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  • What the national media is saying about Eagles hiring Sean Mannion as OC: ‘You’ll know by Thanksgiving’

    What the national media is saying about Eagles hiring Sean Mannion as OC: ‘You’ll know by Thanksgiving’

    The Eagles concluded their two-week offensive coordinator search Thursday, hiring former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion to replace Kevin Patullo.

    After a nine-year NFL career as a backup quarterback, Mannion was hired as a coach by the Packers in 2023. Mannion was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2025 after first serving as an offensive assistant under head coach Matt LaFleur. This past year, he was credited for further developing Packers starter Jordan Love and backup Malik Willis.

    A former Oregon State standout, Mannion will be taking over the Eagles’ play-calling duties, a responsibility he did not have with the Packers.

    What the Sean Mannion hire as Eagles offensive coordinator says about Nick Sirianni’s future

    Mannion was not widely seen as a contender for the position when the Eagles first launched their search. With the Eagles losing out on more experienced choices like Brian Daboll, Mike McDaniel, and Philadelphia native Kevin Stefanski, Mannion was a part of the second crop of possible candidates.

    After Thursday’s surprise hiring, former players and national media members have made their positions clear on Mannion joining the Eagles staff. Reactions to Mannion taking over as the team’s play-caller have been varied, but one theme seems to be consistent through them all: it is a job that comes with a lot of pressure.

    Here’s what they’re saying …

    ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith rips hiring, citing struggles of other past ‘inexperienced’ coordinators

    On First Take, Stephen A. Smith congratulated Mannion on his new job before ripping into the Eagles’ decision to hire him. Smith likened Mannion to recent failed Eagles coordinators Brian Johnson and Patullo, who also lacked national recognition (and play-calling experience) when hired.

    Sean Mannion needs to be a Jalen Hurts whisperer. Play-calling is only part of that. | David Murphy

    “It’s not that [Mannion] doesn’t deserve this opportunity. The issue is not him, it’s the Eagles,” said Smith. “They have fired the last two people they plucked from nowhere to be first-year offensive coordinators. You’re looking at Brian Johnson in 2023, fired after his first season. … Kevin Patullo is fired in his first season.

    “Two of your three coordinators [were] guys you plucked from relative obscurity that didn’t really have that much experience … I’m like, if you’re the Philadelphia Eagles, why would you do that? Why is that the way to go?”

    Smith also felt that Mannion’s inexperience could lead him to be the first person blamed if team tensions start to flare.

    “A guy comes in there, and he’s relatively inexperienced, the second things go awry, especially if you keep A.J. Brown there, it’s going to be an immediate reason to be skeptical about how this season is going to go,” said Smith. “That’s the kind of thing that caused the Eagles problems in the past, and I don’t know why they would put themselves in a position for that to be a problem again.”

    Five things to know about new Eagles OC Sean Mannion, from his playing career to his Andy Reid connection

    Chris Long rooting for his ‘old teammate,’ even if he’s playing ‘Russian Roulette’

    Former Eagles defensive end and Super Bowl LII champion Chris Long was recording his Green Light podcast when the news of Mannion’s hiring became public.

    “Sean Mannion — my old teammate?” Long said, sharing his instant reaction. “Great dude. [Expletive] great teammate”

    Mannion was drafted to the St. Louis Rams in 2015, where he shared a lone season with Long before the defensive end signed with the New England Patriots. That same year, Mannion was the third-string quarterback behind Case Keenum and Eagles legend Nick Foles.

    Sean Mannion, 33, will be the Eagles’ youngest offensive coordinator since 31-year-old Jon Gruden in 1995.

    Long will root for Mannion, but he is still not convinced being the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia is a safe bet. If he was in Mannion’s position, he would have been gunning for the Denver Broncos’ vacant offensive coordinator job instead.

    “In Philly, it feels like the trend is that you either get a great job [after], or it’s like a career suicide type [of] deal to be an OC. It’s Russian Roulette being an OC in Philly over the last five years,” said Long. “Denver seems safer, but if you’re 33 and you have a chance to be an OC in the NFL, I’m not going to stop you from taking the [expletive] job.”

