21 OC Jobs Turned Over This Offseason: McMullen and Kerr Sound the Alarm on the NFL's Coordinator Crisis

Twenty-one offensive coordinator positions changed hands this offseason. Let that number sink in. In a 32-team league, two-thirds of all teams will enter the 2026 season with a different voice calling plays than they had in 2025. On Monday's Birds 365, John McMullen and NFL reporter Jeff Kerr laid bare a league-wide problem that extends far beyond the Eagles' hiring of Sean Mannion.

The Only Survivors: Head Coaches Who Call Plays

McMullen pulled up data originally compiled by ESPN's Mike Clay that paints a damning picture of offensive continuity in the NFL. The only play callers with multi-year tenure are the ones who also happen to be head coaches.

Andy Reid has been calling plays in Kansas City since 2013. Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan have been doing it since 2017. Matt LaFleur since 2019. Zac Taylor since 2019. After that, the list drops off a cliff — virtually every other play caller in the league was hired in 2025 or 2026.

The only ones who have any continuity are the guys who are head coaches that call plays. Everybody else — 2026. 2025 with Ben Johnson, Schottenheimer. It's ridiculous. — John McMullen

The Scapegoat Culture

Jeff Kerr highlighted one of the more egregious examples of the coordinator carousel: Houston fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik after just two seasons, despite the Texans winning 11 games and making the playoffs.

Kerr also pointed to Josh Grizzard's own firing from Tampa Bay as a cautionary tale. Grizzard oversaw a top-five offense through the first six weeks before injuries decimated the roster. The Buccaneers replaced him with Liam Cohen, who inherited a healthier group and produced similar results — but Grizzard paid the price for circumstances largely beyond his control.

There were 21 offensive coordinator positions available this year. — Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports

McMullen called the number 'ridiculous' and noted that the scapegoating of coordinators is not unique to Philadelphia — it is an industry-wide epidemic.

The Eagles Are Part of the Problem

The Eagles themselves have not been immune to this cycle. In the Nick Sirianni era alone, the team has burned through Shane Steichen (who left for a head coaching job), Kellen Moore (hired away by the Cowboys, then fired), Kevin Patullo (fired after one season as play caller), and now Sean Mannion. On the defensive side, Jonathan Gannon left for Arizona, Sean Desai lasted one season before being replaced by Vic Fangio.

McMullen was characteristically direct about the fundamental issue plaguing the sport.

Philadelphia is not unique. In fact, they're ordinary when it comes to scapegoating. Everybody does it. — John McMullen

Why It Matters for the Product

Kerr connected the coordinator carousel to a broader concern about the quality of the NFL's on-field product, comparing the league's trajectory to NASCAR's decline.

I grew up in the NASCAR heyday. I thought there was no way NASCAR could mess this up. And they messed it up. I keep saying it — there's no way the NFL can mess it up, but you're seeing the signs. — Jeff Kerr

When 21 out of 32 teams are installing new offensive systems every offseason, the quality of play inevitably suffers. Quarterbacks learn new terminology, receivers run different route concepts, and offensive lines adjust to new blocking schemes — all while being expected to compete at the highest level from Week 1. The constant churn makes it nearly impossible for offenses to develop the kind of chemistry and timing that defines championship-caliber teams.

The Lesson the NFL Refuses to Learn

The data could not be clearer. The most successful offensive teams in the NFL — Kansas City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Green Bay — are the ones with the most continuity in play calling. And in every case, that continuity exists only because the play caller is the head coach and cannot be fired without blowing up the entire operation.

As the Eagles hand their offense to their fourth different play caller in four years, they are betting that Sean Mannion can defy the very trend that their own organization has perpetuated. The league's salary cap may be soaring to $303 million, but no amount of money can buy the one thing most NFL offenses desperately need: time.