Reason why Simpson remains safe at Eagles

Adam Simpson's future at the Eagles has become the biggest talking point in the AFL as many call for his immediate removal from the top job.

The Eagles are floundering on the bottom of the ladder with just one win and an alarming percentage of 47.3.

The club's already catastrophic season also slumped to an ever greater low on Saturday, with the Eagles handed their heaviest defeat in history, a 171-point flogging by the Swans.

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Discussing West Coast's frightful situation on Nine's Footy Classified, Kane Cornes believed Simpson was coming to the end of his tenure.

"My firm belief is that he's on borrowed time now – whether that's this week, whether that's in a month or whether that's at the end of the year – Adam Simpson can't continue to be the coach with a record like that," he said.

"No coach in world sport would survive a record [like that].

"Clearly there is a contract there in place. I don't blame Adam for not walking away but that is the way it is going."

The most intriguing part of West Coast's headache is proving to be Simpson's contract.

Simpson is contracted with the club until the end of 2025.

"I'm not sitting here saying West Coast want him to leave as coach. But when you're on more than $800,000 [a season] with no exit clauses in it because of when it was done, for two more years, which has to be part of the soft cap," journalist Sam McClure said.

While the Eagles are one of the wealthiest clubs in the AFL, it is unknown whether the club could afford to fork out the AFL's luxury tax to pay out Simpson.

The tax is 200 per cent for a breach over the soft cap of $500,000.

"My opinion is that [the contract] is the only reason he is staying, and that's from the outside clearly," Cornes said.

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"But if you look at what a coach's job is – to get the best out of your players and maximise their abilities. Is that happening? No.

"Then you look for job satisfaction. Are you enjoying the job, are you passionate, are you bouncing out of bed? The observation from the outside is well how could you be, and he looks tired and he looks combative.

"So then I think, why's he staying? And the only reason I can think of is that contract."

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