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Philadelphia Eagles Rumors: New Head Coach Candidates Include Sean Payton, Josh McDaniels, Jon Gruden, Sean McDermott

By Phillip Dengler
Published on: 19:15 PST, Dec 29, 2015

Rumors regarding the new head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles are in full swing, and while many of the potential candidates make perfect sense, some of them are unrealistic. While it is no surprise that Chip Kelly was let go by the Philadelphia Eagles, it is shocking that it happened before the end of the season. In the past, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has been very cautious and conservative in his decisions, and letting Chip Kelly go with one game to play is uncharacteristic of him.

Originally speculated by Inquisitr after Saturday night’s embarrassing loss to the mediocre Washington Redskins, Chip Kelly has left the Philadelphia Eagles in ruins after being fired. Bad trades, poor free agency signings, and letting go of talented players has bred an unfavorable situation for the next head coach. Regardless, there are only 32 head coaching positions in the NFL, so the Philadelphia Eagles job will still be a hot commodity. Here are a few of the rumored candidates for the next head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Sean Payton

After coaching the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl victory during the 2009-2010 season, Sean Payton’s tenure has had its ups and downs. In addition to losing seasons in 2014 and 2015, he was banned an entire year for taking part in a bounty scandal, according to ESPN. While Payton is not without his faults, he is still considered one of the top offensive minds in the game. He currently has two years left on his contract, but the Saints could be looking to move on from their former Super Bowl winning coach. A change of scenery could do Payton well, and he even has ties to the Philadelphia Eagles, as he was their QBs coach from 1997-1998. If the Eagles want him, they are going to have to either trade for him or hope the Saints fire him. CBS Philly has broken the situation down, and is conducting an ongoing poll for fan opinions on Sean Payton as the next head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Josh McDaniels

While current New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had a rough ending to his only head coaching job in 2009 and 2010 for the Denver Broncos, he is a hot commodity as a potential replacement for Chip Kelly. After finishing with a promising record of 8-8 in his first season as the Broncos head coach in 2009, he was fired after beginning the 2010 season with a dismal record of 3-9, according to CSN Philly. Since that time, he returned to the Patriots, and has been in charge of one of the best offenses in the NFL. The chance of the Eagles hiring McDaniels appears to be much higher than the more sought after choice in Payton, since they would not have to give up any compensation for him. Since the Patriots will likely be playing deep into the playoffs, McDaniels will not be hired anytime soon, but he is sure to be on the Eagles radar.

Jon Gruden

While it may seem like a pipe dream and nothing more than a rumor, Jon Gruden has been discussed as a possibility for the next head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Even though he hasn’t coached since 2008, Gruden’s name is often brought up when teams are looking for a new head coach. The problem is that Gruden has a broadcasting job with ESPN through the 2021 season, according to USA Today. Being a broadcaster, Gruden is making a very high salary, and does not have to deal with the daily stressors and headaches that every NFL coach has to go through. Regardless, Gruden does have history with the Eagles, so there is a chance that this is the opportunity that he has been waiting for. He was their offensive coordinator from 1995 to 1997, and it was the last coordinator job that he had before becoming a head coach. Even if the odds are stacked against Gruden becoming the next coach, fans and analysts are on Twitter calling for the hire.

Other Rumored Candidates

Sean McDermott

Hue Jackson

Pat Shurmur

Adam Gase

Todd Haley

Matt Patricia

While the rumors will not end until the Philadelphia Eagles officially announce their new head coach, it would not surprise analysts if one of the names discussed above is the selection.

[Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images]

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