Eagles QB legend defends Nick Sirianni, calls for pressure on GM
Retired former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said Wednesday that the team should keep head coach Nick Sirianni but consider letting go of general manager Howie Roseman.
The six-time Pro Bowler was selected by the Eagles with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. Sirianni was about to begin his freshman season as a wide receiver at Division III University of Mount Union at the time, while Roseman was still one year away from joining Philadelphia as a front office intern.
Roseman steadily rose through the ranks of the Eagles front office, culminating in his being named the GM in January 2010. McNabb spent the first 11 seasons of his 13-year NFL career with Philadelphia before Roseman and company traded him to the Washington then-Redskins in April 2010.
Sirianni spent five seasons as an assistant coach in the college game from 2004-08, before landing his first NFL gig as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive quality control coach. He stayed with the Chiefs through 2012 in various roles and then worked with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers from 2013-17.
The 42-year-old Sirianni was then the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts from 2018-2020 before joining the Eagles as their head coach in 2021.
Philadelphia has gone 125-101-1 in the regular season across 14 years with Roseman at the helm, has made the playoffs eight times (with a 6-7 mark), won the NFC East on five occasions and made two Super Bowls, winning one championship. Sirianni is the fifth head coach (including one interim leader) during Roseman's tenure.
The Eagles have the third-most wins in the NFC since 2021 when Sirianni took over, going 34-17 over three seasons. The team has made the playoffs in all three years, posting a 2-3 record, and the way the 2022 and 2023 campaigns ended were particularly disheartening.
Philadelphia started last season 8-0 and 13-1, before finishing the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the NFC at 14-3. They advanced to Super Bowl LVII and led the Chiefs 24-14 at halftime, but ultimately fell 38-35.
Jalen Hurts and company again started 2023 hot, going 5-0 and 10-1, yet finished the campaign by losing five of their final six entering the playoffs. They were routed on the road in the wild-card round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, 32-9.
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