Eagles Rumors: Nick Sirianni's Behavior Called 'Embarrassing' by Team Officials

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni received backlash among team supporters and pundits after he was seen barking at fans following his team's 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, seemingly a response to being jeered throughout the game.

His actions reportedly weren't well received among team officials either.

"For as loud as the critical voices were outside of the Eagles, I found a similar sentiment within the organization. 'Embarrassing' is how two team officials labeled it to me when asked specifically for their reactions to Sirianni's behavior," the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane reported on his unCovering the Birds podcast on Tuesday (1:20 mark). "The two sources each voiced their support of the head coach, and said they understood how toxic fans can be at times."

Sirianni—who told reporters on Sunday the Eagles "thrive off the crowd when they cheer for us" when asked about crowing at the fans but added "we don't necessarily like it" when they boo, suggesting the jeering from the home crowd wasn't productive—apologized on Monday for his actions.

"I was trying to bring energy and enthusiasm yesterday, and I'm sorry and disappointed at how my energy was directed at the end of the game," he told reporters. "My energy should be all-in on coaching, motivating and celebrating with our guys. And I've got to have better wisdom and discernment of when to use that energy and that wasn't the time."

His actions quickly earned the ire of a number of media personalities and became a bigger talking point than the game itself:

Both his current and former players were more supportive of the head coach, however.

"I encouraged him to be himself, and so that's who he is," quarterback Jalen Hurts told reporters regarding Sirianni's fiery side. "I don't know who all said it. I know I spoke to him. It's just a reassurance of, you know, we trust who you are. We trust where you are as a coach, and we know we can build with you."

"Everybody doubts him and the people that don't doubt him is us," safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson added. "I don't think you guys know how much s--t he takes on the daily and we gotta back him up for it. I'm proud that he's my coach and nobody else is my coach."

Sirianni has been under fire since the Eagles started the 2023 season with a 10-1 record but promptly collapsed, losing six of their last seven games, including a 32-9 shellacking against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.

That induced an offseason of change, as both coordinators were replaced, the secondary was completely reworked and Saquon Barkley was signed to add even more juice to the offense. Sirianni kept his job through those changes, likely due to the team's three postseason appearances and one Super Bowl berth in his first three years on the job.

He is undoubtedly under the microscope in 2024, however, and the 3-2 Eagles haven't exactly looked like top contenders to start the season. Sunday's actions only intensified the scrutiny he was already facing.