‘Back To A Championship-Level Offense’

Seated at a podium in Phoenix, Ariz., site of the 2026 NFL Owners Meetings, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie offered a candid perspective with regard to the offense, alluding to the significant changes ahead.

The reconfigured staff and presumed philosophical shift were implemented with a primary objective in mind.

“It was designed to have us be a championship offense,” Lurie began in his annual press conference. “We had just, 14 months ago, broken the all-time NFL record for scoring in the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl. So, think about that … in the history of the NFL, no one had ever scored more points in those two games.

“And then losing our offensive coordinator to the New Orleans Saints. There’s a human tendency – probably – to keep at what you’re doing, as opposed to understanding that maybe other teams will catch on, will do a better job. Maybe you’re a little stale, but in Nick [Sirianni]’s, and really the team’s defense, we had just broken all records in the history of the NFL, in the championship game and the Super Bowl. So, it’s a human thing.

“This year, it was really apparent to everybody — but especially, I would say, to our head coach — that we were able and going to make some significant offensive changes that would get us back to being a championship level offense.”

Lurie then went on to detail the interview process conducted to identify the team’s next offensive coordinator and the value of an exhaustive search that yielded 17 candidates. In the end, it was 33-year-old Sean Mannion, a first-time play-caller, who separated himself from the heaps of accomplished resumes.

Mannion, last season a quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers, will be tasked with delivering that championship offense while branded with what has become one of the league’s most scrutinized job titles. It comes with the territory, however, as the Eagles employ a big-ticket offense that underperformed last season. The standard internally and externally, rightfully so, is extraordinarily high, as one would expect for a franchise just 14 months removed from winning a Lombardi Trophy.

An NFL quarterback of nine seasons, it can be surmised that Mannion will have a profound impact on seventh-year quarterback Jalen Hurts from a relatability and performance standpoint. Mannion played the position at the highest level, arming him with credibility despite the abbreviated resume, and views the game through the lens of a quarterback, which should only aid the acclimation period.

But Mannion, who spent time around likes of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, brings with him a background rooted in modernized concepts and principles – a drastic departure stylistically from much of what the Eagles have run under head coach Nick Sirianni.

The offensive pivot is expected to feature a healthy dose of pre-snap motion, along with an uptick in play action and under center looks, none of which have been heavily administered with Hurts.

This is where Hurts’ adaptability becomes a valuable factor.

For perspective, the Mannion hiring now makes it six different play-callers that Hurts has worked under. Sure, the offenses in recent years have been generally rooted in similar DNA – it isn’t an annual schematic shift – but there are inherent variables that impact turnover that Hurts has constantly navigated.

Responding favorably to adverse situations is something Hurts has essentially majored in, dating back to his time at the University of Alabama.

Although it’s not a given that the onboarding process will be quick and easy, and patience will naturally be required, it’s inarguable that the prospects of playing quarterback in a McVay-Shanahan style offense can break tendencies and promote growth.

And Hurts, given his longstanding success, has built up enough equity to warrant the benefit of the doubt that he’ll take to, and embrace, the newness.

Lurie doesn’t need convincing.

“Oh, I love Jalen,” he said. “There’s no bigger fan of Jalen than me. Clutch gene, absolutely. The guy … MVP of the Super Bowl 13 months ago. Should have been MVP of the Super Bowl right before that, against Kansas City the first time. Exceptional. So dedicated.

“I think you probably know I spend a lot of time with Jalen, as I do with most quarterbacks. Incredibly dedicated to the game, to winning and being a huge winner. And I love everything about him.”

Back, for a moment, to Mannion, the coach who shoulders the heavy burden of evolving a star-laden offense into a unit that more closely resembles that of his mentors.

The run game is expected to feature wide zone concepts, prioritizing patience and fluid-moving offensive linemen, while the passing game is projected to focus on timing and quick decision-making. The vision has an obvious enticement, especially with the talent the Eagles have on offense.

Should Mannion and his staff catapult the offense to its former glory, the Eagles will have achieved their lofty goal and field a championship-caliber offense. The Eagles, over the years, have seen many successful coaches rise through the pipeline, and while it’s unfair to label Mannion as the next in the long line, the thoroughness of the search would appear to only increase those odds.

“This is a real kudos to Nick, to recognize what was clearly needed in terms of our overall offensive effectiveness,” Lurie said. “It’s never about one coach, one scheme, one staff or anything like that. That’s not the way we operate.

“We have our own proprietary metrics and ways of measuring offensive and defensive performance. And our offense was not what we were either accustomed, or expectant, of. I tell ya, Nick, one of the really great qualities is his honesty of his own staff and that he wants the best.

“Great interview process, outsmarting process, as it’s been in other cases. Sean, incredibly impressive, is all I’m going to say. Work ethic, A-plus. Innovativeness and dynamism, A-plus. I like to think — and you never know, we will see — that we have a history of finding young gems on offense and defense.

“Starting back with [Jon] Gruden, Sean Payton, Andy Reid. Especially the hiring of Andy, as a non-playcaller. And it just has continued. Shane … Kellen. I’m incredibly excited of the staff that Nick and Sean put together.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com