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- Mar 19, 2019
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On Monday, the Eagles fired coach Doug Pederson. Also on Monday, the Eagles contacted his potential replacement.
Geoff Mosher of InsideTheBirds.com reports that the Eagles already have reached out to Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley to gauge his interest in the job.
Riley became the coach of the Sooners in 2017, and his quarterback pupils have included Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts.
Jalen Hurts, as in Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. And not Carson Wentz, as in Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.
Riley has been linked from time to time with NFL jobs, but there’s never been a serious courtship of him by a professional team. If the Eagles plan to put on the table the kind of money that the Panthers have given former Baylor coach Matt Rhule (roughly $9 million per year), maybe Riley — whose current package averages more than $7.5 million per year — will listen.
Other factors surely come into play. Riley seems to have it made at Oklahoma. It may take making a lot more than $9 million per year to get him to make the jump to the next level, especially when the specific opening at the next level resides in a city where neither the media nor the fans will be as compliant or friendly as what he’s currently experiencing in Oklahoma.
Unless he wins in the NFL likes he’s been winning in college, where his record is 45-8.