    What the stats say about new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion

    FS1’s Colin Cowherd says Birds fan will know if the Eagles ‘whiffed’ again by Thanksgiving

    FS1 host Colin Cowherd, who is no stranger to making analogies, likened Mannion’s hiring to that of any young person getting their first job out of college. Like any new hire, according to Cowherd’s comparison, one factor will determine if Mannion will succeed.

    “I am always rooting for people that go into jobs where you’re like, I’m not sure they’re ready,” Cowherd said. “It’ll all come down to this: How smart is he? Smart people learn stuff faster. … Philadelphia’s whiffed on some coordinator hires. They’ve hit on some coordinator hires. You’ll know by Thanksgiving.”

    Although Mannion never coached under Rams head coach Sean McVay, he did play under the offensive guru for two seasons in 2017 and 2018. At the time, Mannion was the backup to quarterback Jared Goff. Because of this, Cowherd sees Mannion as an extension of McVay’s prominent coaching tree.

    Source: Eagles hire former Bucs OC Josh Grizzard as pass game coordinator

    Cowherd is not ready to call him the next McVay yet, though.

    “I don’t expect him to be great in, you know, he’s not Sean McVay. He worked next to Sean McVay. He is not Sean McVay. We just don’t know. … He could be brilliant. Sean McVay — he’s really become one of the coaching tree guys of note in this league, and some of them have worked, and Raheem Morris in Atlanta didn’t work. So who knows?”

    Cowherd went on to echo similar comments to Long, calling Philadelphia “the toughest coordinator job in the entire league” due to the high level of scrutiny around it.

  • Source: Eagles hire former Bucs OC Josh Grizzard as pass game coordinator

    Source: Eagles hire former Bucs OC Josh Grizzard as pass game coordinator

    The first domino after the Eagles hired Sean Mannion to be their next offensive coordinator has dropped.

    The Eagles are hiring former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard to the role of pass game coordinator, a source said. Grizzard, 35, was in the mix for Mannion’s job and had multiple interviews with the Eagles for the offensive coordinator role.

    Grizzard was the offensive coordinator and called plays for one season after joining the Bucs in 2024 as a pass game coordinator. Before Tampa Bay, he worked with Mike McDaniel in Miami and was with the Dolphins under Adam Gase, too.

    Grizzard has been a fast riser, though not quite as fast as Mannion. He played at Yale and was a student coach there, too. He was hired to David Cutcliffe’s staff at Duke as a 23-year-old and was there for four seasons as a graduate assistant and then a quality control coach before leaving for the NFL.

    What the Sean Mannion hire as Eagles offensive coordinator says about Nick Sirianni’s future

    This past season was Grizzard’s first calling plays full-time, and he oversaw a steep drop-off in Tampa after former coordinator Liam Coen departed for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bucs, however, dealt with multiple key injuries. Grizzard was in charge of third-down play calling in 2024 as the pass game coordinator. That season, the Bucs led the NFL in third-down conversion rate (51.1%).

    Nick Sirianni said the Eagles’ goal during this search was to make sure the offense continued to “evolve.” They have now hired two outside voices to key positions.

    It’s unclear what Grizzard’s hire means for Parks Frazier, who was the pass game coordinator under Kevin Patullo. More changes could be coming to the staff as the Eagles try to revamp their offense.

    Staff writer Jeff McLane contributed reporting to this story.

  • What the Sean Mannion hire as Eagles offensive coordinator says about Nick Sirianni’s future

    What the Sean Mannion hire as Eagles offensive coordinator says about Nick Sirianni’s future

    Sean Mannion, for all intents and purposes, is an unknown. The Eagles’ new offensive coordinator has been a coach for just two seasons. The 33-year-old has never devised or implemented a scheme. He’s never authored a game plan. And he’s never called plays.

    He could end up the next Bill Walsh or the next Tom Walsh. More than likely the former backup quarterback will end up somewhere between those polar extremes when it comes to offensive minds of the last four decades. But it’s nearly impossible to assess with any certainty how the neophyte will fare in Philadelphia.

    The hire says more about Nick Sirianni’s future than it does about almost anything related to Mannion or the Eagles offense. Whether he made the ultimate decision or not, the coach will have to take ownership for selecting one of the least experienced coordinators in the NFL, if not the least experienced.

