Philadelphia Eagles fans were left with their jaws on the ground after the team announced that Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion was going to be the next offensive coordinator.
Mannion was the first reported coach to go through two rounds of interviews, which seemed to happen very quickly, throwing the fan base off and making it seem like he was a legit candidate for the job. After reportedly just having four second-round interviews, Mannion came out on top for the job.
After the news broke, it sparked a massive debate over who would call the offensive plays in 2026. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported before the news that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni could very well do it himself. Multiple insiders, including The Athletic's Dianna Russini, have reported that Mannion is expected to be the play caller with Sirianni having some influence on the offense.
Examining Sean Mannion as play caller for Eagles' offense
Mannion's only experience with play-calling is serving as the offensive coordinator for the West team in the East-West Shrine Bowl recently. Other than that, he has only two years of coaching experience with the Packers: 2024 as an offensive assistant and 2025 as the quarterbacks coach.
There were concerns among the Eagles fan base that Sirianni could be the play caller since Mannion was so inexperienced as a coach, but not many were excited about that. Sirianni was the original play caller in his first year as the Eagles' head coach before handing it over to his offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, which paid off late in the season with better performances.
This might be an advantage for the Eagles to have Mannion come in as the main play caller, as he is younger and has a different outlook on the offense. He's also worked with some of the great offensive minds in football, like Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur, so their influence could bring some creativity to the offense.
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Eagles fans are willing to give Mannion a chance, hoping for a fresh perspective after what happened with Kevin Patullo in his only year on the job. With all the praise that Mannion has been getting from coaches and reporters, it feels as though Philly might have the next great offensive mind just join their coaching staff, and fans might not even know it yet.