Jeffrey Lurie started with a spry smile when reflecting on the Eagles’ 2024 season, then ended with a furrowed brow amid serious introspection about his own legacy. He remains the only owner to lead the franchise to a Super Bowl championship — not just one, but two Lombardis now sit in that gilded trophy case.
Taking it all in, with rear-view thoughts of a rough 2-2 start that saw people clamoring for Nick Sirianni’s dismissal, must have been beautiful retribution for Lurie. He would never utter a cross word or disrespect any jawn. Philadelphia is no longer only Lurie’s adopted hometown. It’s an important part of his whole being, stitched into the fabric of his life’s quilt — half kelly green, half midnight green. Plus, the City of Brotherly Love throws the best parades.
“It’s incredible when you win. It’s incredible when you’re up on the stage. We all know how hard it is. It’s very, very difficult. But the parade in Philadelphia, there are no words for this, honestly,” Lurie told reporters on April 1. “There are no words when you are up there and looking at a million, two million people screaming for four hours straight along Broad Street and then going up to the art museum.
“I don’t know what in life is comparable to that. There’s other incredible moments in one’s life, like having kids and weddings and all that kind of stuff, but in terms of a profession and a love affair between a sports team and a city and a region, I’m sure it exists, but there’s no words to describe what we have with the Eagles and our fans and people in Philadelphia, and around the world really. There’s no words.”
Lurie shouted out everyone during a nearly 40-minute press conference, from general manager Howie Roseman to head coach Nick Sirianni — moving on to the medical staff, athletic trainers, equipment managers, nutritionists, mental health specialists … even the dogs?
“I mean, it’s transportation, dogs involved in the whole operation,” Lurie said. “It’s just one thing, if I had to say from owning the team, you just don’t appreciate– it’s so much more than just those you read about. You need it all. We’ve got this wonderful, wonderful culture.”
What About Nick Sirianni’s Contract Extension?
Nick Sirianni’s contract is set to expire after the 2025 season. It was a topic of casual conversation last January, and the chatter heated up at Super Bowl 59. The Eagles would be fools to let Sirianni enter next year as a lame duck. Lurie confirmed that won’t be the case. Sirianni isn’t going anywhere.
“Nick’s going to be our coach and we don’t talk publicly, never have,” Lurie said. “I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough that Nick will be our coach going forward and he’s done an outstanding job.”
While Lurie wasn’t ready to dip into financials, it seems likely Sirianni could see a massive salary spike. He earned just $7 million in 2024, putting him $13 million behind the man he beat to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Sirianni currently ranks No. 16 on the list of highest-paid coaches in the NFL. Following a 40-22 throttling of Andy Reid’s Chiefs, it’s pretty safe to assume that the Eagles HC is not on the hot seat anymore. Lurie plans to richly reward the head honcho, celebrating the culture he’s created and the champagne-fueled dynasty he’s building.
“Everything that I had hoped for with Nick, he embodies,” Lurie said. “Whether it’s connection, intelligence in so many ways, from football intelligence, emotional intelligence, managing of people, hiring of assistant coaches, growth mindset at all times.”
Tush Push Debate: ‘Let the Chess Match Play Out’
Prior to Lurie addressing the media, NFL owners decided to table a vote on a proposal banning the tush push until May. The controversial play reportedly needs eight more teams to vote “yes” for it to go away. For now, the Eagles’ favorite short-yardage call is sticking around.
“I think for everybody, including myself especially, health and safety is the most important thing when evaluating any play,” Lurie said. “We’ve been very open to whatever data exists on the tush push and there’s just been no data that shows that it isn’t a very, very safe play. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t be pushing the tush push.”
Expounding on the health and safety concerns cited by people wanting it banned, Lurie referred to the “ebb and flow” of football as reasons for not banning it. He reminded everyone how the forward pass was once considered controversial. Defenses always adapt, or at least they should find a way to adapt.
“It’s part of what I think I personally, and I think most of us love about football, is it’s a chess match. Let the chess match play out, and if for any reason it does get banned, we will try to be the very best at short-yardage situations,” Lurie said. “We’ve got a lot of ideas there, but I think it’s a credit to using our personnel in a way. There aren’t that many teams that have 600-pound squat quarterbacks and that offensive line. Listen, if there were any injury concern, I would be concerned.”
Don’t Sweat All the Roster Turnover: ‘I Trust Howie’
In Howie We Trust has been a built-in mantra for the past few offseasons, instructing Eagles fans not to sweat the small stuff. However, this year’s free agent cycle felt a bit different as several key pieces from the 2024 Super Bowl team bolted for bigger contracts elsewhere. Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Mekhi Becton, Isaiah Rodgers, Oren Burks, Fred Johnson, and Kenneth Gainwell all left without much of a fight.
Money talks … Lurie isn’t worried about any of those losses, preferring to place his full trust in Howie Roseman.
“We want to win and we want to win big,” Lurie said. “The way to win consistently and to win big is to plan for the contracts you’re going to have to give to your best young players, and we want to retain our best young players as we go forward. It’s impossible if you draft well to do that. We want to make sure we’re aggressive at being able to sign players early that we think are core players for the future.”
The Eagles are attempting to clear out salary-cap space to get ahead of long-term deals for young cornerstones like Cam Jurgens, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, Reed Blankenship, Jordan Davis — and, eventually, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Something had to give — and Lurie is fine with giving Roseman the time and space to work his magic.
“With Howie, every day is an excursion in what could be,” Lurie said. “I just think we’ve got the best general manager in football. He thinks every day about roster construction, who to resign when, the psychological impact on a team of signing, picking out one player in the middle of a season versus being able to wait. It’s a cost-benefit analysis.”
Visiting the White House ‘Optional’ for Eagles Players
The hullabaloo over whether the Eagles would visit the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl championship was put to bed in early March when press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the Eagles “enthusiastically accepted” an invitation from President Donald Trump. The Eagles will be honored on April 28.
“We just felt this is a time-honored tradition being invited by the White House,” Lurie said. “So there was no reticence whatsoever. To be celebrated at the White House is a good thing.”
When asked if the White House trip was mandatory, Lurie quickly referenced the franchise’s free-thinking culture.
“Our culture is that these are optional things,” Lurie said. “If you want to enjoy this, come along and we’ll have a great time and if you don’t, it is totally an optional thing.”
Save the Legacy Talk for Another Day
Despite approaching his 74th birthday in September — and selling approximately 8% of his ownership stake in the Eagles — Lurie wasn’t ready to start pondering his legacy. He’s not ready to exit the stage. Besides, legacy talk is for others to debate.
“I don’t look to outside voices and reputations and all that kind of stuff. Legacy, I’d just rather focus on getting that third [Super Bowl], honestly,” Lurie said. “I don’t think that way. I’m proud of the culture we have more than anything. I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished. It’s so hard. But no, I just don’t think that way.”
Lurie was more willing to put the legacy of last year’s championship squad on the front burner. He’d put that roster up against any roster in NFL history.
“I’d almost like to say that has there been a better NFL team than the 2024 Eagles? I don’t know,” Lurie said. “I’d much rather say that. I’m very proud of that. I think we had an incredible roster. I think we’ll still go into the next season with a superb roster.”