    Sean Mannion will have a major challenge as he sorts out the Eagles’ offensive issues.

    Sirianni could be rewarded with immediate success. The Eagles could even have marginal offensive improvement that would allow Sirianni to maintain Mannion for more than one season. But if there is further regression, or even sudden failure, the gamble could push Sirianni into a firing line that saw nine coaches lose their jobs over the past several months.

    And here’s why: The line between success and failure for Sirianni is thinner than for most because he doesn’t have a discernible offensive philosophy or calls plays. He does a lot as a CEO-type coach, more than some on the outside are willing to concede.

    But winning here is suddenly not like winning at most places. Sirianni helped raise those expectations. But clearing that bar or falling short of it would both seemingly have him back where he’s been four times before: having to replace an offensive coordinator.

    Sean Mannion needs to be a Jalen Hurts whisperer. Play-calling is only part of that.

    Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore became head coaches, while Brian Johnson and Kevin Patullo ended up either fired or demoted. That disparity explains varying perceptions of the job, but ultimately Sirianni chose a candidate who didn’t interview for any of the other 14 coordinator openings.

    That doesn’t mean the Eagles didn’t find a diamond. Mannion played under some of the brightest offensive minds in the game today. He rose to quarterbacks coach in Green Bay in just his second season and became an assistant the Packers didn’t want to lose.

    “He’s seen as a climber,” said an agent who represents coaches, “and Nick might have gotten in on the ground floor.”

    But the Eagles are again making a projection — one even bigger than those they made with first-time play callers Johnson and Patullo.

    Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel (left) and former Giants coach Brian Daboll became offensive coordinators elsewhere.

    They opened their search with former head coaches Mike McDaniel and Brian Daboll at the top of their list, sources said. That doesn’t mean the Eagles were ready with offers. They had an informal conversation with McDaniel over a video call and met in person with Daboll for a more formal interview.

    McDaniel and Daboll eventually took coordinator jobs with the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans, respectively. The Eagles interviewed others around the same time, but the search expanded and included more than a dozen coaches interviewed and others in which some form of contact was made.

    Some made it clear they wanted to pursue other opportunities. Some declined to be interviewed and opted to stay in their current positions. And some the Eagles deemed not the right fit. Aside from Mannion, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, former Tampa Bay Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, and Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson met with the Eagles for a second time. A source told The Inquirer on Friday that Grizzard will join the Eagles as the team’s new pass game coordinator.

    “Some came with years of experience running an offense and calling plays. Others were young, sharp, and dynamic coaches on the rise,” Sirianni said in a statement. “I felt it was important to be patient and thorough to allow the right fit to reveal himself to us. Sean did just that.”

    What the stats say about new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion

    Sirianni led the process, as he should. But general manager Howie Roseman was heavily involved. And owner Jeffrey Lurie, despite maintaining his winter residence in Florida, was conferenced into the interviews.

    The Eagles will say that Sirianni made the final call, but recent history shows Lurie has asserted himself or Roseman’s connections when he has deemed it necessary. The Eagles’ track record in plucking head coaches from relative anonymity — e.g. Andy Reid, Doug Pederson, and Sirianni — is strong.

    Sirianni did well with his first coordinator hires: Steichen, who had prior experience, and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who did not. He struck out with their replacements: Johnson and Sean Desai.

    How much input did Jeffrey Lurie (left) and Howie Roseman have into the Sean Mannion hire? That answer could inform what happens after 2026.

    Moore and Vic Fangio have been viewed as Lurie-Roseman-led correctives, and understandably so. The owner and GM interviewed Moore for the head coaching job in 2021, and Roseman made the initial calls to Fangio when the Eagles first tried to hire him in 2023 and when they finally did a year later.

    They don’t have an obvious link to Mannion. Sirianni may have been permitted to make the decision all on his own. He did win a Super Bowl just a year ago, and earned a contract extension as a result. Lurie and Roseman may also be giving him all the rope he needs.

