John McMullen/Eagles Today
Rumor Mill is Churning with Eagles' Coaches
PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles still have work to do as one of the NFL’s final four teams but that doesn’t mean others sitting at home are going to press pause when it comes to interest in the team’s assistants.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer published an update on the five heading-coaching openings as well as the multitude of coordinator jobs in play Monday and there was a distinct Eagles’ tint to it, starting with Arizona.
The Cardinals have a new GM in place with the hiring of Monti Ossenfort, which should start to speed up the process when it comes to the head-coaching search for Arizona.
Among the names Ossenfort will likely want to interview is Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who is off limits until after the NFC Championship Game is finished. At that point even if the Eagles beat the 49ers, Gannon can again interview via NFL rules during the Super Bowl bye week.
Breer also labeled Gannon “a strong candidate” on Houston due to his relationship with Texans GM Nick Caserio, which SI Eagles Today has also reported on.
Another interesting nugget is that the Eagles are preparing for life after Gannon and would be interested in former Denver head coach Vic Fangio to take over as DC if Gannon leaves the building, according to Breer.
Fangio had been expected to team up with Sean Payton if the former New Orleans coach does return to the sidelines but there seems to be a growing sentiment that Payton may stay at FOX and wait for a better situation down the road.
If that scenario unfolds, it’s unlikely Fangio, 64, sits out another year and would have numerous opportunities at a DC job as perhaps the most well-respected defensive mind in league circles. Over one-third of the league runs an offshoot of the Fangio-authored scheme right now, including the Eagles.
Fangio’s connection to Philadelphia is an interesting one because of some disinformation that has spread around claiming that the veteran coach was a consultant for the Eagles this season.
That was not the case from an official capacity, according to multiple NFL sources, but relationships were forged when Fangio, a Lackawanna County, PA. native and self-professed Phillies fan, visited during training camp.
An actual Eagles’ consultant in which pen was put to paper is Marcus Brady, the former Indianapolis OC who was brought in after being fired by the Colts to give Gannon an offensive perspective on attacking his defense.
Brady was interviewed by Rams coach Sean McVay to be his new offensive coordinator, as was Eagles’ QB coach Brian Johnson, according to Breer.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
