Go Bold Or Go Home: Eagles Swing For The Fences With Sean Mannion

PHILADELPHIA - Go bold or go home.

The Eagles went off-script Thursday, ending an elongated search for their next offensive coordinator with the 33-year-old Sean Mannion, a former NFL backup quarterback just two years from his playing career.

Those two years were invaluable for Mannion, who spent time on Matt LaFleur’s staff in Green Bay, quickly advancing from coaching assistant to quarterbacks coach.

Year 3 will be spent in Philadelphia, helping Nick Sirianni rehabilitate an underachieving offense as a first-time play-caller, per a league source.

The Philadelphia Eagles are hiring Sean Mannion as Offensive Coordinator. pic.twitter.com/3TFXAzc9AS
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 29, 2026

Considering that deposed OC Kevin Patullo was vilified for his lack of experience in the 2025 season, it was an interesting sea change for an organization that started the search with visions of former head coaches like Mike McDaniel and Brian Daboll.

The contingency was a future head coach in the minds of many who’ve worked with Mannion, a 2015 third-round pick out of Oregon State.

Revealing Himself

Mannion beat out a group of finalists that also included Indianapolis offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, former Tampa Bay OC Josh Grizzard, and Houston QBs coach Jerrod Johnson.

“I’m thrilled to have Sean Mannion on board as the new offensive coordinator for the Eagles,” Sirianni said. “My goal throughout this process was to operate with an open mind regarding the future of our offense to find the best fit for the Eagles.”

Counting requests that were denied, the search included over 15 names, with the idea that the right candidate would ultimately emerge from the pack.

“Over the last few weeks, I had an opportunity to meet with a number of talented candidates and great offensive minds,” Sirianni said. “I am appreciative of the time I was able to spend with each of them.

“Some came with years of experience running an offense and calling plays. Others were young, sharp, and dynamic coaches on the rise.

“I felt it was important to be patient and thorough to allow the right fit to reveal himself to us.”

It’s fair to place Mannion in the “young, sharp, and dynamic” category, a coach who the organization believes is ready to handle the pressure cooker that is Philadelphia.

On a rebuilding team, hiring a coach with little experience to such an important position would generate plenty of questions.

For a perceived Super Bowl contender coming off a down year when measured against expectations, Mannion will be entering the blender of a position that has only two settings: boom or bust.

There’s the Shane Steichen/Kellen Moore setting, and then there is Brian Johnson/Patullo.

There is no middle ground for the OC in this era of Philadelphia football, which is why it’s probably a good decision by Sirianni and the Eagles to swing for the fences.

No one was looking for a sharp single in the Delaware Valley.

This is being branded as a Sirianni hire, and the head coach will be responsible for stewarding Mannion through what will be inevitable growing pains while still producing at a high level.

That’s a tough needle to thread, but Sirianni is going to try to do exactly that.

“It was quickly apparent in meeting with Sean that he is a bright young coach with a tremendous future ahead of him in this league,” said Sirianni. “I was impressed by his systematic views on offensive football and his strategic approach.

“Sean’s 11 years in the NFL have provided him a great opportunity to learn from and grow alongside some of the best coaches in the game. As a result, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be invaluable to our team moving forward.”

What sold the Eagles was Mannion’s ability to relate to players from an almost peer perspective while still having the natural gravitas to handle the tough conversations.

The lack of play-calling is somewhat mitigated by his closeness to those who’ve done it at a very high level, both on-field and in Green Bay.

More so, his impact on dual-threat QB Malik Willis with the Packers this season was a big bullet point on Mannion’s rapidly growing resume.

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