Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni needs to avoid a shock early exit from the NFL playoffs to keep his job safe, it has been reported.
The Eagles are 13-3 going into their final regular season game against the New York Giants on Sunday and Sirianni entered the 2024 campaign under huge scrutiny.
His team endured a humiliating collapse in the second half of last season, losing five of their last six regular season games and then getting knocked out in the wild-card round of the playoffs to Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Sirianni’s Eagles made a stuttering start this time around, too, entering their bye week at 2-2 and the head coach appearing to feel the strain. Since then, however, they are 11-1.
But according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Sirianni still has work to do make his job completely safe for next year.
‘Nick Sirianni has quieted the preseason noise with the Eagles’ 13-3 season,’ Fowler wrote.
Nick Sirianni could lose his job as Philadelphia Eagles head coach if they exit the playoffs early
The Eagles are 13-3 going into the final game of the regular season against New York Giants
‘Would a first-round playoff exit reignite talks about his job status? It’s hard to say, but it’s a question some people around the league are wondering. Sirianni’s 47-20 record is impressive.
‘Yet his standing was a talking point coming off a tumultuous 2023 campaign, and he doesn’t have a contract extension in place.
‘Any firing here would be a sizable upset, but if we’re talking surprises, this would be one to list because his status was a regular debate four months ago.’
Back in October, the Eagles head coach apologized after appearing to respond to taunts to fire him by cupping his ear and shouting back to fans who were sat nearby.
And in December, he clashed with Washington Commanders’ тιԍнт end Zach Ertz after the Eagles lost 36-33.
The incident was reportedly sparked by Sirianni taking issue with how hard Ertz gave him a high-five at the end of the game and responding by mocking him for only taking one catch.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s ‘Uncovering the Birds’ podcast said Sirianni later apologized to Ertz – a player he once briefly coached at the Eagles – over Zoom.
