Nick Sirianni coaching timeline: How Eagles coach ascended from Colts assistant to Philadelphia success story

Dan Treacy

Nick Sirianni coaching timeline: How Eagles coach ascended from Colts assistant to Philadelphia success story  image

The Phillies were riding with "Philly Rob" during their run to the World Series in October, and now the Eagles are riding with "Philly Nick."

Coach Nick Sirianni has been a resounding success in his two seasons as Eagles head coach, taking a team that went 4-11-1 in Doug Pederson's final season and leading it to back-to-back winning seasons.

A blunt personality who does not shy away from the media, Sirianni has embraced Philadelphia, and Philadelphia has embraced him.

After a 14-3 regular season, the Eagles sit just one win away from the Super Bowl. A second-year coach led the Eagles to their first championship five years ago. Can another lead them to No. 2? 

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The Sporting News takes a complete look at how Sirianni ascended from offensive assistant at different stops in the AFC to head man in Philadelphia.

Nick Sirianni coaching timeline

Sirianni entered the NFL ranks in 2009, but he gained some coaching experience at small schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania from 2004-2008.

Sirianni got his start as a defensive backs coach at the University of Mount Union from 2004 to 2005, and he would become the wide receivers coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2006.

Quality control/WR coach, Kansas City Chiefs (2009 - 2012)

A wide receiver at Division III Mount Union from 1999-2003, Sirianni developed a relationship with then-Bears receivers coach Todd Haley.

After Haley was hired as head coach of the Chiefs in 2009, Sirianni joined the staff as an offensive quality control coach. 

Sirianni was elevated to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2010, when the Chiefs would win the AFC West led by QB Matt Cassel, and he was named wide receivers coach in 2012 when Romeo Crennel took over for Haley. 

The Chiefs went 2-14 in 2012, firing Crennel. New head coach Andy Reid didn't retain Sirianni.

QB/WR coach, San Diego Chargers (2013 - 2017)

Sirianni first joined Mike McCoy's staff in San Diego as a quality control coach, but he became the team's quarterbacks coach in 2014 under offensive coordinator Frank Reich.

Reich was replaced by Ken Whisenhunt ahead of the 2016 season, which led to some reshuffling of the offensive staff. Sirianni became the Chargers' wide receivers coach, working with a unit led by Keenan Allen.

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OC, Indianapolis Colts (2018 - 2020)

Sirianni benefited from Josh McDaniels' decision to back out of an agreement to coach the Colts. Frank Reich was hired instead and brought over his old friend as his offensive coordinator.

Sirianni worked with three quarterbacks in three years, but he got a resurgent season out of Andrew Luck in 2018 and a nice final season out of Philip Rivers in 2020. While Sirianni was only part of the offensive staff with Reich involved in the play-calling, the Colts have noticeably suffered in the passing game since he left for Philadelphia. 

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HC, Philadelphia Eagles (2021 - 2022)

Sirianni was one of seven head coaches hired after the 2020 season, and he certainly didn't count as a high-profile replacement for Doug Pederson. 

Just 39 at the time of his hiring, Sirianni arrived in Philadelphia with plenty left to prove and didn't do himself any favors by stumbling a bit through his introductory press conference.

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Winning cures everything, and all the Eagles have done since Sirianni was hired is beat expectations. What was expected to be a transitional year turned into a playoff appearance in 2021, and the Eagles have soared to their first NFC title game since 2017 with an NFC-best 14-3 record in 2022.

Sirianni has embodied Philadelphia with his attitude, speaking his mind and rallying fans all season. We saw how quickly things can go south when Pederson was fired three years after a Super Bowl win, but Sirianni looks like he's going to be coaching the Eagles long-term.

Nick Sirianni coaching record

Season W L Pct.
2021 9 8 .529
2022 14 3 .824
Total 23 11 .676

Sirianni has done what Pederson and Andy Reid couldn't do by leading the Eagles to a winning season in each of his first two years on the job.

Under Sirianni, Jalen Hurts has developed into a franchise quarterback, and Philadelphia is two wins away from its second championship. Sirianni also has the best record of any of the seven head coaches hired before the 2021 season, sitting four wins ahead of Chargers coach Brandon Staley.

Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy Photo

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.