If you tuned into the discourse surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles throughout the 2025 season, you wouldn't have thought that the franchise was just months removed from winning a Super Bowl. Philly stumbled its way to an early playoff exit, leading to major changes this offseason.
That's been the pattern for the Eagles over the last half-decade, though. Nick Sirianni's team has played in two of the last five Super Bowls, but they've failed to win a playoff game in each of the off years.
If the pattern continues, Philadelphia will play for a Lombardi Trophy again this season. NFL executives believe that they can do it. Mike Sando of The Athletic polled execs on who they believe can win the NFC this year. Four of the six voters considered the Eagles to be Super Bowl contenders.
NFL executives believe in Eagles' Super Bowl chances in 2026
The Eagles ranked third in Sando's exercise, behind only the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. The ranking is right in line with current Super Bowl odds, as Philadelphia has the third-highest odds of any NFC team to win a championship this year, according to ESPN.
But even as the voters solidified Philly's spot among the NFC's elite, they recognized that the range of outcomes is as wide as possible this year. The Eagles could be conference champions, but they could also fall flat.
One executive said, "They could go either way, to be quite honest. I think they will be better. The thing that was really good for them is a potential concern, and that is the receiver position and running back. Saquon (Barkley) did not have a great year. The offensive line health and age is a concern. They will still be formidable."
The Eagles are banking on their offseason changes clicking quickly, especially on offense. New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is at the core of that change, as his system could bring a dramatic shift from what Jalen Hurts and the Eagles are used to.
Of course, the pass-catching group is significantly different, too. A.J. Brown's departure will shift the identity of the unit.
Read more: Eagles have 4 sleeper candidates that'll catch everyone by surprise in 2026
There's potential for those changes to crash and burn straight from the start. But if Hurts can adjust to Mannion's system, and the pass catchers and offensive line hold up throughout the year, the Eagles will be well on their way to continuing their pattern of playing in the Super Bowl every other year.
Add us as a preferred source on Google