Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni ‘will meet with team owner Jeffery Lurie on Friday’ as the coach’s future in Philadelphia hangs in the balance

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni will meet with team owner Jeffrey Lurie on Friday for their customary end-of-season exit interview, according to multiple reports.

Sirianni led the Eagles to a 10-1 start to the season before losing five of six games to end the regular season.

That late-season collapse, combined with the 32-9 dismantling the Eagles suffered at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round, has led to a plethora of questions about Sirianni’s job security.

A report from Dianna Russini of athletics indicated that Sirianni “is expected to have a plan for how he will improve the team,” and that “will include a pitch on potential new coordinators and assistant coaches.”

The report also noted that Sirianni and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman had contacted coaches and coordinators to evaluate potential changes among the staff.

Lurie has not been shy about making surprising head coaching changes in the past

Sirianni and the Eagles were dismantled 32-9 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs

Sirianni was named Eagles head coach in 2021 and was able to quickly right the ship in Philadelphia as he turned the team around from a 4-12 record in 2020 to a 9-8 record and a playoff appearance in his first season.

In their second season under Sirianni, the Eagles posted a 14–3 record and won the NFC title before losing in the Super Bowl.

Lurie has previously shown he is not afraid to make shocking coaching changes after previously firing Sirianni’s predecessor Doug Peterson just a few years after winning the Super Bowl.

A look in the rearview mirror offers a glimpse into Lurie’s thinking on such matters.

He made what he called a “difficult, but emotionless decision” to fire Pederson at the end of the 2020 season, feeling the future was brighter with a fresh start. He followed a similar instinct when parting ways with Andy Reid in 2012, describing the move as “extremely difficult” due to their close personal relationship.

“My first allegiance is what will be best for the Philadelphia Eagles and our fans for the next three, four, five years,” Lurie said shortly after firing Pederson. “It’s not based on whether someone deserves to keep their job or be fired; that’s a different bar.

‘Very few people probably deserve to lose their job after success. This is much more about evaluating whether having a new coach is our best option for the Eagles going forward.”

The Eagles players lined up to work for Sirianni on Wednesday.

Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who played for Reid and Pederson with the Eagles, passionately supported Sirianni in a heated exchange with the media gathered around his locker.

Longtime Eagles Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce were among the players defending Sirianni

Cox, who said he had not yet decided whether he would play another season, did not hesitate when asked if Sirianni should be back in 2024.

‘What’s there to talk about? This guy is a winner,” Cox said Wednesday. “He’s a winning head coach. Have we had some setbacks this year? Yes. But every team… goes through it.

“But we’re not looking at firing a guy who has won 10-plus games two years in a row… (made the playoffs) three years in a row. Have some respect. He is a good leader for this team and he is doing a very good job. Did we fall short? Yes. Have things happened this year? Yes.’

The Eagles lost five of their last six regular-season games, going from possible No. 1 seed in the NFC to heading to the postseason as a wild card.

Sirianni said after the game he wasn’t thinking about his future, and players said Wednesday that job status and return next season were not discussed in a team meeting before they were fired to start the offseason.

“I think Nick is a great coach, a great head coach,” center Jason Kelce said. “Clearly no one was good enough this year. I wasn’t, none of the players, none of the coaches were good enough. That is the reality of this company. It’s something collective.

‘He does many things structurally and organizationally that I think are very good. Obviously, we have a lot of things to fix to improve the prospects of the offense in general, from my perspective, for next year, but I think very, very highly of Nick Sirianni.”

Kelce, who was drafted during Reid’s tenure and won a Super Bowl under Pederson, said reports of his retirement are premature and he remains undecided about his NFL future.