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According to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, longtime Eagles assistant and fan favorite Duce Staley has asked to quit his contract to pursue other opportunities.
Staley, 45, was recently sacked as the Eagles’ head coach for the second time in the past six years.
It seems like the best decision for both parties.
Staley has been on the Eagles coaching staff for over a decade after joining Andy Reid as an intern in the summer of 2010. And he has coached under three different head coaches over the past decade. But it’s pretty clear that there is no chance of growth within the organization that drafted him in the third round in 1997.
It’s just time for Duce to move on.
Staley appeared to be a real contender for the head coach job this offseason and owner Jeff Lurie even mentioned his name without an invitation after Doug Pederson was fired. But instead, the Eagles have hired Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni and are already quickly building their first coaching staff. It will not include Staley, who became an assistant head coach in 2018.
The Bears have recently shown some interest in Staley and there will likely be more teams calling. Staley has been quite accomplished as a running back coach since 2013. It was a wise decision for the Eagles to keep Staley in 2016.
In fact, Staley was a quality control guy under Andy Reid and wasn’t promoted to running back coach until Chip Kelly arrived in 2013. Under Staley, LeSean McCoy had some of his best seasons, Miles Sanders got off to a great start in his career and Staley handled egos in this 2017 squad en route to a Super Bowl title.
Prior to coaching, Staley had a very successful NFL career with the Eagles and Steelers. He became a fan favorite in Philadelphia and ranks fifth in Eagles history in rushing yards. His career in the NFL made him accessible to the players he coached.
Among the players in the locker room, Staley was clearly the favorite pick to be the Eagles’ next head coach, but the organization has gone in a different direction.
And now it’s time for Duce to move on and grow like he never could in Philadelphia.
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