After the Philadelphia Eagles destroyed the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon shut down any notion that he wasn't going to be back in the city of brotherly love.

“Philly is keeping me. Good, bad, or indifferent I’m staying here," said Gannon.

Well, life comes at you fast.

The confetti was still fresh on the field last Sunday night when Eagles' general manager Howie Roseman informed Gannon that he would be staying in Arizona to talk to the Cardinals' brass for their head coaching vacancy.

Jonathan Gannon said he didn't know he was going to interview with the Cardinals until Howie Roseman told him on Sunday night after the Super Bowl that he was staying to interview. pic.twitter.com/vKXRhdYHhN

— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) February 16, 2023

Talk about a change of plans.

The Eagles defense was one of the best in the NFL in 2022 under Gannon. They finished first in sacks, second in yards allowed, tied for third in interceptions, and tied for sixth in points per game. It continued in their first two playoff games as they only surrendered 14 total points, logged eight sacks, and forced four turnovers.

In the Super Bowl, it was a different story.

Philadelphia finished 16th against the run in the regular season, the middle of the pack. However, against the Chiefs, they gave up 158 yards on 26 attempts.

The Eagles' biggest strength defensively, getting to the quarterback, was nonexistent as well against the Chiefs as they were not able to sack Mahomes once. Philadelphia only had one game in the regular season where they didn't registered a sack which was in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Gannon's fate with the Eagles may have come in the second half of the Super Bowl when Philadelphia gave up 24 points and didn't force a punt. Also, the Eagles' defense allowed four touchdowns on five red zone trips.

Gannon did get some pretty high praise recently. Cardinals' tight end Zach Ertz, who spent time around Gannon in his first season with the Eagles in 2021 before he was traded, said he helped him through that difficult time, and that his old teammates speak highly of Gannon as well.

“This dude was an unbelievable leader,” Ertz said. “All the defensive guys (in Philadelphia) loved playing for him. His scheme isn’t some complex scheme, but like he said, it’s adaptable and the guys play fast. To me, when you’re going against a defense that plays fast and plays hard, you see it on film. When we studied the Eagles this year, you could see it on film. Obviously, they were a talented group, but they were extremely well coached.”

Well, now it's time to see if Gannon has what it takes as a head coach.

Feature image via Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK