Why Top Candidates Are Passing On The ‘Best Gig’ in the NFL

On the surface, the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator job should be one of the best gigs in football.

You’ve got a loaded roster, high-end weapons, a quarterback who knows how to win, and a head coach who made his name on offense. In theory, this should be the job that coaches are chomping at the bit for.

But that’s not really what’s happening.

Around the NFL, it seems there’s a growing belief that this job isn’t nearly as attractive as it looks. And the reasons why keep coming back to the same thing: how much control the offensive coordinator actually has in Philadelphia.

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Offensive Coordinators Either Sink Or Swim Under Nick Sirianni

Over the last five years, we’ve seen very different outcomes for Eagles offensive coordinators under Nick Sirianni.

Shane Steichen is the best example of how this job can work. He helped develop Hurts, oversaw one of the most productive offenses in the league, and turned that success into a head coaching job. Kellen Moore followed a similar path, rebuilding his image in Philly and reminding teams that he could run a modern offense.

Then there’s Kevin Patullo.

Patullo never seemed to get the same leash or the same benefit of the doubt. When things went sideways, it didn’t feel like there was much insulation for him. Fair or not, the perception is that he was set up to sink if the offense didn’t immediately click. And after one season in which the Eagles offense was 24th in yards and 19th in points, Patullo was shown the door.

That contrast matters to candidates watching from the outside. If you’re taking this job, you want to know which version of it you’re getting.

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Whose Offense Is It Anyway?

This is where things really start to get murky.

There’s been plenty of speculation about the talks with possible options, including with coaches like Mike McDaniel and Brian Daboll. Rumors circulated about who would truly be in charge of the offense and just the atmosphere surrounding the Eagles coaching room.

The Eagles have been running variations of Sirianni’s system for years. Coordinators can tweak it, add wrinkles, and adjust the sequencing, but the core structure hasn’t changed much. For some candidates, that’s a non-starter.

If you’re expected to call plays but not fully install your offense or reshape the scheme to fit your strengths, the job can lose a lot of its appeal. You’re on the hook for results without having full control over how you get there.

And if it goes wrong, history suggests the coordinator is the first one out the door.

The A.J. Brown Factor

Aside from tooling the offensive and working with the coaching staff, there’s the little matter of managing the big personalities on the Eagles roster.

A.J. Brown is an elite receiver and one of the most competitive players in the building. He wants the ball, expects to be featured, and isn’t shy about letting his frustration show when the offense stalls.

Again, none of that is a knock on Brown. But it does put extra pressure on the coordinator. Every game plan gets dissected. Every stretch where he’s quiet becomes a storyline.

That’s part of the job, sure. But in Philly, it feels amplified. And, as seen last year, when more of the focus goes towards Brown, the offense seems to take a step back. Whomever takes this job is going to need to find a way to get him his targets while making sure Saquon Barkley and Davonta Smith remain focal points as well.

Also looming over all of this is the ongoing debate about Hurts.

Is he limited as a quarterback? Some still believe that, even after everything he’s accomplished. Others think the right system can maximize what he does best while hiding his weaknesses. But will that person have a chance to make the system work for him?

Either way, it’s another risk baked into the job. If the offense hums, great. If it doesn’t, the coordinator often takes the heat, whether the issues are schematic, personnel-based, or something else entirely.

A Job That’s Harder Than It Looks

The Eagles still have the pieces and the roster is good enough to win. That hasn’t changed.

What has changed is how this job is viewed around the league. Right now, the perception is that it comes with limited autonomy, massive expectations, and very little margin for error.

For some coaches, that’s fine. For others, especially ones with options, it’s a reason to look elsewhere.

Until there’s more clarity about how much control the next offensive coordinator will have, the Eagles may keep finding that what looks like a dream job on paper isn’t quite that in reality.