be head coach of the National team at the Senior Bowl, and his direct involvement with draft prospects during the week could be helpful for the Eagles’ scouting process. Also, Eagles running backs coach Jemal Singleton served as offensive coordinator, allowing him to work directly and closely with offensive draft prospects in Mobile.

    While Hurtt rotated between position groups during the three-day practice week, he told The Inquirer on Thursday that he gravitated toward the defensive side of the ball considering his experience on that side as a position coach and former defensive coordinator.

    Prospects also talked about being able to pick Hurtt’s brain as well, especially defensive linemen. Western Michigan edge rusher Nadame Tucker was one of those players to soak up knowledge, and his strong week should garner intrigue from the Eagles.

    Eagles’ Clint Hurtt discusses coaching the Senior Bowl and his interview for the Dolphins DC job

    Texas Christian safety Bud Clark was another standout who was complimentary of Hurtt’s energy, which seemed to resonate throughout the day even as things got chippy on the final day of practice.

    Singleton’s opportunity to call plays also gave him a closer look at positions like tight end, offensive line, and wide receiver, all potential areas of need for the Eagles heading into the draft. Texas A&M tackle Dametrious Crownover and tight end Nate Boerkircher were standouts at their respective positions, while Wisconsin wide receiver Vinny Anthony and Baylor’s Josh Cameron looked like potential slot options to replace Jahan Dotson as WR3 if he doesn’t return to the team next season.

    The Eagles typically have scouts in Mobile, and even chief of security Dom DiSandro made the trip down in recent years. But working directly with players and getting a chance to see prospects up close and getting direct coaching from people within the Eagles’ building gave them more insight and intel on prospects who could land in Philly in a few months.

    It’s also worth noting that three of the 10 players the Eagles drafted last year were at the Senior Bowl and they have drafted at least one player who participated in the all-star game over the last six drafts.

    A top-heavy O-line class

    Kadyn Proctor, Alabama’s standout left tackle, stood in the end zone at The Star in Frisco, watching Shrine Bowl practice and talking with NFL scouts. He hadn‘t committed to any all-star games, but he was hanging around the practice facility and attending meetings along with other draft prospects who were competing that week.

    Penn State O-linemen Drew Shelton and Olaivavega Ioane were also at the Shrine Bowl host hotel interviewing with teams. Proctor, Shelton, and Ioane are training with Duke Manyweather, the cofounder of OL Masterminds alongside Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson. Manyweather trains current and soon-to-be NFL offensive linemen at Sports Academy in Frisco.

    Proctor will be a hot commodity during the first round of April’s draft, partly because of his movement skills at 6-foot-7, 366 pounds, and partly because of the steep drop-off of true draft-eligible offensive tackles. The Shrine and Senior Bowl practices highlighted that further.

    Along with Proctor, Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, and Utah’s Caleb Lomu and Spencer Fano seem to be the surefire first-round players at the position. Georgia’s Monroe Freeling, Clemson’s Blake Miller, and Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor, who competed at the Senior Bowl last week, could be late first- or early second-round picks. Iheanachor in particular was in the best offensive lineman in Mobile, which is impressive considering that he didn’t play football in high school.

    Downingtown’s Drew Shelton prepares for draft in Texas, joining an academy of sorts for NFL offensive linemen

    There are more players who will either need further development or project as depth linemen. As opposed to last year, finding a starting offensive lineman after Day 2 of the draft will prove difficult in this class.

    The same can be said about interior offensive line, although there are several tackles, including Iowa’s Gennings Dunker, Duke’s Brian Parker, and Texas A&M’s Trey Zuhn, who will likely move to the interior at the NFL level.

    For a team like the Eagles, who could be looking to upgrade their offensive line in the interior and identify a replacement for Lane Johnson, spending a premium pick early in the draft on linemen would be ideal. At both the Senior and Shrine Bowls, Eagles scouts were up close to the offensive and defensive line one-on-one drills.

