Eagles Coaching Rumors: Adam Schefter senses there's a front-runner candidate

Now that the NFL owner's meeting are over, head coaching searches around the league are expected to heat up. As of now, the Philadelphia Eagles' list is narrow (too narrow) and the team reportedly doesn't plan to interview any new candidates. With that in mind, there may be a favorite for the Eagles' head coaching job. It just might not be the name you would expect. Speaking in an appearance on the 97.5 The Fanatic Morning Show on Wednesday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shared his insight on the situation. (Hat tip to Birds 24/7).

"I never said that [Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug] Pederson was a front-runner," Schefter said. "I don’t know that he’s the front-runner. I do know that square in contention for that job. I know they really like him. In my mind, my sense — and these are just senses — is that [Giants offensive coordinator] Ben McAdoo is the front-runner. But I don’t know that to be right. I think Pederson and McAdoo are square in the conversation."

The Eagles officially confirmed their interview with McAdoo last week. It's interesting to see Schefter sense he's the favorite because there hasn't been a ton of buzz on him. In fact, Eagles fans think he's the least likely candidate to be hired:

Here's what BGN's Dave Mangels wrote about McAdoo in his coaching profile:

McAdoo's work with Eli Manning is impressive. Usually a turnover machine, he's cut down on them under McAdoo, and has done so with just about every starter and key contributor missing time in at least one season. In his two years in New York, he's gotten more out of his players than the sum of their parts. If the Eagles are looking for a young coach who's gotten the most out of his QBs, they could do worse than McAdoo.

There's also been discussion of McAdoo coming to Philadelphia in a package deal with former Giants coach Tom Coughlin. Schefter didn't discuss that possibility, but he did weigh in on the Eagles' interview with Coughlin.

"I think Tom Coughlin’s interview went well," said Schefter. "You can’t meet with him and not be impressed with the coach and man that he is. But ultimately, as good and impressive as he is, I just think the Eagles’ model here is to find somebody they could work with for the next 10 to 15 years, and I don’t think Tom Coughlin fits that description, as good of a coach he is. If I had a franchise, I’d have no problem hiring Tom Coughlin.

"But I think in their minds, they’re set on finding a guy who is going to be there for a long time. They went through a coaching search after Andy [Reid] and found Chip Kelly. They’ve gone through a search now … they don’t want to keep doing this. This is not what they want to do. So in my mind they want to find someone who will be there a while. Maybe even Pat Shurmur would be in consideration. He’s a very good football coach. But to me, I would handicap McAdoo as the favorite for whatever that’s worth. And we’ll see if that’s proven right."

Needless to say, keep an eye on McAdoo's name moving forward.

UPDATE: Some additional info from Jimmy Kempski here.

Not to be "piggyback guy," but I was told last night not to count out McAdoo, which caught me by surprise. https://t.co/trGmiydy21

— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) January 13, 2016