Shortly after Nick Sirianni's hiring became official, longtime Philadelphia Eagles' assistant coach Duce Staley asked to be released from his contract, according to NFL Network's Mike Garofolo. Staley, a former Eagles running back who has been part of Philadelphia's coaching staff since 2011, has reportedly interviewed to become the team's next head coach. That position has ultimately been filled by Sirianni, who comes to Philadelphia after spending the past three seasons at the Colts' offensive coordinator.
Staley, who will speak to Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie about his contract, has a few teams that are interested in him, according to Garofolo. Staley's departure would mean that the Eagles would have to find a new running backs coach, a post Staley has held since 2013. The Bears and Lions are among the teams that have interest in adding Staley to their staff, according to Garofolo.
The fifth-leading rusher in franchise history, Staley helped the Eagles advance to three consecutive NFC title games from 2001-03. After seven seasons in Philadelphia, Staley finished his career with the Steelers, winning a Super Bowl ring as a member of Pittsburgh's 2005 championship team. Staley, after serving as a coaching intern during the 2010 season, officially joined the Eagles' staff as the team's special teams quality control coach in 2011. Staley, who was elevated to running backs coach in 2013, was named assistant head coach in 2018 shortly following the Eagles' 41-33 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Among the running backs that had success under Staley include LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, Ryan Mathews, LeGarrette Blount, Jay Ajayi, and Miles Sanders. McCoy was named to two Pro Bowls in two seasons with Staley as his running backs coach. In 2017, the duo of Blount and Ajayi helped bring home Philadelphia's first Super Bowl title. Sanders, the team's second-round pick in 2019, has blossomed into one of the NFL's top young running backs.
Prior to hiring Sirianni, Lurie alluded to Staley when asked about his team's coaching search.
"I think that we are very open and it's top of mind to make sure we have some of the best minority candidates in on the search. It's very important I think for us, for the league and it's top of mind," Lurie said. "(Duce) is a great representative of the Eagles and knows our values. I would expect him to be part of the search, as well."
