Three possible Eagles coaching candidates share agent with Howie Roseman

Remember the names Mike McCoy, Jay Gruden, and Ben McAdoo.

All three assistant coaches are considered candidates for head coaching jobs this offseason, but more important, and in relation to the Eagles, all three are represented by agent Bob LaMonte.

When Eagles general manager Howie Roseman hired LaMonte as his agent during the 2011 offseason it is unlikely he imagined it would come in handy two years later as he prepares to help owner Jeffrey Lurie find Andy Reid's replacement.

But with LaMonte, Reid's longtime agent, handling the affairs of McCoy, Gruden, and McAdoo, Roseman's relationship with the agent will certainly aid him if the Eagles are interested in the aforementioned assistants.

It is likely they are interested in all three - McCoy, the Broncos' offensive coordinator; Gruden, the Bengals' offensive coordinator and Jon's younger brother; and McAdoo, the Packers' quarterbacks coach.

Lurie will hire the next coach, but Roseman will play an important part in the process and ultimately in which coach chooses to accept the Eagles' offer because he is part of the package.

Fair or not, there are questions about the 37-year-old GM because he has virtually no track record as an NFL executive. Lurie's best route to hiring a top candidate may be to go through LaMonte if Roseman, as expected, is placed in charge of football operations.

LaMonte clients tend to move in packs. Before he recently stepped down as Browns president, Mike Holmgren's GM (Tom Heckert), head coach (Pat Shurmur), offensive coordinator (Brad Childress), and quarterbacks coach (Mark Whipple) were represented by LaMonte, who got his start in the NFL because of his friendship with Holmgren.

In Minnesota, GM Rick Spielman and head coach Leslie Frazier are LaMonte guys. Childress preceded Frazier. Aside from Reid and Roseman, the Eagles have had other LaMonte clients (Marty Mornhinweg, Sean McDermott, Childress). Mornhinweg is now represented by David Dunn.

It's possible Reid winds up in either San Diego or Arizona. If so, LaMonte has executives in both spots. Randy Mueller is a senior executive with the Chargers, and the Cardinals are expected to promote Steve Keim as general manager sometime soon.

McCoy, Gruden, and McAdoo have all routinely been mentioned as budding head coaches and will certainly interview for what could be six to eight vacancies. McCoy will probably be the most sought-after of the three in light of the Broncos' success this season.

Quarterback Peyton Manning certainly deserves much of the credit for Denver's 12-3 record, but McCoy has seamlessly shifted from an offense with the mobile and inaccurate Tim Tebow at the controls to one with a pure pocket passer.

McCoy, 40, interviewed with Miami last year, but Joe Philbin got the job. The former quarterback (University of Utah/Canadian Football League) has been described as hardworking, unflappable, and one of bright young minds in the NFL by those who have worked with him.

If the Broncos earn a first-round bye in the playoffs, McCoy will be available to interview for head coaching jobs next weekend.

The Bengals will play on the first weekend of the postseason, so Gruden will not be able to interview for vacancies until Cincinnati's playoffs are over. Gruden, 45, turned down at least three interviews last offseason. The Bengals' offense showed minor improvement upon last season, but Gruden remains a contender for a top job.

McAdoo, 35, has just one year as Packers quarterbacks coach under his belt after six seasons in charge of their tight ends. He may not yet seem qualified to make the jump to head coach, but Reid was Green Bay's quarterbacks coach for only two seasons before Lurie boldly selected him to lead his team in 1999.

Like McCoy, McAdoo could be available to interview next weekend if the Packers earn a first-round bye. If either is the final choice and his team reaches the Super Bowl, the Eagles would have to wait until after Feb. 3 to hire their next coach.

LaMonte has other clients who could be on the Eagles' radar - Jon Gruden, Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, Saints defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and Jaguars defensive coordinator Mel Tucker are the most notable - but they don't fit the profile of the young-up-and-comer that Lurie seemingly prefers.

The Eagles are sure to interview a number of candidates who aren't LaMonte clients. Chip Kelly, who is represented by Dunn, was once believed to be atop the team's list. He may still be, but on Thursday there was a report from Sports Illustrated that Kelly wanted near complete control over personnel and that that would rule him out of Philadelphia, with Roseman expected to run the show here.

Whether that was posturing or not, the Oregon coach and the Eagles are no longer considered a likely match, NFL sources confirmed.