After 13 years in the trenches as the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland's coaching run with the organization has come to an end.
Taking to social media to announce the news, Stoutland thanked the fans most of all, as he became a certified Philadelphian over his decade-plus with the team.
“Philadelphia, I’ve decided my time coaching with the Eagles has come to an end,” Stoutland wrote. “When I arrived here in 2013, I did not know what I was signing up for. I quickly learned what this city demands. But more importantly, what it gives back. The past 13 years have been the great privilege of my coaching career. I didn’t just work here, I became one of you. Stout out.”
Why, one may wonder, did Stoutland word his message as “time coaching with the Eagles' instead of leaving the organization? Well, because he might not actually be leaving the City of Brotherly Love after all. No, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Eagles would like to retain Stoutland in a non-coaching role, even if they might have trouble fighting off other teams interested in his services.
“The plan is for Jeff Stoutland to have some sort of involvement with the Eagles’ organization,” Garafolo wrote. “But he will absolutely have other teams checking in with him immediately. They’ve smelled blood in the water for quite some time and are interested in him.”
Could the Eagles keep Stoutland around in an auxiliary role, be that as a scout or as a personal trainer for young linemen looking to learn what it takes to play at the NFL level? Potentially so, which would put a very good bow on one of the greatest positional coach storylines of recent memory as the Eagles offense transitions into the Sean Mannion era.
