The Philadelphia Eagles are two seasons removed from a Super Bowl appearance. Jalen Hurts was awarded with a whopping $255 million contract with $179 million guaranteed and proceeded to nosedive and take his team with him, as they finished the season 1-7 with a terrible 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Bucs in an NFC wild card game.
The result was the total opposite of what fans expected after a 10-1 start. There were some grumblings about Hurts not being happy with the offense and head coach Nick Sirianni being on the hot seat. The team definitely performed as if they were suiting up for a guy who had lost the locker room.
The image of Hurts sitting by himself and looking dejected on the end of the bench during that playoff loss is now a part of his legacy.
In a story from ESPN’s Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler on Aug. 7, they detailed a “prolonged strain” between Sirianni and Hurts throughout the 2023 season caused by a “disconnect in offensive visions” between the two.
One person described the relationship as “fractured” and unhealthy.
The report came a couple of months after Hurts seemingly gave a non-answer when asked during a press conference about Sirianni being open-minded to change the offense.
“Um, I mean, that’s a great question. I don’t know that I know the answer to it,” Hurts responded.
Even though the Eagles held onto Sirianni, they chucked Brian Johnson and moved in veteran Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator and Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator.
Jalen Hurts isn’t going anywhere. His fate is tied to Philly and Sirianni survived the rumors that he was going to be moved out.
GM Howie Roseman Gets More Weapons For Hurts
Eagles brass also wasn’t going to rest on its laurels and put it all on Hurts to straighten out whatever difficulties he encountered last season, when he was a shell of what we saw in the previous season while challenging for league MVP honors and inspiring elevated expectations.
General manager Howie Roseman added youth and depth to the secondary on draft day and then upped an already formidable offense by signing the highest-paid running back in team history and one of the elite dual-threat backs in the league (Saquon Barkley) from right under their division rival’s nose.
Then traded for the No. 3 wide receiver they’ve been lacking in Jahan Dotson, to round out a wide receiving duo that is among the top 5 in the game (Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown).
Hurts has basically gotten everything he wants and needs. A new offensive coordinator, upgrades across the board, a bag and a vote of confidence. It’s basically time to deliver, and we can’t judge him on the first 11 games. Philly is built to win a Super Bowl. Hurts’ football history suggests he’s the winner who can get them there.
Peyton Manning thinks so, and last season he offered his opinion on Hurts’ apparent disconnect with the offense by suggesting that Moore has to design one “around Jalen Hurts and what he likes.”
No more trying to force him to fit your system.
Hurts’ first test comes against the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo, a regular-season opener that will set the tone for the season.
“We’re just excited about the pieces that we have, excited about the coaches that we have,” Sirianni said. “We’re excited to go rip it.”
Every Game Is A Moment Of Truth Game For Hurts This Season
So here we are. It’s do or die time for Jalen Hurts. It’s undeniable that he regressed in many areas last season, but nobody thinks talent is one of them.
While some of his teammates complained about having to travel to Brazil to play the opening game of the 2024 season, Hurts kept everything positive and assumed the leadership role that everyone expects from him.
The quickest way to change the narrative is to defeat the Green Bay Packers, who have their own rising star in QB Jordan Love. This is the most pivotal season of Hurts’ career. If he wants to move like LeBron James, he has to close the deal and slay the giants. That’s the first step towards Hurts truly reaching superstar status.