    There are many unknowns at this stage, beyond Mannion’s qualifications. He will call plays, a source said. But will he have autonomy over the offense or will Sirianni oversee the operation? Will the scheme and terminology be his or will there be a meshing?

    The Eagles aren’t planning to hold a news conference. Sirianni’s next media availability will probably be at the NFL scouting combine next month. Mannion will be shielded until the spring. They likely see little reason to divulge their plans unless required.

    There’s also a lot to figure out. Beyond the Xs and Os, there’s the coaching staff and the roster. The Eagles do know who their quarterback will be, barring something unforeseen. It’s hard not to view the inability to snag a proven name as an indictment on Jalen Hurts, just as much as it was on Sirianni.

    Locals may view Hurts through the prism of his excellence in the biggest games, but consensus from the rest of the league isn’t as generous. Of course, many of them don’t have his ring or Super Bowl MVP.

    Mannion will be charged with elevating Hurts into being more consistent in the dropback game. He has been credited with helping Packers starter Jordan Love and backup Malik Willis advance and with helping them become better pocket passers.

    Will Sean Mannion’s chops as a former QB help him win Jalen Hurts over?

    It should matter that Mannion played the position and that he’s done it recently. But there could be the question of whether he has enough gravitas for the stoic old soul in Hurts. Sirianni might have suggested two weeks ago that he would include the quarterback in the coordinator search, but his involvement was minimal at best, sources close to the situation said.

    Sirianni needs a modern passing game that utilizes under-center play action, not just for Hurts, but for the entire offense, especially the wide receivers. A.J. Brown may be more inclined to want to stay if he sees the possibility of an explosive air attack.

    Mannion spent most of his formative playing years with Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, but he also spent time with Kevin Stefanski, Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell, Zac Taylor, Gary Kubiak, Klint Kubiak, Dave Canales, and Grant Udinski.

    Five things to know about new Eagles OC Sean Mannion, from his playing career to his Andy Reid connection

    Most have fallen under the Kyle Shanahan umbrella. They’ve all deviated from the core principles in some form, but the marrying of the run and pass through under-center play action has been one of the foundations of its success.

    Hurts has had to learn to play under center in the NFL and has made incremental improvements, but the Eagles have been far behind the curve. There are other facets as important in modern offenses, but that change should be coming to the Eagles.

    It could affect offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’s role. He has long been the run game coordinator, but he didn’t have as much input last season when the Eagles shifted their game planning and play calling to offset the early struggles on the ground, NFL sources said.

    How does revered offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland fit into a Sean Mannion-guided staff?

    Mannion could be allowed to bring in his own staff, but it’s unlikely he has assistants at the ready. Sirianni could use the new coordinator as an opportunity to make a few changes. It seems unlikely that the esteemed Stoutland would be one, although the new scheme could allow him to focus exclusively on the O-line.

    In question is how involved Sirianni will be in the offense. He could act as a senior consultant to Mannion, or he could hire a trusted veteran to help the young coordinator. Sirianni might want to avoid someone who could be considered a threat or a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency alternative.

    Or maybe he just reassigns Patullo to that role. There may not be anyone better suited to understand the rigors of being the Eagles’ offensive coordinator — both inside the building and out. Patullo had little margin for error.

    Mannion should be granted a longer grace period. But how long is Sirianni’s? They’re likely bound together.

  • Sean Mannion needs to be a Jalen Hurts whisperer. Play-calling is only part of that.

    Sean Mannion needs to be a Jalen Hurts whisperer. Play-calling is only part of that.

    It almost surely did not escape Jeffrey Lurie’s notice that his offense turned out OK the last time he hired a Packers quarterbacks coach.

    It shouldn’t escape ours, either.

    Sean Mannion may not be the next Andy Reid. The Eagles didn’t hire the 33-year-old Green Bay assistant with the thought that he would become Reid. But Reid was Mannion at one point in time: an under-the-radar position coach without play-calling experience who was hired for a big boy job well ahead of schedule. This was back when Mannion was six years old, of course.

    Has it really been 27 years?

