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Philadelphia Eagles Closing In On Ben McAdoo As Next Head Coach?

By Ryan Quigley

Dec 6, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo look at the playbook during the second quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo look at the playbook during the second quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia Eagles might be close to hiring Ben McAdoo and his mustache.

Two days ago, it was looking like the Philadelphia Eagles were sold on Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson and were potentially ready to hire him. Boy, how quickly things change.

Tim McManus of 97.5 The Fanatic is now reporting that the Eagles could have themselves a new head coach as early as tomorrow. If that report holds any weight, then Pederson would be eliminated as a possibility, considering the Chiefs are still alive in the playoffs, making New York Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo the new favorite.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently appeared on 97.5 The Fanatic and claimed that McAdoo, not Pederson, is the front-runner for the Eagles’ vacant head coaching job.

"“I don’t know that [Pederson]’s the front-runner. I know that he’s square in contention for that job, I know they really like him. In my mind, my sense — these are just senses — is that Ben McAdoo is the front-runner. But I don’t know that to be right. I think Pederson and McAdoo both are square in the conversation.”"

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Schefter points out that Pederson is still very much in the Eagles’ consideration, which is true, but the Eagles are playing beat the clock in their search and may be pressured into making a hire now rather than later. If that’s the case, McAdoo is a logical choice for Philadelphia. The Eagles lost out on Adam Gase, who is now the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, but McAdoo’s resume is eerily similar to Gase’s. Like Gase, McAdoo is young (38), but still has a high amount of coaching experience at the professional level. Since McAdoo joined the Giants in 2014, New York’s offense has ranked 10th and 8th in the league, respectively and Eli Manning has put up the best numbers of his entire career.

While McAdoo seems to be the likely candidate (again, if this rumor is true), let’s not forget about Pat Shurmur. The Eagles immediately interviewed Shurmur the week following Chip Kelly’s firing and Philadelphia seems high on him. He’s been the Eagles’ offensive coordinator since Chip Kelly joined the Eagles in 2013 and is already familiar with the city and front office. It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Eagles award Shurmur the job, but the chances of McAdoo joining the Eagles have increased dramatically over the last couple days while rumors of Shumur getting the job have largely dissolved.

The amount of uncertainty regarding the Eagles’ head coaching search and staggering, but as McAdoo continues to pick up steam, answers might soon be on the horizon.

UPDATED:

The Giants have hired McAdoo as their new head coach. According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles were all in on McAdoo, but the Giants were able to keep him around. Shurmur is now the front-runner for the Eagles’ head coaching job.

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