At one point, Wade Phillips was considered one of the most prolific coaches in the NFL. However, he hasn’t gotten an NFL opportunity in over two years. While Phillips is now succeeding in the XFL with the Houston Roughnecks, he thinks his exile from the NFL has something to do with age discrimination.

Phillips last coached in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams as their defensive coordinator from 2017-2019. He didn’t coach at all professionally until the opportunity to lead the Roughnecks came up. At 75-years-old, Phillips says his age has made him an NFL outcast, via Justin Terranova of the New York Post.

“I hate to say it but I think it’s the age,” Phillips said of why he isn’t in the NFL. “It’s hard to beat my record as a coordinator so there’s got to be another reason. But that’s okay, I’m glad to be doing what I’m doing.

If Wade Phillips were an NFL head coach, he would currently be the oldest one in the league. Only the Seahawks’ Pete Carroll and the Patriots’ Bill Belichick are 70+ years old. The NFL has only gotten younger, with the Colts’ Shane Streichen (37) and the Texans’ DeMeco Ryans (38) each becoming head coaches before the age of 40.

Phillips time in the NFL saw him become one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. He served as defensive coordinator for the Saints, Eagles, Broncos, Bills, Falcons and Chargers alongside the Rams. He was named the AP Assistant Coach of the Year while he was Denver’s DC.

But Phillips’ time in the NFL appears to have come to a close. While he may not be happy with how he excited, Phillips is sure to be pleased with his XFL start, as the Roughnecks are currently 2-0.