    Eagles hire Packers QB coach Sean Mannion as offensive coordinator

    It has. Mannion and Reid don’t have much of a connection apart from having both sat at the same desk (figuratively … although, knowing Lambeau Field, maybe literally, too). Matt LaFleur is not Mike Holmgren. Sean McVay is not Bill Walsh. The lineage of Packers quarterbacks coaches who became offensive coordinators includes one Ben McAdoo. Having occupied the position is a trait neither prescriptive nor predictive. It is descriptive in one sense, though. A lack of play-calling experience should not be a deal-breaker for a team that is looking to overhaul its offensive identity.

    In fact, play-calling isn’t the thing that will determine Mannion’s success or failure as Eagles offensive coordinator. It is the thing that we will focus on, no doubt. For a variety of reasons. First, because play-calling is the only part of the job that we actually get to see. Second, because guys like Walsh and Reid and McVay (and Mike Martz, Kyle Shanahan, etc.) have led us all to believe that football games are won the same way Jimmy Woods won video games in The Wizard. Which is silly, when you stop and examine the time card. Even at 70 plays per game and a full 40 seconds between plays, an offensive coordinator spends less than an hour of his work week calling the plays. The bulk of the job is the 79 hours that precede it.

    Can Sean Mannion have the same strong working relationship with Jalen Hurts that Kellen Moore (right) experienced?

    The Eagles need Mannion to be a good coach. Jalen Hurts needs Mannion to be a good coach. Those two things are one and the same. Because Jalen Hurts is the Eagles. Where they go from here as an offense depends almost entirely on who he is as a quarterback. Rather, it depends on who Hurts can be. Who he is? That isn’t good enough. All of us saw that this season. Not all of us understood what we saw. But we saw it. Plain as unflavored yogurt.

    That’s not to say the Eagles’ disappointing 2025 campaign was all on Hurts’ shoulders. Seven months isn’t nearly long enough to transform from a player capable of winning a Super Bowl MVP to a player who simply isn’t good enough. His advocates are correct in that. Hurts would have been equally capable of winning the honor this season as he was in 2024, assuming the rest of the offense was also as capable as it had been. Therein lies the disconnect. You’ll make a you-know-what out of yourself if you’re assuming Hurts’ supporting cast will ever be as good again.

    It’s funny. Nick Sirianni’s detractors constantly portray him as the unwitting beneficiary of a world-class roster. He is the dim-witted only son bequeathed an empire, a head coach who happened to stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. He showed up in board shorts at his interview and then rode the wave of Howie Roseman’s roster. But a roster that good doesn’t stay it for long.

    What the stats say about new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion

    Rarely is the same rubric applied to the quarterback. No, A.J. Brown wasn’t the same singularly dominant receiver he has been, which compounded his general malaise. No, the offensive line didn’t manhandle opponents the way it had in previous seasons. Yes, Saquon Barkley was a little less dynamic than he was when he was jumping backward over erect defenders. Each of those claims is perfectly valid. As is the rebuttal: welcome to life as most NFL quarterbacks live it.

    Hurts can’t be the same as he was. He needs to be better. That’s going to take some very good coaching, provided he is no longer willing and/or capable of being the freewheeling scrambler he was in 2022. Being that player afforded Hurts the luxury of not needing to do the things that most other championship quarterbacks must do. He didn’t need to parallel process his pocket navigation, feeling pressure subconsciously while focusing downfield. He didn’t need to recognize that the deep crosser would clear before settling for the hitch in his foreground. He didn’t need to wait for a defense to man-up Brown on a vertical route to generate an explosive play.

    It’s probably time to acknowledge that Jalen Hurts’ supporting cast isn’t going to suddenly revert to its 2024 form.

    Hurts needs to do those things now. That’s the problem. Those things aren’t sustainable. Lane Johnson isn’t going to play forever. Even if he does, he won’t always be the same player. And the four guys alongside him won’t all remain healthy as consistently as he has.

    Same goes for the pass-catchers. Here’s a quick a thought exercise. In the four years since the Eagles traded a first-round pick for Brown on draft day, has any other team managed to swing a move at the position that was even 75% as impactful? The Chiefs have spent five off-seasons trying to replace Tyreek Hill. The Patriots haven’t had a receiver of that caliber since Randy Moss. A great quarterback makes the most of what he has.

