With the Philadelphia Eagles hiring former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni as their new head coach, that has left current assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley in a difficult position. Now, it seems that the Philadelphia fixture is looking to be released from his current contract with the organization.
John Clark with NBC Sports Philadelphia was first with the story, indicating that the coach had asked to be released from his contract. Then Mike Garafolo from the NFL Network confirmed the reporting on Sunday morning.
After the organization parted ways with Doug Pederson, Staley was among those interviewed for the vacant head coaching job. It was not the first time the former Eagles running back interviewed for the head spot with the organization. Back in 2016 when he was the running backs coach with the team, Staley interviewed for the head coaching position. The team decided to go with Pederson, but retained Staley in his role as the running backs coach.
In 2018, Staley was promoted to assistant head coach with the Eagles, while still maintaining his status as the position coach for RBs.
There was speculation that Staley might stay in Philadelphia under Sirianni if the team promoted him to offensive coordinator. This news indicates that the coach is looking for a different path. There are some potential spots for Staley as an offensive coordinator, should that be the route he wishes to take. He could be looked at to replace Arthur Smith in Tennessee, or he could be part of the group that takes over down in Houston.
Another intriguing spot would be Minnesota. With Gary Kubiak retiring the Vikings need a new OC. There are some in-house options, such as Klint Kubiak, but with the Vikings’ style of play and Staley’s background, this could be a great fit.