Philadelphia Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay has been one of the longest-tenured coaches on the staff, having been with the organization for eight years.
Clay is the only coordinator on Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni's staff who has stayed in that role. The defensive and offensive coordinator jobs have seen some turnover, but Clay was almost out the door when he interviewed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their special teams coordinator job. Clay spoke with the media for the first time since the start of the 2026 offseason and made it clear he would never leave Philly.
"I wasn't close to leaving or anything of that nature,' Clay said via Sports Illustrated's John McMullen. "Going on altogether eight years in this organization, and like Vic (Fangio) said, this is a great organization, and we won a lot of games. Been through a lot of ups and downs. So, to see this thing out is always my goal, and the players and coaching staff here is always nice and the familiarity. They're all great people. It was not close to me to be leaving or anything."
Michael Clay is here to stay with the Eagles
Clay followed up by talking about the positive experience interviewing with the Buccaneers for the future. He did make it clear, though, that he wants to stay with the Eagles.
During his tenure with the team, there have been some ups and downs, but Clay has produced some great talent on special teams over the years. Braden Mann has been playing his best football at punter since leaving the New York Jets, and Britain Covey has been a solid returner for the Eagles over the last few years.
Earlier in Clay's tenure as special teams coordinator, kicker Jake Elliott was one of the best in the NFL, but over the last two seasons, his field-goal accuracy has dipped below 80% in each. Clay chalked it up to Elliott needing to find the love of the game again in the offseason to help get over the hump of the struggles.
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The 2026 season is a big one for Clay as they need to improve in the kicking game and on kickoff return. One thing he has proven over the years, though, is that he can get the job done somehow, someway.