Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman looks on during warmups prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Eagles Offering 'Complete Autonomy' Seems Like A Bad Idea

Originally posted on Philadelphia Eagles on SI
By John McMullen | Last updated Jan 14, 2026 8:54 PM ET

If the leaks are correct, the Eagles have gone from superpower to a tinpot, third-world mentality overnight.

I get it.

Philadelphia underachieved offensively, and perhaps former offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was promoted past his best role in the organization.

If that’s the case, though, Occam’s Razor would say correct that misstep and remain on the course of what made you one of the winningest teams in football over the past five years.

Clearly, the Eagles don’t believe this is just a Patullo problem, and that’s certainly the correct perspective.

What isn’t the correct path is promising the world to coaches with mediocre success on their resumes, but the kind of style-point acumen that would wow the College Football Playoff Committee and WIP callers.

The buzz around the league is that OC candidates who couldn’t match the Eagles’ success on their best day are essentially interviewing the organization while demanding full autonomy on a team with five consecutive postseason berths, two NFC Championships, and a Lombardi Trophy in the Nick Sirianni era.

Overreaction?

Per Josina Anderson: “A league source also just told me initial talks with #Eagles offensive coordinator candidates/ "their camps" have gone well, adding that the feedback has been on wanting to have questions assuaged on "complete autonomy" over the offense--similar to what Kellen Moore enjoyed when he was with Philly. Those concerns were met with responses insuring an elite candidate should not anticipate "any interference," the source said.

Really?

In hindsight, the Moore autonomy was somewhat overblown.

The now-New Orleans head coach was only given two slots on the offensive staff – then-quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier and quality control coach Kyle Valero - and no “interference” lasted until Week 5 when the Eagles reverted to their core Sirianni offensive philosophies when the evolution to a Moore-like Dallas offense was producing too many turnovers.

To his credit, Moore wasn’t about to balk because he recognized that was the way to win with the Eagles, and the approach fueled a Super Bowl LIX championship and a head-coaching job.

The idea that Sirianni had been neutered quickly lost steam.

And maybe history repeats itself and these current sentiments are empty promises that will evaporate in the fog of war.

However, it sure feels like Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman want to go through with the procedure this time, which could produce distinct fiefdoms with the offensive directive branching off into multiple directions that reach far beyond Jalen Hurts’ standard of winning.

And if that’s the case, maybe Sirianni’s rebranding should be “tough, detailed, and separate.”

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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