Former Vikings QB Emerging as Eagles OC Candidate
Earlier this offseason, the Washington Commanders promoted 2022 Vikings quarterback David Blough to offensive coordinator. The next one who might earn one of those sweet promotions is long-time Vikings backup Sean Mannion. He’s scheduled to interview for the Eagles’ offensive coordinator opening.
For a player who spent much of his NFL career quietly helping quarterbacks prepare behind the scenes, Mannion’s rapid rise in the coaching ranks has been anything but subtle. Just two years removed from his first assistant role, he now finds himself interviewing for one of the league’s most visible offensive coordinator jobs — a testament to how quickly his reputation has grown inside coaching circles.
NBC Sports’ Myles Simmons wrote Tuesday, “It looks like the Eagles are getting closer to finding their next offensive coordinator. Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, Philadelphia is bringing in Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion for an in-person interview this week. This will be Mannion’s second interview with the club, as he previously met virtually with the Eagles.”
Mannion coached Green Bay’s passers in 2025, getting improved play out of both Jordan Love and Malik Willis. The Packers gave him his first coaching job in 2024, when he was hired as an offensive assistant. He just needed one season to convince Matt LaFleur that he’s the right guy for the QB coach job.
The passer first joined the Vikings in 2019 when Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer signed him in free agency. He was the new backup of Kirk Cousins and it’s worth noting that Cousins’ play improved dramatically that season. Mannion stayed for two seasons until the Seahawks added him in 2021. However, he didn’t make their team and the Vikings re-signed him.
His next exit came after the 2022 preseason when Kevin O’Connell parted ways with the veteran in favor of Nick Mullens. Ironically, Mannion returned to the Seahawks. During the 2023 season, when Mullens suffered a back injury and was placed on IR, the Vikings added Mannion to the practice squad for a couple of months. After his release, of course, he returned to Seattle, where he finished the 2023 campaign on the practice squad.
In all his years with the Vikings, Mannion appeared in only four games (two starts), most notably a 2021 game at Lambeau Field that Cousins missed due to COVID. You might remember Zimmer’s presser after the game when he took a shot at Kellen Mond.
During his time in the Twin Cities, Mannion was mostly viewed as an additional coach in the quarterback room who helped Cousins prepare rather than a real alternative.
Last year, Cousins said about his former colleague, “I really can’t speak highly enough of Sean to you. It would be difficult for me to fully articulate how much I believe in him, how much he helped me as a player when he was in the quarterback room with me, how much I leaned on him to just be another voice, another set of eyes, another person to go to for input. And I think I played my best football around him largely because of his involvement there. So, when it was time for his playing career to wind down, it seemed like a natural fit for him to go into coaching.”
In Philadelphia, Mannion would have some serious talent at his disposal, led by a strong offensive line, running back Saquon Barkley, and wideouts A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. Neither of the latter three played particularly well in 2025. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is just one year removed from a Super Bowl triumph, but limitations in the passing game still hold him back from entering true elite QB conversations.
The Eagles are a risky bet — they haven’t been kind to offensive coordinators — but the roster talent and front office’s skills to find contributors can quickly catapult a successful hire into head-coaching candidacy.
If Mannion were to land the job, it would continue a growing trend of former backup quarterbacks quickly transitioning into influential coaching roles around the league. With organizations increasingly prioritizing quarterback development, game planning, and communication skills, Mannion’s background as a trusted film-room voice could translate well at the coordinator level. Even if Philadelphia ultimately goes in another direction, this interview alone signals that his coaching trajectory is accelerating.
Mannion is 33 years old.