Eagles' Nick Sirianni Reacts to Jonathan Gannon Settlement: 'His Heart Was in It'

The Philadelphia Eagles head coach believes his former defensive coordinator's mind was in the right place last season despite a tampering charge levied against the Arizona Cardinals.

PHILADELPHIA – Nick Sirianni doesn’t believe in conspiracy theories when it comes to his former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.

It was well after midnight when the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and general manager met with the media early Friday morning to wrap up Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft.

When they did, it had been several hours since news broke that the Cardinals tampered with Philly’s former defensive coordinator.

The Zoom call that took place between Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort and Gannon in the days after the Eagles won the NFC Championship against the San Francisco 49ers proved costly for the Cardinals but a benefit to the Eagles. 

The teams were made to swap picks in the third round, with the Eagles getting the 66th overall selection and giving Arizona the 94th overall choice as Friday's draft beings at 7 p.m. with the second and third rounds.

“I think the league handles those issues, and obviously we'll abide by the league's decision in that matter, and we'll move forward,” said Roseman.

The belief among some may be that Gannon was impacted by the interview, knowing he had to prepare for the interview rather than get his defense to prepare Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.

Gannon’s defense was shaky in the second half, looking completely unprepared on two, wide-open short touchdown throws that helped KC overcome a 24-14 deficit at halftime to win 38-35.

Asked for his reaction about his former DC, Sirianni responded, but didn't go for the "bait."

“I think you're probably trying to bait me into something here, but I know Gannon gave everything he had to that game. Everything he had for that Super Bowl, he gave to this team. No reaction because I know where his heart was in it, so yeah.”

Sirianni didn’t address the fact that Gannon lied about his previous dealings with the Cardinals, telling reporters that the first time he heard about the interview was in the aftermath of the Super Bowl.

---

Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.

Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here