    Just to reiterate: Hurts doesn’t need to be Tom Brady. He needs to be better than he was in 2025 in order to win with the supporting cast most quarterbacks have, which is the supporting cast he is likely to have moving forward. Mannion will play a significant role. His profile is intriguing.

    Five things to know about new Eagles OC Sean Mannion, from his playing career to his Andy Reid connection

    Nobody can understand a quarterback like somebody who has played the position. Kellen Moore was a quarterback. His quarterbacks coach was a quarterback (former NFL backup Doug Nussmeier). Shane Steichen was a quarterback. None of them were as good as Hurts. But they understood what quarterbacks see, how they process, what they need. Sirianni and Kevin Patullo were wide receivers. So were McVay and Shanahan. Again, neither prescriptive nor predictive. But we are talking about Mannion.

    Mannion is a quarterback, and he has played the position in lots of different settings, under lots of different coaches, including McVay and Kevin O’Connell, as well as Klint Kubiak and Kevin Stefanski. He has coached under LaFleur, who has won a lot of games with a quarterback (Jordan Love) who lacks a lot of what Hurts brings to the table. Mannion’s coaching profile is about as ideal as you can draw up for a guy who has only been a coach for two seasons.

    Sean Mannion understands quarterbacks because he was one… very recently, in fact.

    It is also a vote of confidence in Sirianni. The Eagles could easily have opted for a coach who possessed the play-calling experience that Patullo lacked. Jim Bob Cooter, Matt Nagy, Bobby Slowik — any would have made a fine interim-head-coach-in-waiting. Instead, they went with a coach who lacks anything close to the political capital that Moore brought to the table when they hired him to replace Brian Johnson after 2023.

    Will it work? Who knows. It is the only honest answer. All we can say: it is a sensible move. In the end, it all depends on the quarterback.

  • What the stats say about new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion

    What the stats say about new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion

    After a search that lasted 16 days to find the replacement for Kevin Patullo, the Eagles on Thursday announced that 33-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion is their next offensive coordinator.

    Mannion played mostly as a reserve for nine NFL seasons and was a player in the NFL just two seasons ago. He has been a coach for the previous two, and now has risen from first-year offensive assistant to first-year quarterbacks coach to first-year offensive coordinator with the Eagles.

    Get the theme here? We’re talking numbers. And while Mannion hasn’t been a coach long enough to have too many data points to parse to infer much about what his hire means, there are at least some meaningful stats and numbers that could be meaningful.

    Let’s have a look.

    66.3%

    That was Jordan Love’s completion percentage in 2025, Mannion’s first as quarterbacks coach. That was Love’s best mark in his three full seasons as a starter in the NFL. The 66.3% completion rate wasn’t the only high Love set in 2025. He also had his best season as a starter by passer rating (101.2, which ranked sixth among all NFL starters), and threw his lowest total of interceptions (six, down from 11 in each of his first two seasons as a starter).

    Jordan Love had a strong 2025 despite a substandard performance against the Eagles.

    All while the Packers dealt with a constant list of key injuries on offense.

    What’s more, backup Malik Willis had an 85.7% completion rate in 35 attempts in relief of Love.

    Five things to know about new Eagles OC Sean Mannion, from his playing career to his Andy Reid connection

    +95.6

    The NFL MVP race is between Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford, but Love was third in the NFL in pass EPA (expected points added) at +95.6, according to Next Gen Stats. EPA measures the average points added by the offense on each play.

    Love had the same EPA per drop back as Stafford (+0.20).

    Could more play action be in the cards for Jalen Hurts during the Sean Mannion era?

    28.3%

    Mannion has had a lot of influence in his years as a player and coach from some well-regarded offensive minds. How might he shape the way the Eagles’ offense looks moving forward?

    Love’s numbers could offer some clues.

    His play-action rate of 28.3%, for example, was fifth-highest in the league. Jalen Hurts ranked 23rd at 23.8%, according to Next Gen.

    13%

    Hurts threw more deep balls per attempt than any other quarterback, despite what you may think about the Eagles and their conservative nature. According to Next Gen, which counts a deep pass as a ball that travels 20 air yards, Hurts threw a deep ball on 13.2% of his throws.

