Sean McDermott hints at wanting Eagles' job on The Fanatic

In the search to find a replacement for the ousted Chip Kelly, one name that continues to be bandied about for the Eagles' head-coaching vacancy is Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott.

After coaching four straight top-10 defenses in Carolina, McDermott told the Charlotte Observer that since the Panthers have a first-round bye, he's willing to talk to teams this week that might be interested in hiring him as their next head coach.

So it's no surprise that the former Eagles defensive coordinator showed up Tuesday morning on 97.5 The Fanatic to speak to Anthony Gargano about the Eagles' coaching vacancy.

"I love the Philadelphia area, and quite honestly, it's been tough to watch the last several years having grown up in the area and worked there for 12 years," McDermott told Gargano, noting the Eagles' fan base is genuine and the team's facilities are second to none.

If calling a Philadelphia radio station during the first-round bye wasn't enough of an indication, McDermott did show some interest when Gargano asked directly if he'd like to come back to town and coach the Eagles.

"Let's just say that at the present time, with any and all jobs, I'm going to defer to my agent. It's a process, and I'm humbled and honored to be in that conversation, whether it's with the Eagles or the other teams that are interested," McDermott said. "I would just love to see the Eagles recapture that magic, and that's probably the best I can say at this point."

McDermott also talked about how fortunate he was to work alongside former Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.

Johnson "really taught me how to attack an offense and to attack an opposing quarterback, and how to formulate a game plan," McDermott said. "Jim's just been a huge influence on me professionally and in some ways personally."

Listen to Gargano's full interview with McDermott here.

Despite speculation about McDermott being a good fit in Philadelphia, a source told the Daily News' Les Bowen the Eagles have not yet asked permission to talk to the Panthers' defensive coordinator.

McDermott coached 12 seasons with the Eagles, eventually becoming the team's defensive coordinator in 2009 because of the decline of Jim Johnson's health. He lasted two seasons before getting fired, with The Inquirer's Jeff McLane reporting at the time that one or two defensive starters told Andy Reid during exit interviews that McDermott should be gone.