Nick Sirianni’s post-game handshake and four-word message to Kyle Shanahan causes stir

Jan 12, 2026 - 10:00
Nick Sirianni’s post-game handshake and four-word message to Kyle Shanahan causes stir

The Philadelphia Eagles are out of the playoffs.

The defending Super Bowl champions were eliminated from the postseason by a banged-up San Francisco 49ers team on Sunday after suffering a 23-19 wild card weekend defeat at Lincoln Financial Field.

Brock Purdy Christian McCaffrey
Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey were too much for the dysfunctional Eagles
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After the game, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan met up at midfield.

Nick Sirianni tells 49ers and Kyle Shanahan to “win it all” during handshake

However, the customary post-game coaches handshake caused a stir after Sirianni gave Shanahan a clear message.

“Go win it all,” he said.

Some remarked that it showed class and good sportsmanship, while others commented that it showed a lack of rivalry in the heat of battle.

“I prefer when my coach tells the other coach to go die,” joked one fan.

“As the world’s biggest Sirianni hater, I have no issue with this. Since when are these teams rivals? And if you’re gonna lose, you probably wanna know you at least lost to the best team,” said another.

“Sorry this is not a rivalry.. lol not close at all,” a third weighed in with.

“Class, with grace. Love to see this from Sirianni. All team coaches should be this respectful of each other,” commented a fourth.

Sirianni and Shanahan’s exchange isn’t the only handshake that went viral on wild card weekend.

Ben Johnson brutally brushed off Matt LaFleur’s handshake after his Chicago Bears sealed a historic win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.

Nick Siranni Kyle Shanahan handshake
Siranni told Shanahan and the 49ers to “go win it all”
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Nick Sirianni AJ Brown
It came after the Eagles head coach’s sideline bust-up with AJ Brown

Johnson appeared to have little interest in lingering around on the field, as he initiated the brief interaction before appearing to little-brother LaFleur.

That interaction followed comments Johnson made almost a year ago when he was introduced as the Bears’ head coach. During his unveiling, the first-year head coach said he enjoyed beating the Packers’ coach twice a year as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator.

As for Sirianni and the Eagles, they went down in typically hot-headed fashion against the Niners.

Earlier in the contest, Sirianni got in a heated exchange with Philly wide receiver AJ Brown.

Sirianni raced down the sideline to confront his superstar wideout, who in turn held his ground and faced his coach.

Eagles head of security ‘Big Dom’ DiSandro was forced to step in and separate the two, although then the pair continued to go at it.

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After the game, Sirianni addressed the sideline incident himself.

“I was trying to get him off the field, because we were about to punt, and that was really it,” Sirianni said.

“I love A.J. I think he knows how I feel about him. I have a special relationship with him. We’ve probably went through every emotion that you can possibly have together.

“We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together, we’ve yelled at each other. You know, we’re both emotional.

“I was trying to get him off the field, and that happens in this game. That happens in this game, but, I love him.”

The Eagles will now have a summer of reflection while the 49ers advance to next weekend’s NFC divisional round where they will face the No. 1 seeded Seattle Seahawks.

The NFC West rivals split the season series, 1-1.

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