Report: Philadelphia targeting Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley

Riley is 45-8 in his four seasons at OU with four Big 12 championships, and reportedly has made an impression on Eagles GM Howie Roseman

John E. Hoover | Jan 11, 2021

The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly have contacted Lincoln Riley about the team’s vacant head coaching position.

According to Sports Illustrated/Fan Nation network affiliate Eagle Maven, an unnamed source “close to the Eagles” said team general manger Howie Roseman reached out to Riley about replacing Doug Peterson, who was fired earlier Monday.

“It isn’t the first time the Eagles have talked to Riley about his potential interest in the Eagles,” writes publisher Ed Kracz. “In fact, he and Roseman have a good relationship, and it was a consult with Riley that helped sway the Eagles to draft both Jalen Reagor and Jalen Hurts, per sources.”

The report also acknowledges the many challenges the franchise faces in bringing Riley to Philadelphia — namely Riley’s $6.5 million salary and the almost unprecedented success he’s experienced in his first four seasons.

“Based on what happened with Pederson,” Kracz writes, “getting fired just three years after winning a Super Bowl, a coach like Riley and any others may take that short leash into consideration.”

According to BetOnline.ag, Riley has 11/2 odds of being hired by the Eagles. That’s fifth among the candidates listed.

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Published Jan 11, 2021

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.