Just four days after taking a surprise 34-17 beatdown from the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, the Philadelphia Eagles‘ head coach, Nick Sirianni, faced questions about how he plans to clean up the mess his team created over the last two games.

The mini-bye week gives Sirianni and his staff time to regroup and prepare for Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Well, there’s a bright side that the Vikings still haven’t decided between quarterback J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz. But Sirianni has some confession to make of his own in the roster.

As Eagles reporter Jeff McLane wrote: “#Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said he wanted to bring CB Isaiah Rodgers back, but that you can’t sign every free agent. Said he’s appreciated how Rodgers has played this season for the Vikings — Sunday’s opponent.”

It is becoming painfully clear that Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson aren’t quite ready. The thought of what the Eagles’ secondary will look like without Isaiah Rodgers in the mix is tough to ignore. Even Sirianni himself spoke about his desire to re-sign Rodgers, but due to contract limitations, it is not possible to draft every free agent.

Sports Illustrated’s Ed Kracz also shared some eye-opening details about the details of Eagles’ parting ways with Isaiah this season. “Through various conversations, it’s been learned that the Eagles prioritized not only bringing back linebacker Zack Baun, but Rodgers, too. They got one of two done, but couldn’t reel in Rodgers. On Monday, two days before the start of free agency, it was leaked that Rodgers had agreed to a contract with the Vikings,” Kracz said.

“A two-year, $15 million deal was announced on March 13. It’s unclear whether Rodgers’ representation ever gave the Eagles a chance to match the offer, but it’s likely the Eagles would have at least matched since $7.5 million per year for two years wasn’t an exorbitant amount even in an offseason where the organization preached fiscal sanity.”

Rodgers clears the air about his return

While Ed Kracz’s report appears to be more aggressive than it seemed, Rodgers set the record straight by taking to social media and writing on his official X, “Lol, Don’t believe the media. See yall Sunday.” His sarcastic message ended with the laughing emojis, telling the fans to ignore the rumors, as it was unclear whether Rodgers and his management ever gave Philly a real chance.

While it seems a possibility that Rodgers would have earned a starting role in the secondary, it would not be easy for Sirianni to see Rodgers with the “reel-worthy” performance against his former teammates after the trade for Jakorian Bennett.

Philadelphia believed that Kelee Ringo’s athleticism alone would be enough to thrive at the cornerback position. The Eagles then signed Adoree Jackson in free agency and traded for Bennett this summer. But on Sunday, Rodgers would definitely try to make the Eagles regret their decision not to re-sign him.