Is Nick Sirianni on the Hot Seat in 2026?

The messaging is consistent for Sirianni in 2026. He is under pressure to perform. If not, Lurie and Roseman will move on. They have shown a willingness to move on from good coaches in the past. Andy Reid and Doug Pederson were both sent packing after successful tenures.

In Sirianni’s Defense

Nick Sirianni has his flaws, but his resume is as impressive as anyone’s in the history of the NFL. In his five seasons as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, he boasts a record of 65-30 (including the postseason). He has three division titles, two NFC Championships, and a Super Bowl Championship. That is a level of success that only the greatest coaches in NFL history can compare to.

Culture and Game Management

The two things Sirianni influences most are the team’s culture and in-game management. In 2022 and 2024, they showed the signs of a team that truly had a great culture. Even with players who can be viewed as difficult, like A.J. Brown and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the team rallied together. They were focused on the team’s results more than just any one individual player. As Sirianni and Hurts like to say, they “kept the main thing the main thing.” His in-game management was also a big component of the Eagles’ success. They were routinely aggressive on fourth down, most notably with the tush push. Sirianni displayed aggression and trust in his players. Not only does this give the Eagles an advantage by extending drives, but it also worked to enhance the team’s culture. When a coach gives his players a clear indication of his belief in them, it becomes contagious. Lastly, to Sirianni’s credit, it is very difficult to be the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. As one of the biggest media markets in the United States, there is always a spotlight on Sirianni. He has been dragged through the mud by the media countless times. It does not seem to faze him.

Why He Should Be on the Hot Seat

With all that said, Nick Sirianni boasts a long list of weaknesses. The most notable being his reliance on his coordinators.

Reliant on His Coordinators

Sirianni became head coach of the Eagles in 2021. When he started his tenure, he called plays on offense. That resulted in a 2-5 start for the Eagles with one of the league’s worst offenses. After this poor start, he gave up play-calling duties as Shane Steichen took over. The Eagles improved immediately, finishing the season 7-3 to end with a 9-8 record.

Steichen was an excellent play caller in 2022 as well, landing him a head coaching job with the Colts. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon also landed a head coaching job in Arizona, leaving Sirianni tasked with replacing both. To put it nicely, it was a disaster.

Neither Johnson nor Desai was ready to be coordinators. While both of their units had their moments, they were overall disappointing. Johnson’s offense was unable to come up with a single solution to beat a blitz by the end of the season. Route concepts and play calling were stale and repetitive. There was no sign of creativity on the Eagles’ offense, and it led to Jalen Hurts and the offense as a whole having a down year compared to 2022. Desai’s defense also had a few bright spots, but it was disappointing overall. Desai was actually so unprepared that Sirianni stripped him of defensive play-calling duties midseason, giving Matt Patricia that role. If you are a head coach attempting to save a team’s season, giving Matt Patricia more responsibilities is probably the last thing you should do. Predictably, the Eagles continued to fall apart down the stretch, finishing 1-6 and getting embarrassed in the postseason.

Howie Roseman Saves the Day

When the team needed new coordinators in 2024, Sirianni was much less involved. Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio were hired as the team’s coordinators. Both would do a great job and help lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl Championship. After the hires were made, though, reports started circulating about how Roseman “had his hands all over” the new hires, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini:

“At the end of the day, it’s Howie Roseman that has the power now,” Russini said. “He always has the power, right? That’s nothing new for Philadelphia. But in terms of moving forward into this season, Howie had his hands all over the decisions when it came to the coordinator position.”

The two hires that led the Eagles to a championship were because of Roseman, not Nick Sirianni.

Moore left the Eagles after 2024, landing the New Orleans Saints head coaching job. The Eagles were tasked with replacing Moore, and more of the responsibility was given to Sirianni. Sirianni promoted Kevin Patullo from the passing game coordinator to the offensive coordinator. Everyone knows how that worked out.

It remains to be seen how new hire Sean Mannion will work out. The pattern for the Eagles has been “Roseman hires” tend to work out, while the “Sirianni hires” have not. If the Eagles’ success is reliant on the coordinators the team employs, how valuable is Sirianni? Especially if Sirianni’s involvement with the successful hires is limited?

2025 Culture and Game Management

While Sirianni’s culture and game management were excellent in 2022 and 2024, they were not in 2025. The 2025 Eagles were miserable for the majority of the season. Between A.J. Brown publicly complaining seemingly every week to multiple anonymous reports about Jalen Hurts play, the Eagles were not a unified team. Instead of Sirianni helping limit the distractions, he created them. After Sirianni and his offense failed to complete a pass in the second half against the Buffalo Bills, he was seen after the game shouting at Bills fans.

He also got into a yelling match with Brown during a playoff game.

Sirianni’s game management was also questionable at best. There was often little consistency to his decision-making. Sometimes, he was hyper-aggressive. Even to a fault, like how he handled the final minute of the Eagles’ matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Other times, he was incredibly conservative. Without much rhyme or reason to his decision-making, the Eagles’ offense lacked the edge they previously had. What was once Sirianni’s biggest strengths were now a question mark.

Final Season in Philadelphia?

It would be foolish to say Nick Sirianni is a bad coach. Anyone with his track record deserves the benefit of the doubt, to a certain extent. Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie have never settled, though. They have shown that they are not afraid to fire coaches, including Super Bowl-winning coaches. If they can upgrade at head coach, they will. Especially if Sirianni has another disappointing season. The pressure is on in 2026. Sirianni doesn’t call plays; the team does not currently have a strong culture, and his game management was poor. If this happens again in 2026, don’t be surprised if the Eagles are looking for a new head coach.