Eagles hire Matt Leo to their staff

It was late last month that Eagles defensive end Matt Leo retired from the NFL but it turns out he isn’t leaving Philly. The team officially announced that he’ll be joining their staff as a defensive and football operations assistant.

The Australia native played at Iowa State and then joined the Eagles in 2020 via the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. He then spent the multiple seasons on the team’s practice squad. Leo never played a regular season snap for the Eagles, but he clearly stood out around the building during his nearly three years in Philly to earn a spot in the front office.

The 31-year-old is just the latest in a young group of players-turned-assistants on the Eagles staff. With “connecting” being one of the team’s core values, the organization likes to keep familiar faces around, and it’s a way to build on the bond Leo and others already have with the players.