No, Nick Sirianni did not intentionally give Philadelphia Eagles fans the middle finger while walking into the tunnel at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles head coach said he was stunned when he was informed of that speculation following their 19-11 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. That gesture, Sirianni insisted, was not something he intentionally did in the wake of what was a seventh straight loss.
“Absolutely not,” Sirianni said, via ESPN’s Tim McManus. “That was a surprise to me, but absolutely not.”
It is easy to understand why Eagles fans may be frustrated with Sirianni. The Eagles have lost seven straight games now, and sit in last in the NFC East with just a 2-7 record. They are all but out of the postseason race completely this fall, and the team looks incredibly different than the one that won the Super Bowl just two seasons ago. They’ve lost quarterback Jalen Hurts due to blood clots, too, and have been struggling ever since.
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Assuming the Eagles don’t miraculously rally the rest of the way, this will be just the second time in the past decade that they didn’t make the postseason. They’ve won two Super Bowl titles in that span, too.
And on Sunday, as Sirianni left the field, his right hand was moving around a bit awkwardly as he walked past fans and into the tunnel. That led to speculation about the middle finger gesture, though Sirianni never looked anywhere but forward and definitely didn’t make a clear gesture. His demeanor on the walk in question never changed.
Sirianni does have a history of yelling at fans, including an incident in which he apologized after yelling at a group of Eagles fans during a 2024 game with the Cleveland Browns. But Sunday’s exit from the field wasn’t even close to that.
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The Eagles are entering their bye week, and will return on Nov. 22 for a matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They dealt defensive tackle Jordan Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, too, in return for a first-round draft pick next spring and a second-round pick in 2029. They now have a combined 10 picks in the first two rounds of the next three drafts, which should give them plenty of room to regroup after this season ends.
Until then, Sirianni will attempt to get the Eagles back on track during the final stretch of the season. He didn’t rule out any coaching changes, either, but that’s not his focus just yet.
“Right now we’re going through the self-scout process,” Sirianni said. “Guys are working on studies right now, and we’re determined to figure things out and get on the right track, and that’s what we’re worried about right at this particular time.”
