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NFL Philadelphia Eagles owner owner Jeffrey Lurie (right) gave praise to head coach Nick Sirianni (left) after a 2025 season that fell short of expectations. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images PHOENIX — It’s become an annual tradition at the league meetings: Once league business is settled and the meetings adjourn, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie meets with reporters for a de facto state of the franchise address. Because his comments are reserved for these meetings, there’s much ground to cover. Advertisement In addition to his passionate support for quarterback Jalen Hurts and offering updates on the future of the Eagles’ stadium, here are six additional takeaways from Tuesday’s 37-minute news conference:   Lurie offered a strong endorsement for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, who led the team to a Super Bowl win one year ago but drew criticism following an 11-6 season with an NFC East title. It was the first back-to-back NFC East crown in two decades and the only team to repeat as division champions in the NFL last season, although a team with Super Bowl expectations exited in the wild-card round. Lurie thought a “realistic” evaluation would indicate that Sirianni’s done a “great job. ” Lurie rewarded Sirianni with a contract extension last offseason. “His performance has been nothing short of outstanding, one of the best — first, what, five years in the history of the NFL? Two Super Bowls in three years, one of which we won, one of which was taken away from us, ” said Lurie, who remains bitter about a late-game penalty in Super Bowl LVII. “Incredible leadership. But authenticity is huge in my world and in the players’ world. Nobody’s perfect. I’m far from it. You guys are far from it. It’s about authenticity, leadership, understanding when you should delegate, when you shouldn’t delegate, how to lead a team through the ups and downs. We’re the only team to repeat as division champions. No one else was even able to do it. ” In five seasons with the Eagles, Sirianni has 59 regular-season wins — the second-most by any coach in NFL history through five seasons — and five postseason appearances. He has the best winning percentage of any active coach and the only coaches with a better winning percentage in NFL history are John Madden and Vince Lombardi. As Lurie mentioned, the Eagles twice reached the Super Bowl under Sirianni’s watch. Advertisement In the other three postseasons, the Eagles were one-and-done. Sirianni also dismissed offensive coordinators following the 2023 and 2025 seasons, a revolving door that has drawn scrutiny for Sirianni because he does not call plays. Lurie acknowledged it was disappointing that the Eagles did not win the Super Bowl last season, and he did not run from the high expectations for the team.   “But be realistic, ” Lurie said. “The guy’s done a great job. ” Lurie has made no secret of his expectation that the Eagles must field a top offense, and no team has spent more money on offensive players than the 2025 Eagles. The Eagles finished No. 21 in offensive points per game and No. 19 in EPA/drive — signs of regression that made clear change was needed and the Eagles would need to evolve their offensive scheme. “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’s and really the team’s defense, we’d just broken all records in the history of the NFL in the championship game and winning the Super Bowl, ” Lurie said. “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. ” — Zach Berman Lurie called new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion “incredibly impressive. ” It was notable praise for a 33-year-old former quarterback who is just entering his third year as a coach. The inconsistent proficiency of Sirianni’s coordinator hires, particularly on offense, is also the biggest point of criticism in the head coach’s tenure. Lurie backed Sirianni’s newest staff and pointed out Sirianni’s authority in the restructure and subsequent search. Advertisement ”Incredibly excited about the offensive staff that Nick has put together, ” Lurie said. “I tell you, this is a real kudos to Nick, to recognize what was clearly needed in terms of our overall offensive effectiveness. ” This is the second time in three years that Lurie has pointed out Sirianni’s willingness to adapt is a strength. Lurie fired Doug Peterson after the 2020 season due to a “difference in vision” that included Pederson’s unwillingness to part with certain coaches. After the Eagles’ 2023 collapse, Lurie insisted he did not step in at all when Sirianni fired both of his coordinators. After the 2025 Eagles fielded their least efficient offense in Sirianni’s tenure, Sirianni also moved on from former OC Kevin Patullo, a longtime assistant he’d internally promoted. “Our offense was not what we were either accustomed to or expectant of, ” Lurie said. “And I tell you, Nick, one of the really great qualities is his honesty about his own staff and how he wants the best. ” The franchise’s subsequent OC search took 16 days. The Eagles took big swings at Mike Mc Daniel and Brian Daboll, two former head coaches who ultimately took OC jobs with the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans, respectively. The length and early misses brought the Eagles’ OC job’s desirability under question. Lurie said he experienced “just the opposite. ” “We interviewed a lot of people, led by Nick, and what you would be amazed at is the level of expertise of some of these young coaches is extraordinary, ” Lurie said. “The league is very lucky. We’ve attracted so many bright young people, and it’s amazing to me to see it. And Sean’s one of them. Amazing. ” — Brooks Kubena  If it seemed like the Eagles had a company line for questions about possibly trading A. J. Brown — they did. “We kept saying, ‘A. J. ’s an Eagle, ’” Lurie said. Advertisement GM Howie Roseman repeated the phrase while speaking with reporters on Sunday. Sirianni did Monday, too, and even waved off a reporter’s follow-up question. They are clearly unwilling to share more. There is already plenty in the public domain. The Athletic has reported the Eagles held serious conversations with the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots about trading Brown at the start of free agency, and if a trade were to happen, it will likely heat up closer to June 1, when Brown’s contract becomes easier for the Eagles to offload. It is far from a secret that a schism is nearing. The Eagles have not outright rejected the possibility. In January, a reporter asked Roseman if trading Brown was a non-starter, and Roseman would not use those terms. In a roundtable before the scouting combine, Sirianni said he “can’t guarantee how anything is going to play out into next season. ” Lurie added his own admission of possibility: “We’ll see what happens down the road. ” Brown’s discontent was evident throughout the 2025 season. The three-time All-Pro often aired his misery on various social media platforms. Multiple reports said Lurie met with Brown in a November practice and that Brown promised Lurie that he would stop complaining on social media. Lurie demurred when asked about those reports. “I’m at practice a lot. It’s funny that was mentioned, ” Lurie said. “I talk to players all the time. We go out to dinners all the time. I mean, people don’t really know the relationship — it’s a really close relationship I have with our players. I probably talk to A. J. — whoever — 30 times