    With important contract extension decisions coming up on the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles won’t have much wiggle room to make big swings via trade or free agency to upgrade the offensive line. Getting an impactful lineman early in the draft could prove critical to extending their win-now window.

    Defensive lineman LT Overton of Alabama runs through drills during practice for the Senior Bowl on Jan. 28.

    Edge rushers, cornerbacks in spotlight

    Two positions the Eagles will likely need to address defensively are edge rusher and a second cornerback to complement Quinyon Mitchell. Jaelan Phillips was impactful as a midseason trade addition but needs a new contract, while Adoree’ Jackson is set to become a free agent.

    If the Eagles chose to move on from Phillips, there’s a strong Day 2 and early Day 3 class of edge rushers to choose from, many of them showcasing their talents on the all-star circuit.

    At the Shrine Bowl, Central Florida’s Malachi Lawrence and Wisconsin’s Mason Reiger were among the standouts of the week, although both excel more as pass rushers than run defenders. In Mobile, it was Illinois’ Gabe Jacas, Michigan’s Derrick Moore, Alabama’s LT Overton, Missouri’s Zion Young, and Western Michigan’s Tucker who flashed in either practice or the Senior Bowl game.

    NFL draft 2026: Who could the Eagles target with the No. 23 overall pick?

    Of the players mentioned, Jacas and Overton would be ideal players to complement Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt in the corps of edge rushers. A 6-3, 260-pound, densely framed edge rusher, Jacas has heavy hands to knock back offensive linemen and has enough wiggle to beat tackles on their outside shoulders. He can pass rush from the interior and from the edge, and his playing style could match Brandon Graham’s role over the last two seasons in Vic Fangio’s defense.

    Overton, who had a sack during the Senior Bowl, can play from multiple alignments, has powerful hands, and a strong bull rush on run downs. He has the skill set of a first-round player, but his impact has been inconsistent over the last two seasons. Overton, however, is the type of draft pick Howie Roseman has coveted: a former five-star prospect who hasn’t always lived up to his recruiting ranking.

    The secondary groups at both the Shrine and Senior Bowls were the best position groups collectively, especially at corner and nickel. In Frisco, North Carolina State’s Devon Marshall, Toledo’s Avery Smith, and Oregon’s Jadon Canady were steady players throughout the practice week. Marshall’s ability to challenge wideouts at the line of scrimmage and be disruptive at the catch point helped prove he was one of the best overall players there.

    Arkansas’ Julian Neal (6-1), San Diego State’s Chris Johnson (6-foot), and Tennessee’s Colton Hood (5-11) have ideal size and coverage skills to man the second corner spot for the Eagles, and Hood will likely go in the first round.

    If either position turns into a pressing need for the Eagles, it’s a good draft to upgrade those spots.

  • An Eagles-focused guide to Tuesday’s Pro Bowl Games: Flag football, Birds legends and more

    An Eagles-focused guide to Tuesday’s Pro Bowl Games: Flag football, Birds legends and more

    The Eagles won’t play a regular-season football game for at least another 225 days, but a handful of Eagles players are slated to compete in a version of football on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

    The Pro Bowl Games are back, taking place in the Super Bowl host area, San Francisco, in the lead-up to the title game on Sunday. Four Eagles players are expected to participate in the festivities, which will have a different format than the Pro Bowls hosted in Orlando over the last couple of years.

    Here is a breakdown of the event and the contingent of Eagles players participating:

    Linebacker Zack Baun (53) and cornerback Cooper DeJean (33) will both be on the scene in San Francisco.

    The participants

    Originally, five Eagles players were named to the Pro Bowl, including two first-timers in Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell. Zack Baun, Jalen Carter, and Cam Jurgens, who are each two-time Pro Bowlers, rounded out the rest of the group. Carter was the lone starter at his position.

