Fletcher Cox won't tolerate questions about Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni's future.
The Eagles' All-Pro defensive tackle was asked if he had heard rumors about Sirianni's job security and if he trusted the coach after Philadelphia's 32-9 season-ending wild-card loss to the Buccaneers. fired back at the reporter. Monday.
“Did you have any idea what was going to happen to Nick?” a reporter asked Cox while at his locker Wednesday afternoon.
“Are you confident that you can trust him if he comes back and he’s also the head coach?”
Mr. Cox saw the reporter, but the reporter was not visible on the video. Posted by NBC Sports Philadelphia on X — and said, “If you have any news, how’s it going Nick?”
“There was obviously some speculation as to whether he would be fired,” the reporter explained, to which Cox responded, “What?”
“Come on, man. Yeah, he's the head football coach on this team. … Hey, we're not like that — that's not even a fucking argument.
Cox seemed irritated, but the reporter continued to ask questions.
“Okay, okay, you don't think that's going to happen,” the reporter asked.
“I have nothing to say about that guy. You're a clown, brother,” Cox said. “Get out of my face, brother.”
When asked if he was aware of “discussions about Nick's future,” Cox defended his coach despite the second-half collapse.
“Hey, what are you talking about?” he said. “This guy is a winner. He's a winning head coach.
“Did we have any trouble this year? Yeah…but everyone goes through it. But we're obviously not looking at a guy who won 10 or more races two years in a row. – That's why this organization was able to make three playoff appearances three years in a row. That's respect.
“He's a good leader for this team. He does a really good job…I'm not talking about firing a guy. This guy started a family.”
Eagles All-Pro center Jason Kelce also supported Sirianni and explained why he wants him back.
“I love Nick,” Kelsey said. “I think Nick is a great coach, I really do. I think he's a great head coach.
“Obviously, no one was up to their full potential this year, but me, the players, and the coaches, we weren't up to our full potential until the very end. That's the reality of this business. When it's that bad, it's a collective effort. But I'll always believe in Nick Sirianni.”
Kelce told his teammates in the locker room after Monday's season-ending loss that he was retiring. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Kelce vowed Wednesday on the New Heights podcast that he will announce future plans when the time is right.
Some say the Eagles' collapse this season is the worst collapse in franchise history.
After getting off to a strong 10-1 start, Philadelphia finished the season 1-6, sparking rumors of major changes, including a possible head coaching change.
Sirianni said he wasn't thinking about that after Monday's loss.
“I'm thinking about the players.” He said. “Again, there’s a lot of guys in that locker room, everybody in that locker room, everybody putting their heart and soul into this.
“You're not worried about me.”
