After making a flurry of small signings of players during the offseason, the first big domino has fallen for the Philadelphia Eagles on the coaching staff for the 2026 season.
The Eagles have re-signed special teams coordinator Michael Clay to a new deal to bring him back, according to NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. Clay has held his position as special teams coordinator since Nick Sirianni became the Eagles' head coach in 2021.
There were concerns that Clay might not return to the team as his contract had expired at the end of the season. He did an interview with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' special teams coordinator opening before returning to the Eagles.
Eagles get their first big signing in the coaching staff with Michael Clay
This past season was kind of an up-and-down season for the Eagles' special teams, with some great moments at the beginning, but plenty of rough patches towards the end.
The Eagles got three blocks between the Week 3 Los Angeles Rams game and the Week 4 Buccaneers game to help pick up wins in both. Punter Braden Mann was a bright spot to the unit as the Eagles were fourth in the NFL in average yards per punt with 49.9.
There were two specific aspects of the special teams that really struggled, though: kick and punt returns and kicking. Eagles kicker Jake Elliott's misadventures were well documented late in the season as the Eagles finished 31st in field goal percentage at 74.1% and missed seven field goals during the season. As for kickoffs and punts, there were plenty of muffs and fumbles that hurt the Eagles this season, as Philly was ranked 30th in yards per kickoff return with 23.9.
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Overall, during his time as special teams coordinator, Clay's done a great job of getting the unit to play well. The Eagles are now focusing heavily on finding a new offensive coordinator.