    Players were selected by a consensus vote by fans, players, and coaches. Each group’s vote carried equal weight in determining the players selected to the Pro Bowl.

    The Eagles’ five original-ballot Pro Bowlers were tied for second in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Chargers. The Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks had a league-high six players.

    However, Mitchell opted out of the event. Nahshon Wright, the 27-year-old Chicago Bears cornerback, was named Mitchell’s replacement on Jan. 26. Additionally, Carter was not listed on the final roster on Saturday, indicating he had opted out, too.

    Jalen Hurts was added to the roster on Jan. 30 as a replacement for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, bringing the Eagles’ delegation back up to four members. Hurts was listed as a fifth alternate when the original rosters were announced in December. The 27-year-old quarterback previously earned Pro Bowl honors in 2022 and 2023.

    Michael Vick (left) and DeSean Jackson were teammates for five seasons with the Eagles, are now competitors in the MEAC, and will serve as opposing offensive coordinators in the Pro Bowl.

    The format

    The Pro Bowl site is downsizing this year from Camping World Stadium in Orlando to the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The event itself is downsizing, too.

    In recent years, the Pro Bowl included a flag football game as well as various skills competitions. This time around, the event will consist solely of a flag football game between the NFC and AFC teams. The league, via a press release, framed the event as an opportunity to “preview the elite athleticism and competition of the sport” ahead of its debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

    Both teams have their own coaching staffs led by San Francisco 49ers greats. Jerry Rice, the Hall of Fame wide receiver, and Steve Young, the Hall of Fame quarterback, will serve as head coaches for the NFC and AFC teams, respectively.

    Eagles fans ought to recognize a couple of the Pro Bowl assistant coaches. Former Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson and quarterback Michael Vick are the offensive coordinators for the NFC and AFC teams, respectively. Jackson, who serves as head coach at Delaware State, and Vick, the head coach of Norfolk State, last coached against each other in October at the Linc.

    Torrey Smith, a receiver on the 2017 Eagles team that defeated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, is the AFC’s “flag adviser,” according to the NFL. Jason Kelce, a seven-time Pro Bowler with the Eagles, will be on the call for the flag football game for a second straight year on ESPN.

    Jalen Hurts at the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown in Orlando on Feb. 1, 2024. Hurts was added to a long list of Eagles Pro Bowlers this season.

    The history

    This is the first time that Eagles players will have the opportunity to compete in the Pro Bowl since 2024. In 2025, Pro Bowlers Baun, Carter, Jurgens, Landon Dickerson, Lane Johnson, and Saquon Barkley were busy preparing for the Super Bowl.

    According to Stathead, the Eagles have had a total of 313 Pro Bowl selections since 1938, back when it was known as the NFL All-Star Game. Since 2022, the Eagles have had at least four original-ballot Pro Bowlers per season, including 2023 when they tied a franchise-best eight selections (last accomplished in 1960).

    This year’s Pro Bowl will be the first without Johnson listed on the roster since 2021. In his 13 seasons with the Eagles, he has earned six Pro Bowl nods, tied for fifth in franchise history.

    San Francisco will host the Pro Bowl for the first time in the event’s history. However, this is not the first time that the Pro Bowl will be part of the festivities leading up to the Super Bowl. In 2010, the Pro Bowl moved to the site of the Super Bowl, Sun Life Stadium in Miami, the Sunday before the big game. The 2015 Pro Bowl also took place at the same venue as the Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., earlier that week.

    The Pro Bowl was famously held in Hawaii for 35 years, but it departed indefinitely in 2017. The league has made various attempts to tweak the event, as it has been criticized for its lack of quality play and entertainment value. According to Sports Media Watch, last year’s Pro Bowl averaged 4.7 million viewers, which made it the least-watched iteration over the last three years since the introduction of the flag football format.

