Eagles' Saquon Barkley On Nick Sirianni: 'He's The Best Coach In The NFL'

PHILADELPHIA - Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson, and Liam Coen are the leading contenders to be NFL Coach of the Year this season.

Saquon Barkley believes another name should be added to the list, how own head coach, the Eagles’ Nick Sirianni.

"I don't know why he doesn't get the respect he should get,” Barley said after a Christmas Eve practice in advance of Sunday’s game pitting 10-5 Philadelphia against 11-4 Buffalo. “You really don't hear about him. I'll say, he's the best coach in the NFL. You can't name a better coach over the last five years.

"Who's been a better coach over the last five years than Nick Sirianni?"

Who's Better?

Dec 20, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Commanders in the second half at Northwest Stadium. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

To be fair to the voters, the award isn’t for a five-year span, one in which Sirianni has piloted the Eagles to five consecutive postseason berths, two Super Bowl berths, and a Lombardi Trophy with the opportunity to add to the final two categories.

His record (58-25, .699 winning percentage) is the third best in the Super Bowl era behind only John Madden and Vince Lombardi, and the sixth-best mark of all-time.

Yet, Sirianni not only doesn’t have a Coach of the Year honor on his resume, but he’s never been considered seriously for the award.

Part of that is just about the nature of what the award has become. Generally, it’s given to coaches who exceed expectations, and other than 2021, Sirianni's first season as the head coach in Philadelphia, the perception has always been that the Eagles are in the deep end of the talent pool.

In other words, Sirianni is “supposed to win,” and when he does, he gets less credit than coaches like Vrabel (New England), Johnson (Chicago), and Coen (Jacksonville), who each turned around floundering programs this season.

"I mean, he would say himself, what makes a great coach is having great players," Barkley said. "Obviously, the Philadelphia Eagles have been a great team since I've been in the league, going against him and now playing with him. But there's something to the standard that he sets. There's something to the way he comes to work, just how detailed and how obsessed he is with all the little things."

Ironically, when Barkley was with the New York Giants he "couldn't stand" Sirianni. Now that the superstar running back has gotten closer, he's seen the secret sauce.

"There's a reason why this team has been super successful," said Barkley. "It's been pretty cool to go from going against him and not being a fan of him and seeing what he's all about. I think he does a really good job.

"He's the perfect coach for Philadelphia."

At some point, if the winning continues, Sirianni may break through for an individual award. For now, the Eagles’ coach would be far more content to make another run at a Super Bowl berth.

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