The Eagles’ round of second interviews has wrapped, bringing a lengthy search to a detailed. Philadelphia has selected Sean Mannion. The previous backup quarterback can be Philly’s recent play-caller, the team announced Thursday.
Nick Sirianni has said his next OC can have offensive autonomy. This can be a giant prestige bump for Mannion. Like David Blough, he’ll go from recently retired quarterback to NFC East offensive coordinator this offseason. Mannion was playing as recently as 2023, but he has gained considerable buzz within the coaching ranks. Mannion, 33, spent last season because the Packers’ QBs coach. The Eagles were the one team to interview him for an OC post this offseason.
This wraps an eventful seek for Philly, who considered former HCs and more experienced options. Mannion landing the gig actually reflects well on his interview skills, and it is going to be interesting to see how much leeway Sirianni gives his recent hire to construct an offense.
Mannion has coached under Matt LaFleur and played under each Sean McVay and Kevin O’Connell. A move to a Shanahan/McVay-style offense appears squarely in play for the Eagles. Sirianni confirmed Mannion will call plays.
“It was quickly apparent in meeting with Sean that he’s a vibrant young coach with an incredible future ahead of him on this league,” Sirianni said in a press release. “I used to be impressed by his systematic views on offensive football and his strategic approach. Sean’s 11 years within the NFL have provided him a fantastic opportunity to learn from and grow alongside a few of the very best coaches in the sport.”
The Eagles interviewed Mannion, Jim Bob Cooter, Josh Grizzard and Jerrod Johnson twice, with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicating Johnson — the Texans’ QBs coach — received a second meeting today. All three have coached for for much longer than Mannion, whose playing profession wrapped at 31. He has mentored Jordan Love for 2 seasons, doing so after serving as a backup to Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins for many of his profession.
Mannion prevailed in a race that featured some twists and turns. The Eagles fired Kevin Patullo on January 13, making him the third straight one-and-done OC. This job catapulted Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore to HC positions, but each those staffers had OC experience previously. The 2 rookie coordinators Sirianni tabbed — Brian Johnson and Patullo — were each fired after disappointing showings. Mannion’s experience level trails even Johnson and Patullo; the Eagles are banking on his playing profession serving as vital experience for a pressure-packed job.
The Packers promoted Mannion to QBs coach in 2025, after employing him as an offensive assistant in his first coaching 12 months. Love finished the season second in QBR this past season, marking a step forward for the young passer. Love’s QB rating and completion percentage numbers (101.2, 66.3) also were profession bests. This happened during a season wherein the Packers missed Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft for extensive portions. Reed’s two-injury season included 10 missed games, while Watson didn’t debut until Week 8. Kraft was headed toward a monster season when he suffered an ACL tear in 9.
The Rams drafted Mannion within the 2015 third round. After playing behind Nick Foles as a St. Louis rookie, Mannion sat behind Goff for 3 seasons to shut his rookie contract. The ultimate two got here under McVay, who only used Mannion as a starter in Week 17 of the 2017 season. Mannion joined the Vikings in 2019, organising an prolonged run as Cousins’ backup. Mannion began two Vikings games during a four-year stay. Most of Mannion’s Minnesota tenure got here before O’Connell arrived, however the ex-Rams OC — after a Seattle stopover — rejoined the Vikings in October 2023. Mannion finished his profession back in Seattle, serving as considered one of Geno Smith‘s backups, to shut the 2023 season.
Mannion’s profession ending after Sirianni’s third Philly season adds intrigue to this unorthodox hire. The Eagles appeared to prefer Brian Daboll, but he didn’t hold the Philly job in especially high regard. The ex-Giants HC accepted a three-year offer to grow to be the Titans’ OC. The Eagles, who didn’t make Daboll a suggestion, also met with former HCs in Mike McDaniel and Matt Nagy. The Cowboys blocked their interview with OC Klayton Adams, and each Declan Doyle (Bears OC) and Charlie Weis Jr. (LSU OC) withdrew from consideration. The Eagles submitted a Davis Webb interview request Tuesday, nevertheless it doesn’t appear that meeting took place.
Jalen Hurts has enjoyed tremendous success as a starter, however the run-oriented quarterback has also been inconsistent. Last season under Patullo reminded more of a downturn under Johnson in 2023. A.J. Brown has also made relentless noise about his role, resulting in trade rumors — which is able to likely pick up again soon — while the Eagles didn’t come remotely near replicating their run-game dominance from 2024 under Patullo. Saquon Barkley was healthy throughout the season but saw his 16-game yardage total drop from 2,005 to 1,140 between his first and second Philadelphia campaigns.
It is going to be on Mannion to administer all this, as Sirianni has not called plays since midway through his rookie season. It is going to be interesting to see if Sirianni stays a central presence on offense, as he was during Johnson and Patullo’s seasons in charge, or allows Mannion to run the show — as he did with Steichen and Moore. Via PFR’s Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker, here is how Philly’s latest OC search unfolded:
- Klayton Adams, offensive coordinator (Cowboys): Interview blocked
- Jim Bob Cooter, offensive coordinator (Colts): Conducted second interview 1/28
- Brian Daboll, former head coach (Giants): Interviewed 1/20
- Declan Doyle, offensive coordinator (Bears): Interview requested; withdrew from search
- Josh Grizzard, former offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Conducted second interview 1/28
- Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach (Texans): Conducted second interview 1/29
- Mike Kafka, former interim head coach (Giants): Interviewed 1/17
- Sean Mannion, quarterbacks coach (Packers): Hired
- Mike McDaniel, former head coach (Dolphins): To interview
- Matt Nagy, former offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed 1/21
- Zac Robinson, offensive coordinator (Falcons): Interviewed 1/16
- Bobby Slowik, senior pass-game coordinator (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/23
- Frank Smith, former offensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interviewed
- Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Interview requested
- Charlie Weis Jr., offensive coordinator (LSU): Withdrew from search