Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni isn't the NFL's most popular person, to say the least. He even has a volatile approval rating among the team's fans despite guiding them to two Super Bowl appearances, including a victory!
Sirianni has enjoyed more success across his first five seasons as a head coach than many do over their entire careers. Anyone who wins as much as he does is usually universally revered, though that's hardly the case; many view him through a different lens.
In fairness, the criticism surrounding Sirianni isn't completely unwarranted. His notoriously well-chronicled sideline antics rub folks the wrong way, and the Eagles have suffered multiple truly ugly late-season collapses under him. Nevertheless, he produces in a results-driven business.
Yet, by the sound of it, veteran running back A.J. Dillon thinks Sirianni is just misunderstood after spending 2025 with Philadelphia.
AJ Dillon sends a strong message to Nick Sirianni's critics
Dillon sat down for an interview with FanSided to discuss various topics, like his famously large quads and card-collecting obsession. Nevertheless, once the banter subsided, he spoke glowingly of Sirianni and compared Philly's leader to a specific archetype in the Madden video game franchise mode.
"He’s like a motivator. He’s a player’s coach in the sense that he’ll come to talk to you. He’s obviously got a bunch of knowledge of the game, but I feel like where he really excels is just the ability to kind of get the guys going, get the people, as they say, [to] ‘run through a wall.’ He can get you to that moment with real-world examples of things and just kind of really get guys motivated to go out there day in and day out."AJ Dillon on Nick Sirianni
Based on Dillon's comments, you wouldn't be able to tell that the Eagles have made headlines for notorious locker room troubles in recent years. That's a testament to Sirianni, who constantly manages to weather the storm and propel his squad to overcome adversity. The latter connects with players on a personal level, but the media often overlooks it in favor of bashing him for being a fiery guy.
The Sirianni slander has gone too far. He's being put on the hot seat after piloting the Eagles to a fifth straight playoff berth and their fourth consecutive double-digit victory campaign. There's an unreasonable doubt over his ability to land another interview, let alone a job, if Philly ever moved on from him.
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Turning 28 in May, Dillon is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March. He amassed 81 scoreless scrimmage yards on 15 touches in seven games with the Eagles this season.
Note: Philadelphia Eagles running back AJ Dillon spoke on behalf of the National Sports Collectors Convention.