  • Jason Kelce, Beau Allen, and a miniature horse named Doug star in Garage Beer’s stinky new Super Bowl ad

    Jason Kelce, Beau Allen, and a miniature horse named Doug star in Garage Beer’s stinky new Super Bowl ad

    Lincoln the bald eagle won’t be the only hometown favorite appearing on Philly area TV screens during Super Bowl LX.

    Former Eagles players Jason Kelce and Beau Allen will star in a Super Bowl commercial for Garage Beer that will air locally on Sunday.

    Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end who co-owns the beer brand with his brother, isn’t in the ad. But it won’t be lacking star power. The pair of Super Bowl champions are joined by a new partner in crime, Doug the miniature horse.

    Beau Allen sips some Garage Beer while holding a carrot for Doug during shooting of the brand’s new Super Bowl commercial, which will are locally on Sunday.

    The ad, which was filmed on a farm near Conshohocken and is properly titled “Brotherly Shovel,” features the Budweiser Clydesdales pulling a beer wagon to reveal Doug — and a large pile of manure.

    “We make a promise to do things the right way,” the narrator says. “To respect the tradition. And to shovel what tradition leaves behind.”

    This isn’t the first time Allen and Kelce have partnered on projects for Garage Beer. They also worked together on other commercials for brand, as well as longer projects like Brewmite and Thermal Buzz that pay tribute to some of Kelce’s favorite childhood movies.

    You can watch the full one-minute Super Bowl spot below …

  • Vic Fangio is mulling retirement again. The Eagles remain hopeful the defensive coordinator will return.

    Vic Fangio is mulling retirement again. The Eagles remain hopeful the defensive coordinator will return.

    Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been talking about retirement since before the end of the season, but the team has yet to receive a final decision on whether he plans to return, sources close to the situation told The Inquirer.

    ”He keeps talking retirement, but he did the same last year,” an Eagles source said last week.

    The 67-year-old defensive coordinator hasn’t responded to questions about his future since the end of the season. Neither has the team. Sources said that the Eagles received a commitment from Fangio that he would return but that he left open the possibility that he could change his mind.

    Linebacker Nakobe Dean said he didn’t know whether Fangio would be back for a third season with the Eagles when asked about his coach at locker clean-out day two weeks ago.

    “I don’t really know,” Dean said to The Inquirer. “Vic always said — well, I won’t say ‘always said’ — but I remember he said he’ll stop coaching when it don’t get fun — or as fun — as it’s been. So that’s TBD.”

    The Eagles considered the possibility of Fangio’s retirement enough that they reached out to former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, according to a report from Philly Voice. Gannon, who was fired after three seasons as Cardinals head coach last month, was hired by the Packers to be their defensive coordinator last week.

    Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio presided over an elite unit in 2025.

    Philly Voice reported that the Eagles also considered reaching out to another former defensive coordinator: Jim Schwartz. Schwartz was recently passed over for the Browns head coaching job and is deciding whether he wants to stay in Cleveland.

    The Eagles recently lost defensive passing game coordinator Christian Parker to the Cowboys, who hired him to be their defensive coordinator. Parker would have been the likely in-house replacement for Fangio. Defensive line coach Clint Hurtt has previous coordinating experience.

    Fangio cemented an illustrious 40-year coaching career by finally winning an NFL title last year. His defense was instrumental in the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Chiefs. Fangio devised a scheme that confounded and pressured Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX.

    To the Eagles, Vic Fangio is a savvy defensive mind. To Dunmore, he’s a former umpire, bartender, and much more

    The Eagles defense wasn’t as dominating as it was last season, but it was clearly the team’s best unit in 2025. Fangio’s group was among the best in the league in the second half of the season, although there were some breakdowns in the wild-card round playoff loss to the 49ers.

    Coach Nick Sirianni has already made several staffing moves on the offensive side of the ball. He stripped Kevin Patullo of offensive coordinator duties and hired former Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion as his replacement last week. Former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard was also brought on as passing game coordinator.

    More changes to the offensive staff could be forthcoming.