The locker rooms have been closed out after Super Bowl LVII, the team has departed for the foreseeable future and the 2022-23 season has come to a close for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Before that though, the Eagles left both general manager, Howie Roseman, and head coach Nick Sirianni available to the media Thursday afternoon to discuss the end of the season, as well as future plans.
From questions surrounding the loss to the potential extension of their franchise quarterback, Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman will be tied together throughout this offseason. And it was clear as day on Thursday.
On the Super Bowl
Both Roseman and Sirianni made multiple comments regarding the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss. First, Roseman made the clear distinction that, although the field in the game was bad, with players slipping on both sides of the ball, the field was bad for both teams and did not leave that as an excuse as to why the Eagles lost.
Sirianni, on the other hand, was questioned about his decision to punt during a 4th and 3 play with the team trailing by one in the fourth quarter.
“I think you get 32 out of 32 NFL coaches who punt that ball” Sirianni explained while adding that the punt coverage should’ve been better.
The common theme from both key people in the Eagles’ front office is a hunger to try and get back to the Super Bowl.
“We were there. We were close. And that just makes me hungrier to get back.” Sirianni said.
Potential Jalen Hurts Extension
The Eagles’ front office has backed Hurts repeatedly since the end of the 2022 regular season. The lone person who has seemingly been quiet about it though has been Roseman.
That changed Thursday.
Speaking to reporters on a potential contract extension coming for the franchise quarterback, Roseman was aggressive in saying that “We want to keep our best players here for the long term, and he’s certainly one of our best players. We want to keep Jalen Hurts here long term.”
Hurts threw for over 3,000 yards and went 16-2 as a starting quarterback. He accounted for over 80% of the team’s offense in Super Bowl LVII and is line to sign a contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.
Play-calling duties
While Philadelphia has not officially named a replacement for Shane Steichen, Sirianni’s announcement that the OC will call plays leaves plenty of wiggle room for the team.
Allowing an incoming offensive coordinator to call plays allows the team to be able to get the best available person for the job. It makes the job more attractive as opposed to other places that have their head coach call plays and leaves the OC with a more advisory role.
Jonathan Gannon’s replacement
The Eagles won’t just need to find a replacement for their OC job, but also for their defensive coordinator spot following Jonathan Gannon’s hiring in Arizona.
Nick Sirianni explained that while there are principles that Gannon brought (turnover differential, big play differential) that the team wants to continue to preach, he is open to having an outside hire as the lead for the defensive coordinator spot.
Vance Joseph has been a name that has been reported that the Eagles are interested in, while internal candidates like Nick Rallis and Dennard Wilson will also be considered for the job.
Stability on special teams
Nick Sirianni won’t be replacing every single coordinator from last season. The head coach announced that Michael Clay will be back for his third season with the team after a disappointing season.
Clay’s unit struggled throughout the year on kick returns, as well as punt coverage. Kadarius Toney’s 40-yard punt return in the Super Bowl allowed the Chiefs to go up eight at a critical point in the contest.
While Sirianni did say that the punt could have been better, a lack of tackling also played a part in the mishap.
AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez
