Prior to the Philadelphia Eagles' elimination last week at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, drama had already surrounded the team. Sometime during the latter part of the regular season, Patricia became the de facto defensive coordinator of the Eagles, replacing Sean Desai as the one in charge of play-calling duties.
Despite this, Patricia currently isn't under contract with the Eagles and reportedly plans to explore other options, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Going back to Week 15, Patricia earned the said de facto DC spot following the team's back-to-back losses courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. However, the struggles would continue, as the team fell short against the Seattle Seahawks that week.
It would prove to be the start of the Eagles' collapse. The team won their next game but finished the season with another three straight losses, the final straw being Philly's Wild Card loss to the Bucs.
Fans react to Patricia's plan following Eagles' elimination
Now, with the aforementioned announcement regarding Patricia's plan to explore other options, NFL fans don't seem to welcome the idea of him being in their favorite teams.
One X (Twitter) user lamented Patricia's past tenure with the Patriots.
Others ridiculed Pelissero's use of the term “top DC candidate” in his tweet.
Despite the backlash from fans, one silver lining in having Patricia as part of the coaching staff involves his championship experience. Regardless of quiet team defensive numbers, Patricia still managed to win three Super Bowls with the Pats (two as defensive coordinator, one as an offensive coaching assistant).
Matt Patricia may not be favored by fans, but seeing how he's had a long tenure in the NFL, it probably means he's doing something right.
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