Nick Sirianni: A Coach Who Connects with His Players

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is a confounding public figure. He reams referees, taunts opposing players, and mugs for the camera. He'll bark at fans in the stands, even at home. And yet his teams win at a historic clip.

The Eagles have reached 14 regular-season wins twice in their 91-year history, both under Sirianni's four years at the helm. With a record of 48-20, he has produced the third-best winning percentage (.706) by a head coach in the Super Bowl era behind John Madden and George Allen.

Sirianni's teams win because of his ability to connect with his players. He serves as a confidant to them, creating a safe space for them to talk and get their feelings out. He also confronts issues when they come up rather than sweeping them under the rug.

One of the ways Sirianni connects with his players is through handwritten letters. He has written letters to players like Jordan Mailata, Isaiah Rodgers, Nakobe Dean, and Milton Williams. The letters detail how the players have earned their roles and how no one can take that from them.

Sirianni also takes the heat for his players' missteps. When cornerback Darius Slay Jr. was ruled out with an injury, Isaiah Rodgers was given the opportunity to start for the first time since December 2022. Rodgers said he packs the letter Sirianni wrote him in his travel bag and reads it before every game.

Linebacker Nakobe Dean's letter was delivered by an assistant coach in late October before the Cincinnati Bengals game. Sirianni expressed how proud he was of Dean for coming back from multiple injuries to establish himself as an impact starter and encouraged him to continue to climb.

Some players have entrusted Sirianni with the most sensitive of issues. Rick Lovato and his wife, Jordan, were struggling with fertility last season. Sirianni shared that someone he was close to was also going through it, and that led to weekly check-ins from Sirianni to make sure the Lovatos were doing OK.

Defensive tackle Milton Williams isn't sure how Sirianni found out that his mom, Willanette, had breast cancer. But that led to their connection, as Sirianni shared the difficulties of watching his dad, Fran, battle cancer multiple times throughout his life, including when Nick was a child.

The relationship between Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts has gotten the most attention. During the offseason, sources detailed a seasonlong strain between the coach and quarterback, stemming mostly from a disconnect in offensive visions.

Hurts often gave short, awkward answers to questions about his head coach beginning late last season, forgoing opportunities to deliver a positive message about Sirianni and instead deepening questions about what was happening behind the scenes.

His tone changed pretty dramatically after the team's Week 5 bye. The two had myriad conversations over that time period, hammering out a direction for the offense and team that helped fuel the Eagles' surge, turning a 2-2 start into a 14-3 finish.

One of the sources familiar with Hurts' thinking who signaled things were off between Hurts and Sirianni around this time last year told ESPN their relationship is in a better place.

"Once you learn a person, you learn how to deal with that person," the source said.

Part of Sirianni's leadership style is confronting issues when they come up rather than sweeping them under the rug. Players found this out not long after Sirianni was hired in 2021. His introductory news conference was a bit of a disaster. It resulted in an already skeptical fan base becoming even more anxiety-ridden about the man replacing the only coach to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl win, Doug Pederson.

Sirianni took a similar head-on approach after defensive end Brandon Graham added fuel to an already turbulent week in early December by suggesting Hurts and A.J. Brown are no longer friends. Sirianni addressed it during a team meeting that week, helping to clear the air so the team could then turn its attention to its upcoming opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He acknowledged that his CEO role allowed him more time and ability to handle issues like that one. "Obviously when you're wearing more hats, you have a little less time. You still go through all those processes that you go through with the offense and the defense and the special teams. But you are able to step out a little bit more," he said. "I've been able to go to the defensive line room for a meeting as opposed to always being in with the quarterbacks or with the offense. So that applies here as well, yeah."

Through time and connection, the players in the locker room have come to know Sirianni well, so their perspective when he taunts a fan or goes after a player or coach on the sideline can be different from the general public.

"Sometimes, he'll just come through [the locker room] to get a haircut, and he'll be like, 'Want to get a quick game of pingpong?'" Mailata said. "A quick game turns into like three games because he lost the first one. He's so competitive. So once you understand his true nature, for us it's easy to defend him because that's just who he is. It's hard to understand that as a fan."

Could he be more professional? One hundred percent. But we've always supported him in saying, 'Just be you.' We know you like to wear your heart on your sleeve. Continue to do that and we'll continue to bat for you because you always bat for us."

That last point is a crucial one: Sirianni often takes the heat for his players' missteps even when it makes him look foolish. His players know it. And that's one reason they play for him and have his back when others are crushing him.

"I've had conversations with Nick about this, and his answer f---ing shocked me," Mailata said. "He said, 'That's my job.' I was like, 'No it's not. You've got a family too, brother. You've got to think about them.' But he was like, 'No, that's my burden to bear. That's my job: to take the heat off you guys so you can go out there and play free.'"