March 2, 2026
At his most recent press gathering, owner Jeff Lurie said there were “no words to describe” the close relationship between his beloved Eagles and their adoring fans.
He went on to gush over the “family connection” between the city and his football team.
And then he underscored his sterling endorsement by calling Eagles fans “the best in the world.”
Wow. So many words of love from a man who bought the franchise 30 years ago for $185 million, a team now valued at $8.5 billion.
Of course, words are one thing, actions quite another.
When it comes to actions, let’s just say Lurie is not quite so generous toward the people whose loyalty made his franchise such a resounding success.
I got a first-hand look into the reality behind all of these expressions of admiration and devotion last week when a season ticketholder sent me a breakdown of how much he has paid over the past 23 years. (I am not providing his name because I fear there would be repercussions for him.)
Based on the numbers, it’s clear that Lurie has squeezed every dime he could out of his wonderful fans. And even before we start, yes, so do most of the other NFL teams. I know. But they don’t have the best fans in the world. Only one city has that. Just ask the boss.
All I could think as the 2025 season circled the drain in January was how I would feel if I had to pay thousands to watch Kevin Patullo’s disastrous audition for offensive coordinator. Well, this fan did pay – to the tune of $4,550 for two seats on the 20-yard line to the eight regular-season and two preseason games. (And an additional $610 for the playoff game.)
And that’s not the end of the story; it’s barely the beginning. Apparently, the stupendous increase in equity is beside the point to Lurie. He wants more, more, more of your money.
Based on this fan’s bills, he has had to absorb ticket increases in each of the past nine seasons, after a period when a more merciful Lurie chose to hike prices every three years.
In other words, the richer Lurie got, the more he wanted – and the poorer the “best fans in the world” became. And it hasn’t mattered whether his team was winning or not.
When they won, he got richer.
When they lost, he still got richer.
When it comes to getting richer, he has strung together 30 straight winning seasons.
Nine years ago, the fan was paying $2,500 for his two tickets. His latest bill for the 2026 season is $5,080. In less than a decade, his season-ticket bill has more than doubled.
Remember the joy we felt when the Birds won two championships over that span? Well, there was a price to pay for those two parades. Not by Lurie, of course. By the fans. A very steep price for these people Lurie loves so much.
Hey, the lucky fan who contacted me even gets to pay $530 more for next season, despite the fact that the Eagles face-planted because new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo didn’t know how to call plays in 2025.
Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t it seem a tad greedy to charge so much the year after that debacle? Would it be asking too much to give the fans a break after a slog like last season? Wasn’t it enough that the fans had to endure a lecture from coach Nick Sirianni on how to behave?
There has never been a more accurate maxim than the one about how the rich get richer.
In this case, unfortunately, it has been at the expense of the “best fans in the world.”
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The Eagles held a news conference last week to share some essential information before the coaches headed off to the annual NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
In case you missed it, here are some of the blockbusters that GM Howie Roseman and Sirianni so generously shared:
- The goal this offseason is to keep the good players they have and then add some new ones.
- J. Brown is a good wide receiver, but his status for the 2026 season is up in the air.
- Jaelen Phillips is a good linebacker, but it remains to be seen whether the Eagles will re-sign him as a free agent.
- Dallas Goedert is a good tight end, but it’s too early to say whether he will be back next season.
- Jake Elliott is a good kicker, but the team hasn’t decided yet whether it will bring in some competition for him at training camp.
Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia was so impressed by all of this new information that he actually called it “valuable stuff.” It makes me wonder what Frank would have written after actual news – like, say, Allen Iverson’s infamous “practice” presser – was presented for public consumption.
The truth is, the Eagles have been getting away with this drivel for years – well before I moved from my perch in front of a microphone to the comfort of my retirement recliner. My goal at WIP was to sift through the daily muddle for a nugget of actual news.
But I won’t lie. My first objective was to find something – anything, really – that would stimulate conversation about the team that matters the most to a Philadelphia audience. I had 20 hours to fill every week, so the bar was low.
Now, having just passed my third year on the radio sidelines, I can see so much more clearly how stupid most of these “press briefings” really are. And none more so than those the Eagles hold with the unspoken goal of revealing . . . . absolutely nothing.
Over time, I have developed a new warped appreciation for just how committed Sirianni is to repeating the same rehearsed answers from season to season. He loves to remind everyone how much he appreciates the fans here, and then he does everything he can to provide as little information to them as possible.
For example, at the Combine presser, he said he was “excited just about the mesh between the run, play-action, just the things Jalen (Hurts) has been good at” under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
At the beginning of last season, with his novice offensive coordinator (and close pal) Kevin Patullo taking over, Sirianni used almost the identical words in expressing his sense of anticipation over the “mesh” Patullo would provide for Hurts.
The coach gets extra credit for finding a way to use the word mesh to describe the play-calling over two consecutive years. Most people live a lifetime without ever saying mesh.
Am I the only one still keeping track of all the piffle the Eagles continue to offer at every opportunity? Have I nothing better to do in my golden years?
I definitely need a new hobby.