Nick Sirianni Keeps the Red Flag: Why the Eagles Coach Won’t Hand Off Challenge Duties

The NFL is giving head coaches a new option to lighten their load on game days—especially those who get too deep in the play-calling weeds.

Starting in the 2026 season, a quiet but meaningful tweak to the rulebook allows the head coach to designate one staff member before kickoff to throw the red challenge flag.

Under the updated rule: “The head coach or head coach’s pregame challenge designee can initiate a challenge by throwing a red flag onto the field of play before the next legal snap or kick.”

Previously, only the head coach could carry and toss the flag (a practice dating back to the modern instant-replay system’s introduction back in 1999). The designee must be named to officials pregame and holds the responsibility for the entire contest, meaning no mid-game switching if a mistake happens.

The head coach can still make the final call via headset communication with the booth and sideline staff of course. The change simply offloads the physical act of throwing the flag.

The league made the adjustment as a summer rulebook clarification that did not require an owners’ vote. It comes after 151 coaches’ challenges in 2025, the highest total since 2019.

Proponents note it could help coaches focused on play-calling avoid distractions and reduce emotion-driven decisions if they put ego aside and delegate the responsibility.

For play-callers who stay very hands-on with the offense, handing off a game-management task—essentially a free pass on one more mechanical burden—can free the kind of mental bandwidth to get getting the next play in without a hiccup.

Some coaches have already been doing a version of this unofficially for years (Bengals coach Zac Taylor has let his chief of staff handle it since 2019). Others, however, view the optics and accountability in a different fashion.

Enter Nick Sirianni. For the Eagles’ CEO head coach, surrendering an important game-management responsibility is a non-starter.

Asked about the rule change Thursday before the Eagles’ second joint practice against the New England Patriots, Sirianni quickly dismissed the idea of handing the flag to an assistant.

“I’m definitely going to keep that,” Sirianni said.

A Reminder

Aug 19, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) makes a catch during training camp at Gillette Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The veteran coach then reached into his memory bank for a moment that demanded a split-second feel and immediate action. In 2022 at Washington, receiver DeVonta Smith hauled in a ball over his shoulder. The Eagles hustled to the line and snapped quickly while then-Commanders coach Ron Rivera was still throwing his challenge flag. Philadelphia essentially beat the challenge.

“We actually beat the challenge,” Sirianni explained. “In my eyes, the way we need to do it, the way the Philadelphia Eagles are going to do it, is I just want that direct communication so if I have to get the flag out quick.”

Sirianni downplayed any claim of elite flag-throwing speed but stressed confidence in handling the moment himself.

“I’m not saying my release is really quick. I’m not saying anything like that, but at least I can get that out quick,” he said. “That’s just my feeling on it of what we’re going to do. I know sometimes it comes down to just little tenths of seconds to be able to get that flag out per the 2022 Washington game.”

Sirianni’s stance aligns with several other CEO coaches who have already indicated they’ll keep the flag (including Dan Campbell, and Mike Vrabel), citing accountability and the value of communication.

Whether more coaches eventually embrace the new flexibility remains to be seen, but for the Eagles in 2026, the red flag stays firmly in Sirianni's hands.

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