 “It never has to do with anything that’s particularly relevant except it’s a nice relationship that’s not distant. ” It’s also worth noting that Lurie also steered away from a Brown-oriented question by saying, unprovoked, that De Vonta Smith and Brown are “two great great receivers and also great teammates. ” Lurie’s inclusion of Smith served as an unsaid message that the Eagles believe their wide receiver room will still be in good hands if Brown is ever traded. Sirianni brought up Smith while discussing Brown on Monday, saying, “we got two (No. 1 receivers) there. ” — Kubena At this event last season, the big topic was the future of the Tush Push — and Lurie defended the Eagles’ signature player in the annual meeting and the subsequent spring meetings. Advertisement This year, there were no rule proposals regarding the sneak push play. Further, Lurie does not recall the play even being discussed.   “It was a pleasure to come here and not have to fight. It was very relaxed, ” Lurie said. “I didn’t have to bring Jason Kelce. I didn’t have to explain the play. I didn’t have to show how safe it is. Data proves it out. Maybe it helped we didn’t win the Super Bowl. I don’t know what happened. “ Lurie continued to insist it’s a safe play, with data to support his claim. He also joked the Eagles purposely “dialed down the effectiveness, ” a reference to the team’s struggles to convert the play relative to previous seasons. By the end of the season, the Eagles were using the play less frequently because it was no longer a sure conversion. “We were not that good at it, also. And I predicted that to the league when we spoke to them about maintaining the Tush Push, ” Lurie said. “We said, defenses are gonna adapt. There is no play that is not stoppable, including the Tush Push. And Buffalo is way better at it than we were this year. The rest is history. It’s a pleasure to come to an NFL meeting (and) not have to fight for something so hard. ” — Berman Lurie said the Eagles are open to playing an international game during the 2026 season, but not at the expense of playing a game at Lincoln Financial Field. “We are not going to give up a home game, ” Lurie said.   The Eagles surrendered a home game in 2024, when they played the NFL’s first-ever game in South America against the Green Bay Packers in SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil. The Eagles’ will be the road team against four 2026 opponents who are hosting international games that do not yet have a scheduled away team: “We would be able to be an away team, ” Lurie said. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen. (The NFL hasn’t) told us. But we’re available. And we’re also happy to not be. ” Advertisement The NFL increased its efforts to grow its sport globally by scheduling 10 international games in 2026. The slate includes three new cities: Melbourne, Rio and Paris. The first-ever SĂŁo Paulo game in 2024 garnered strong local interest in a soccer-crazed country that represents the NFL’s second-largest international market. A CazĂ©TV stream totaled nearly 3 million viewers despite Brazil’s biggest TV network, TV Globo, waging an apparent battle by rescheduling the Brazilian national soccer team’s World Cup qualifier for the same night. NFL teams also stand to grow their brands globally. The Eagles have marketing rights in Australia, Brazil, Ghana and New Zealand. The league and its teams must also balance its international efforts while not aggravating the fan bases who invest in season tickets they expected to be played at home. Lurie made it clear he’s unwilling to give up another home game. “We just did that in Brazil, ” Lurie said. “We did it early, so we won’t be part of a cycle that has to give away a home game in the near future, which was part of our plan of being in Sao Paulo. We are openly available to be an away team. We think it’s great for spreading the Eagles 
 brand. ” — Kubena Lurie is age 74, and his son is taking on a larger role in the organization, so one would understand if Lurie slowed down his involvement with the franchise. Lurie suggested that he’s more involved than ever, citing the ability to work remotely after COVID. Even if he’s not in the facility on a daily basis, Lurie said he has more virtual interaction with team executives. His interest in the operations is heightened because of the presence of his son, Julian Lurie, who works in all facets of the organization. “It’s not that it’s behind the scenes. It’s very overt, but I will talk to my executives more often, and probably with more intensity, because I have a son that’s growing and learning everything, ” Lurie said. “And so you can both watch how focused and intense I am still, and yet, at the same time, learn from all the executives we have. ” Lurie indicated that he has no plans to retire. He said he’ll often send messages to Roseman at 4 a. m. about a spot on the depth chart or the decision that the Eagles made.   “I love owning the Eagles. I love trying to make us even better in every way, and that’s what I’m focused on, ” Lurie said. Advertisement He also did not run away from lofty expectations in 2026. He understands the challenges in sustaining a high level of success, noting the salary cap and draft position. He explained how the Eagles have strategized for the challenges and do not spare expenses, so Lurie won’t object to the expectation of a third Super Bowl. “The more you succeed, the higher your own expectations are, the higher the fan expectations are, ” Lurie said. “The NFL is uniquely built to defeat that, and we think we’re hopefully able to organize in a way we can defeat their ability to make things so equal
. The league thrives because of the ability of teams to go from third or fourth place to first place. The draft certainly favors those that are up in the top five every year. You’re on a first-place schedule. The way I manage it is, like our fans, I’m hell-bent on getting another championship. Expectations, it’s not going to happen every year. It’s damn tough to repeat. But why not try to do everything possible? ” — Berman Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle