Former Chiefs assistant coach Nick Sirianni hired as Eagles head coach

One of the final head coach openings in the NFL has reportedly been filled and a former Kansas City Chiefs has been named to the post. However, the Philadelphia Eagles went with a name that few would have expected when the search first started with the news that Nick Sirianni is going to be hired as Doug Pederson‘s replacement.

Tim McManus of ESPN is reporting that Sirianni is the expected man to land the job above other finalists—most notably New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

The Eagles were the seventh team to jettison their head coach this offseason when they told Pederson he was out of a job just five years into his tenure. Pederson had even won the Super Bowl in his second year with the team, and he had a winning record in three of those five seasons. However, with a career record of 42-37, Pederson was let go as this year’s roster endured considerable drama (especially in his relationship with quarterback Carson Wentz) and a frustrating 4-11-1 in a very winnable NFC East.

Shortly after the Eagles fired Pederson, two Chiefs assistants emerged as “co-favorites” for the job: offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka. However, it’s interesting that neither once interviewed for the position.

As for Sirianni, he’s well-respected league-wide for his offensive mind and he’s kept the Indianapolis Colts offense moving despite the loss of Andrew Luck in recent seasons under head coach Frank Reich. He began his professional coaching career in Kansas City as an offensive quality control coach back in 2009. He spent four years in K.C. under head coaches Todd Haley and Romeo Crennel and helped work with the quarterbacks and wide receivers.