    Right behind him was Love, who went long on 13% of his passes.

    Throwing them is one thing, completing them is another. Hurts rated 14th in deep ball completion rate (38.3%) while Love completed only slightly more (40.4%, 10th).

    Look for Sean Mannion’s scheme to borrow heavily from those of Sean McVay (left) and Kyle Shanahan.

    59%

    Only four teams ran less motion before the snap than the Eagles’ rate of 44%. Green Bay, meanwhile, used motion on 59% of its offensive plays, which was the eighth-highest rate in the NFL.

    Motion is a staple of the offenses run by Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, whose influences are all over Mannion’s past. McVay’s Rams were fourth in motion rate while Shanahan’s 49ers were third.

    Of course, the best coaches find a way to use their players to fit their players’ strengths, but Mannion is likely to incorporate a lot of the things he’s learned along the way.

    13,600

    Here’s a bonus set of numbers that have nothing to do with Mannion’s coaching career but are worth mentioning anyway.

    This first one is worth it because Mannion is a quarterback guy whose new job is largely about maximizing Hurts’ skill set.

    Mannion may have thrown only 36 passes at the NFL level, but he was a prolific college quarterback at Oregon State, where he threw for 13,600 yards, a number that ranks 19th in FBS history.

    1

    Mannion had one career NFL touchdown pass, and it came in his final game, which was his third career start.

    On Jan. 2, 2022, Mannion filled in for Kirk Cousins (COVID-19) in a Week 17 game vs., ironically, the Packers. In a 37-10 loss, Mannion completed 22 of 36 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. He rushed twice for 14 yards and was sacked twice.

    K.J. Osborn caught Mannion’s touchdown pass, a 14-yard connection on the final play of the third quarter.

    How’s that for a useless trivia answer?

    31

    Here’s another one. Mannion might be young, but the Eagles once hired a younger offensive coordinator.

    In February 1995, the Eagles hired a 31-year-old to be their offensive coordinator. His name was Jon Gruden.

  • Five things to know about new Eagles OC Sean Mannion, from his playing career to his Andy Reid connection

    Five things to know about new Eagles OC Sean Mannion, from his playing career to his Andy Reid connection

    After weeks of searching, the Eagles have hired Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion as their new offensive coordinator.

    Here are five things to know about the man who will be calling plays for the Birds next year:

    He was a quarterback at Oregon State

    Mannion played for the Beavers from 2011 to 2014, and still holds 18 Oregon State records, including most passing yards, passing touchdowns, and most completions in school history. He held the record for career passing yards in the Pac-12 with 13,600, until Washington State quarterback Luke Falk passed him in 2017.

    After graduating, Mannion was drafted by the Rams in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft.

    Sean Mannion played against the Packers before he was a member of their staff.

    He’s played in the NFL

    Mannion spent nine seasons with three NFL organizations: the Rams, Vikings and Seahawks.

    He was a career backup, appearing in 14 NFL games, starting three of them, and throwing for 573 yards with one career touchdown pass (to K.J. Osborn) and three interceptions.

    He’s risen quickly through the ranks

    Following the 2023 season, Mannion retired from playing and secured an interview to join the Bears’ coaching staff. He reached out to Matt LaFleur, who had coached him while he was a player, to ask him for advice on his interview.

    “I jumped on a Zoom call with him in the second half and he showed me what he was going to present, and I told him, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good. I think you should come up to Green Bay right when you’re done with that interview,’” LaFleur told ESPN. “And I’m surprised that they let him out of the building. They tried to get him, but I guess we had more to offer. But we’re lucky to have him. I really do think this guy’s going to have a bright future for us and certainly in the coaching profession.”

    Mannion was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2025. Now, in 2026, he’ll be a first-time play-caller at age 33.

    Sean Mannion was part of a staff that made consecutive playoff appearances in Green Bay.

    His dad also coaches

    Mannion’s father, John Mannion, is a longtime high school football coach. He has coached at Mountainside High School in Beaverton, Ore., since 2017, and in 2023 he was honored by the American Football Coaches Association with the Power of Influence Award.

