Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni certainly doesn't have a ton of fans at his corner after all the offseason criticism he faced for the 2025 season.
Despite leading the team to a fifth straight year of a winning record and a postseason appearance, Sirianni has been slammed for "doing nothing" on the team and for his decision to promote Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator. Many believe that after what happened last year, he is on the hot seat and could lose his job if things don't go well in 2026.
Not many have come out in defense of Sirianni, but he's got at least one former player who will. While appearing on 97.5 The Fanatic, former Eagles safety Rodney McLeod spoke about his thoughts on Sirianni and knowing early on that he would be a good head coach.
" I thought Nick (Sirianni) would be a champion. He possessed the traits that a leader needs in order for guys to follow. I could quickly tell his principles and values that he instilled in us equated to championships."
Rodney McLeod defends his former head coach Nick Sirianni
McLeod was a starter on the Eagles' first Super Bowl-winning team in the 2017 season and saw firsthand the transition from Doug Pederson to Sirianni as head coach. The former Eagles defender played under Sirianni for just the 2021 season before departing for the Indianapolis Colts.
While that 2021 season was rough at the beginning with a 2-5 start, Sirianni proved he could adapt and change things on the fly by giving then-offensive coordinator Shane Steichen play-calling duties, and the team turned it around with a 9-8 finish and a playoff appearance.
The last five years with Sirianni have been like that, where things have not always gone smoothly, but he always figures out how to get the team to perform better. That has resulted in a 59-26 regular season record and a 6-4 postseason record, including two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl title.
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In reality, Sirianni will never get the credit he deserves, since most people don't like him. The numbers don't lie about him, though: he's a proven winner.