Earlier in the 2023 season, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni looked destined to guide a second straight Super Bowl appearance. Now, fresh off an upset loss to the Cardinals, the team’s fourth defeat in five weeks, Sirianni is fielding questions about his job security, telling Sports Radio 94 WIP Tuesday that he believes players are still behind him, and that he’s focused solely on finishing this year strong.
“No, I’m not concerned about that,” Sirianni said when asked if he believes players are no longer responding to his leadership. “We’re just looking to get back on the right track. (I’m) not concerned about that. I know the players and the coaches we have on this team. We have great leaders, and all we wanna do is right the ship.”
Sirianni, who added that he doesn’t believe any relationships with players are “broken,” also denied that the Eagles’ morale has eroded late in the season, with Philly dropping to 11-5 and out of a potential No. 1 seed despite a 10-1 start.
“Um, no. I don’t believe so,” he said. “We know we have the right people in this building to accomplish everything we wanna accomplish. There’s a lot of teams that would love a playoff ticket, right? We got one. And we know that anything’s possible when you get into that moment. Has it (gone) the way we anticipated it? No. But we know our goals are in front of us.”
Asked later if he’s concerned about his own future in Philly, particularly if the Eagles’ collapse continues, Sirianni was blunt.
“Nah, I don’t think about those things,” he said. “I try to stay right where we are right now. … That’s where my focus is.”
Sirianni is 34-15 through almost three seasons as the Eagles’ coach, guiding three straight playoff appearances, including a trip to Super Bowl LVII in 2022. But Philly has struggled to replicate the dominance of its NFC title run in 2023, and his abrupt change of defensive play-callers late this year has yet to fix one of the NFL’s worst defenses. Once considered a virtual lock to challenge the 49ers for the NFC’s top playoff seed, the Eagles are now on track to visit the NFC South winner to open the postseason.
