Eagles fire Kevin Patullo as offensive coordinator

The Eagles removed Kevin Patullo as offensive coordinator on Tuesday, according to a statement from head coach Nick Sirianni released by the team.

The decision came 48 hours after the team’s season ended with a 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the wildcard round of the playoffs, finishing off a season in which the Eagles offense drastically underperformed relative to the talent and past production of a group that retained 10 of 11 starters from last year’s Super-Bowl-caliber group.

“I have decided to make a change at offensive coordinator,” Sirianni said in the team-issued statement. “I met with Kevin today to discuss the difficult decision, as he is a great coach who has my utmost respect. He has been integral to this team’s success over the last five years, not only to the on-field product but behind the scenes as a valued leader for our players and organization. I have no doubt he will continue to have a successful coaching career.”

“Ultimately, when we fall short of our goals that responsibility lies on my shoulders,” Sirianni added.

It’s worth noting Patullo could reportedly return to the Eagles staff in a different capacity. The team’s official statement said the decision was to “make a change,” and NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Patullo could stay on staff but that those talks are ongoing.

Patullo spent four seasons as the Eagles pass-game coordinator before replacing Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator last offseason. He previously worked with Sirianni on the Indianapolis Colts’ coaching staff. The day before Patullo’s firing, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts deferred judgment on the coach’s performance in his first season calling plays.

“It’s too soon to think about that,” Hurts said. “I put my trust in Howie, Nick, and Mr. Lurie.”

Hurts also said he would be open to influence on the Eagles’ replacement for Patullo during locker room cleanout day. Patullo’s successor will be Hurts’ fifth offensive coordinator in the last six seasons, a carousel the quarterback has harped on as a challenge during his career as he’s needed to learn a new system each summer.

And after a season in which the Eagles offense struggled in multiple phases with inconsistent offensive-line play hampering the run game and a repetitive passing game often grinding to a halt in the second halves of games, Hurts emphasized the importance of finding a “home base” in the offensive system moving forward.

“I’d speak more so on just having a home base of what we do and who we are. Obviously we really made an effort to establish an identity along the way. Ultimately it was a bit too late.” 

The Eagles ranked 24th in success rate, 19th in EPA/drive, and 19th in total points scored this season with a noted drop-off especially coming after the bye week. Since Week 9, the Eagles offense scored more than 30 points in just one of their 10 games. As a result, Patullo spent most of his lone season calling plays in the crosshairs. Video surfaced of his house getting vandalized after the Eagles’ loss to the Chicago Bears in November, a game that featured ‘Fire Kevin” chants in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field.

“Ultimately, you want to be able to separate your job from your family,” Patullo said when asked about the vandalism incident. “We talked about it before, I said it before, that line was crossed. It was an unfortunate incident and that’s part of it that it happened. Us as a family, we know we’ve got to stick together. To be honest, there’s a lot of great people in the community. I have great neighbors. So many people have reached out to my wife and I and our family, and so it’s not anything or one specific person. It happened and we’ve got to move on from it at this point.”

With nine head-coaching vacancies currently across the NFL, the Eagles will have significant competition for Patullo’s replacement and a few more offensive coordinator openings for already-established coaching staffs. It’s worth noting a handful of the coaches the Eagles interviewed for previous openings — including Kliff Kingsbury, Mike McDaniel, Nate Scheelhaase — are available and interviewing coaching jobs this offseason as well.