Nick Sirianni dismisses Eagles reported interest in Bill Belichick, pressure on him to perform in 2024

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles considered Bill Belichick to be their head coach this offseason, ultimately deciding against bringing in the six-time Super Bowl championship winning head coach in favor of retaining Nick Sirianni for another year.

The reports of the Eagles pursuing Belichick were easy for Sirianni to dismiss.

"All I really took at this was I had Mr. Lurie's [Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie] trust and they said, 'Hey, let's go back and let's do it again,' Sirianni said to CBS Sports when asked about the Bill Belichick reports. "That's all I thought about. I haven't really thought about anything else. I think it's really tricky to think about things that you can't control."

Bringing in Belichick would have changed a lot for the Eagles, too much for a team that has built one of the best rosters in the NFL . The Eagles would have required an overhaul of the coaching staff, salary cap structure, and front office personnel. In the end, the changes were too much for Philadelphia to take on.

The Eagles were better off keeping Sirianni for another year. The job also never opened up either, but the franchise was reportedly considering all options.

"Control what you can control," Sirianni said. "That's what I've tried to do and trying to lead this team like I've always tried to lead this team. Trying to lead the culture because I know that's what they're looking at me, and they're looking at our leaders to lead that culture.

"That's what I tried to do since the end of last year. I'm really pleased with our offseason and let's see where we go from there."

Sirianni has made the playoffs in all three seasons as the Eagles head coach, the only head coach in franchise history to accomplish that feat. His .667 win percentage is the highest in franchise history (34-17 record) and he took the Eagles to the Super Bowl in Year 2 on the job.

Yet the Eagles losing six of their final seven games last season after a 10-1 start had Sirianni on the hot seat. There's pressure on Sirianni to perform this year, but he's only concerned about the things he can control.

"It's the NFL. At the end of the day, if we don't win enough, it will be hard for me to continue to work here. And I get that," Sirianni said. "That goes back to the things you can control. I can control our daily process. I can control the message of, 'Hey this is what's important.' And everybody else has to continue to do that, too. That's what I can control. I can't control everything else.

"There is a ton of pressure, right? Control what you can control and that's your daily process. Whether that's with your family, whether that's with our team, or whatever it is. That's easier said than done, but little victories like that -- they happen with the team as well."