The Philadelphia Eagles' long, painful search for an offensive coordinator finally reached its end. The Eagles hired former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion as their new offensive coordinator, officially replacing the much-criticized Kevin Patullo.
It is a bit of a gamble by the Eagles and head coach Nick Sirianni, considering Mannion was only a quarterbacks coach this past season and an offensive assistant in 2024. Plus, it's not the big-name hire the Eagles were hoping for, such as Mike McDaniel or Brian Daboll.
As it turns out, one of the candidates that pulled himself out of the running for the Eagles' job now has, possibly, a more lucrative gig in the NFL.
According to multiple reports, Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has accepted the same position with the Baltimore Ravens under new head coach Jesse Minter. Doyle will now get to call plays with the Ravens and work with star quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Declan Doyle accepts Ravens' OC job after pulling out of the running for Eagles gig
The Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini was first to report earlier this week that Doyle withdrew his name from consideration for the Eagles offensive coordinator vacancy. While yes, this will be a lateral move for Doyle, he does have a new opportunity.
With the Bears, Doyle was not the play-caller for the offense, with Bears head coach Ben Johnson taking on that responsibility. Even though he didn't call plays, Doyle was praised for his work in developing quarterback Caleb Williams, who shined in his second year in the NFL. Instead of blocking Doyle from interviewing for other opportunities, the Bears allowed him to explore them.
Doyle, who is 29-years-old, will now get to call plays for a Ravens offense that features Jackson, running back Derrick Henry, and wide receiver Zay Flowers.
Sure, the Eagles do have plenty of talent on offense, including Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith, but the Ravens' opportunity does offer less baggage. There are high expectations surrounding the Eagles by the media and their fans.
Look no further than the "Fire Patullo" chants throughout the season and the fact that Patullo's house was egged by Eagles fans. There's also the fact that Sirianni has had plenty of coaching turnover on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage. The Eagles had three different offensive coordinators in the past three seasons, including Shane Steichen, who left to become the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
Doyle now has a fresh start to his coaching career alongside a young, upstart head coach as they take over a contender, on paper, in the AFC North.
Read more: Howie Roseman was just gifted an offseason bonus no Eagles fan saw coming
The Eagles and Sirianni better hope that Mannion was the right choice. If Doyle succeeds in Baltimore, fans will remember him as the offensive coordinator who got away.