    John told ESPN that a 7-year-old Sean came along on a scouting trip to another school, and spent the entire game taking his own notes on a yellow notepad. When he was hired by the Packers, John, who’d kept the notepad ever since, gave it back to him as a gift.

    He’s following Andy Reid’s path

    The last time the Eagles hired the quarterbacks coach from Green Bay, that man was Andy Reid, who was head coach of the Eagles from 1999-2012. If it worked once…

  • Eagles hire Packers QB coach Sean Mannion as offensive coordinator

    Eagles hire Packers QB coach Sean Mannion as offensive coordinator

    The Eagles are hiring former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion as their new offensive coordinator, the team announced on Thursday night.

    Mannion, 33, played for nine NFL seasons as a quarterback, including three on practice squads, from 2015-23. He began his coaching career in 2024 as an offensive assistant with the Packers under head coach Matt LaFleur. Mannion quickly worked his way up the ranks, taking over as quarterbacks coach last season following the retirement of Tom Clements.

    Mannion, who replaces Kevin Patullo, joins the Eagles as the fifth offensive coordinator of the Nick Sirianni era. While Mannion does not have any play-calling experience in his brief coaching career, he will take on that responsibility with the Eagles.

    In a statement to the Eagles website, Sirianni said he was “thrilled” to add Mannion to the staff.

    “My goal throughout this process was to operate with an open mind regarding the future of our offense to find the best fit for the Eagles,” Sirianni said. “Over the last few weeks, I had an opportunity to meet with a number of talented candidates and great offensive minds. I am appreciative of the time I was able to spend with each of them. Some came with years of experience running an offense and calling plays. Others were young, sharp, and dynamic coaches on the rise. I felt it was important to be patient and thorough to allow the right fit to reveal himself to us. Sean did just that.

    “It was quickly apparent in meeting with Sean that he is 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. Sean’s 11 years in the NFL have provided him a great opportunity to learn from and grow alongside some of the best coaches in the game. As a result, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be invaluable to our team moving forward. I can’t wait to see Sean with our team, and I want to welcome him and his wife, Megan, to the Eagles family.”

    The hiring of Mannion comes after a two-week interview process to fill the vacancy left by Patullo, whose one-year stint as the offensive coordinator ended on Jan. 13. The Eagles reportedly interviewed more than a dozen candidates, with at least four of them landing second interviews, including Mannion, Jim Bob Cooter, Josh Grizzard, and Jerrod Johnson.

    Sean Mannion (14) counted the Vikings among his playing stops.

    Mannion began his NFL playing career when he was drafted by the St. Louis Rams as the No. 89 overall pick in the third round of the 2015 draft out of Oregon State. He also had playing stints with the Minnesota Vikings (2019-21 and 2023) and the Seattle Seahawks (2021-23).

    In addition to working with LaFleur, Mannion has been coached by members of the Kyle Shanahan tree, including current NFL head coaches Sean McVay of the Rams, Kevin O’Connell of the Vikings, and Zac Taylor of the Bengals, among others.

    Over the last two seasons in Green Bay, Mannion has worked with quarterbacks Jordan Love and Malik Willis. His development of Willis is particularly notable, as the 26-year-old quarterback went from being a disappointment with the Tennessee Titans to a more-than-capable backup and spot starter with the Packers. Willis went 30-for-35 for 422 yards (85.7%) and three touchdowns (no interceptions) in four games (one start) with the Packers in 2025.

    Mannion will be tasked with refreshing an Eagles offense that floundered just one season removed from their Super Bowl win. With Patullo at the helm, the Eagles ranked 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.

    The addition of Mannion could particularly stand to benefit Jalen Hurts given the new offensive coordinator’s history playing the position. While Mannion started just three games in his NFL career (14 total appearances), he played in 47 games over four seasons at Oregon State and set nearly every school passing record. His 13,600 career passing yards rank in the top 20 in FBS history.

    This isn’t the first time the Eagles have hired a former Packers quarterbacks coach to a prominent role on staff. In 1999, the Eagles tapped 40-year-old Packers quarterbacks coach Andy Reid as their head coach, a post he held for 14 years. Like Mannion, Reid did not have play-calling reps, although he had much more coaching experience.