Eagles talked to Sean McDermott, but ‘clear' they wanted offense

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The Eagles went in a pretty clear direction during their search process for a new head coach.  

All six candidates they interviewed — Duce Staley, Pat Shurmur, Tom Coughlin, Adam Gase, Ben McAdoo and Doug Pederson — were offensive minds. Despite what owner Jeff Lurie previously said, the team clearly wanted an offensive coach.  

That left one notable name out of the mix: Sean McDermott.  

While the Eagles never interviewed McDermott, the Panthers' defensive coordinator said he did talk to the team early in the process.  

"We did talk," McDermott said on Monday night, via the Inquirer's Jeff McLane, who is in California for the Super Bowl. "We had some preliminary talks. It was clear from the beginning they wanted to go offense."  

McDermott said he spoke with Howie Roseman the day after the regular season ended. 

The Eagles ended up hiring Pederson soon after the Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention. Gase and McAdoo became head coaches for the Dolphins and Giants, respectively. Duce Staley stayed on the Eagles' staff, Pat Shurmur went to Minnesota, and Tom Coughiln doesn't currently have a job.  

As for McDermott, he interviewed for a couple openings but wasn't chosen. He'll lead his Panthers defense into the Super Bowl on Sunday. McDermott is happy for Pederson, who he worked with for two seasons during Pederson's first stint as a coach in Philly.  

"I feel really good for Doug and the direction [the Eagles are] heading," McDermott said. "Doug's a good person. It's got to be the right fit at the right time. Them looking for an offensive coach, obviously, my defensive background apparently didn't fit." 

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