The Philadelphia Phillies brought back Don Mattingly as their manager, signing him on a new two-year deal on Wednesday. But before making that big decision, they were reportedly interested in getting in touch with Phillies great Chase Utley as well as Raul Ibanez about the job as well.

Per The Athletic, the Phillies requested the Los Angeles Dodgers for permission to talk with the two, who both work for the team. But according to sources, both declined.

The Athletic asked Utley about the Phillies' supposed interest in him before Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, and he responded.

“Regardless if that (Phillies report) is true or not … considering where I’m currently at with my family, that commitment (to a job like managing) is not really realistic at the moment. I’m completely happy with how things are going currently. So that is something that I’m really not wanting to add to. I imagine everyone would totally understand that,” Utley said.

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Utley spent 13 of his 16 MLB seasons playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and was part of their 2008 World Series-winning team. He then played the last three-plus seasons with the Dodgers and is currently with the team as a special assistant to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

Aside from Utley and Ibanez, the Phillies also reached out to Alex Cora for the manager role, but he also turned them down as he announced he wouldn't be managing in 2027. Amid those rejections, the Phillies eventually opted to bring back Mattingly, who led the team to a 79-55 record as an interim manager last season.