A lot of coaches don't last too long in the NFL, and lord knows Nick Sirianni has his spots where he looked like he was headed for the unemployment line quick.
His adventure began with that brutal introductory press conference four years ago and continued to the (now iconic) flower analogy that soon followed, the relinquishing of offensive playcalling (twice), 2023's implosion, and even the shaky start to last season.
But he endured all of it, and has an appreciation for each of those hardships, too, because he and the Eagles emerged from them as Super Bowl champions, and after receiving a multi-year contract extension on Monday, he'll be sticking around as their head coach for the long haul – finally, with certainty.
Sirianni talks about the benefits of adversity a lot. He especially did as the Eagles were storming their way through to a second-ever Super Bowl title a few months back, and he was ready to again on Tuesday when he spoke to the local media at the NovaCare Complex for the first time since the ink dried.
"You never want to go through those things as you go through them," Sirianni said of the stressful, and sometimes even bizarre trials his run in Philadelphia has brought in the past few years. "But man, if you allow it to shape you, it can shape you into being better and to be who you are at this moment.
"So you know, I would say for all the things that I've been through, whether it's on this job or whether it's in my life, I've been able to get better from all those things, and I'm grateful. As crazy as that sounds, as bad as it is, when you go through those things, I can look back at it and be grateful. And you hope the next adversities you go through, you're gonna remember, 'Hey, you're going to be grateful from this one as well.'"
Because from where he and the Eagles are standing now, after the confetti fell in New Orleans and after an unforgettable parade along Broad Street, it was all worth it.
It just can't stop there.
Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images
Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni celebrate the Eagles' Super Bowl win.
The page is flipping to a new season, mini camps are being held, and Sirianni and the Eagles players who spoke on Tuesday have said that the focus from the Super Bowl has long since shifted to 2025.
They're on the mountaintop. They want to stay there, but they know that everyone in the NFL is going to be gunning for them. They know that it can be easy to get complacent, too, especially in Sirianni's situation, where he has the security of a Super Bowl ring and a stronger contract – he declined to get into the specifics of the contract extension's terms.
A lot of pressure, in theory, is off of him now, but Sirianni said that's not what's driving him or the Eagles.
"I feel fortunate that I'm around a lot of guys, like our other coaches, our players on this team, where we have this will to win," Sirianni said.
"I've talked to a lot of coaches this offseason trying to get better at my craft, and somebody put it this way: You don't win a pick-up basketball game and say 'Alright! I'm satisfied! I'm going home!' right?" he continued. "You say, 'Hey, how do we run it back?' And we're not even thinking about running it back. We're thinking about where we are today and trying to get better. You strap up and you play again."
And work from there, because by early September, everyone's working from 0-0 again.
"Everything else is in the past," Sirianni said.
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