Jalen Hurts can't be happy with all these Eagles rumors
doubledragon
Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭
Very interesting indeed.
For only being in the league for one season, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has already been put through the wringer more than some five-year veterans. He dealt with a lifetime's worth of quarterback debate surrounding him and Carson Wentz in 2020 and the tenuous employment status of former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, who didn't really support Hurts much last year. Then his first offseason gets off to a cracking start with multiple rumors about the Eagles trading for or drafting his replacement.
According to long-time Denver columnist Woody Paige, "The Panthers and the Eagles have focused fully on obtaining [Deshaun] Watson." This is the second time a respected NFL writer has connected Watson to the Eagles, with local beat reporter Jeff McLane recently writing a source told him Eagles GM Howie Roseman, "will give up everything he has for Watson.” Throw in the fact that Roseman was non-committal about Hurts being the starter a few weeks ago and you could understand why Hurts wouldn't be thrilled about his situation in Philly.
Hurts already dealt with a quarterback controversy last year when he replaced Wentz as the starter and instantly injected some life into the Eagles' anemic offense. Pederson refused to name him the starter after that and he was eventually benched for Nate Sudfeld in Week 17. Hurts openly admitted being frustrated about that decision, but after the Eagles traded Wentz to the Eagles, his path toward starting seemed clear.
The Eagles will receive the 85th overall pick in this year's draft, and the conditional second-rounder can become a first-round pick based on Wentz's playing time. Wentz needs to play at least 75% of the Colts' offensive snaps for the 2022 conditional pick to convey to a first-rounder, according to sources. The pick also could become a first-rounder if Wentz plays at least 70% of the snaps and the Colts reach the playoffs.
Beyond not getting the kind of support you'd assume a franchise would give a player they drafted in the second round a year prior, it seems the Eagles are hellbent on replacing Hurts four starts into his NFL career. Outside of the trade rumors, the Eagles have also been linked to drafting a quarterback with the sixth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. It would be shocking for them draft two quarterbacks in the first two rounds in back-to-back years, but that seemingly shows you how much the Eagles want someone else under center in 2021.
Hurts wasn't especially efficient when he played this year. He completed only 52% of his passes threw 6 TDs against 4 INTs and fumbled the ball nine times. He did rush for three touchdowns and threw for over 300 yards in consecutive games, but he won only one game against three losses.
Usually a franchise will give someone like that more time to develop, or at least fight for the starting job. If the Eagles do draft a quarterback this year, that's likely the scenario. But if they trade for Watson, Hurts will hit the bench again and likely wouldn't see the field barring injury. Trade rumors would likely surface soon after and Hurts will have to deal with another year of headache.
It's been a long career for Hurts already and things aren't trending in his favor this offseason. What comes next is anyone's guess, but you can't imagine he's happy about the way he's been treated by the franchise that drafted him.
Comments
Jalen Hurts seems to be the type of NFL QB who plays just good enough to lose.
The league is full of QB's such as this. I'd rather take a chance on another starting QB rather than five to ten years of complaining about this guy and how he blew another winning opportunity with an untimely fumble, interception, poor throw, etc.
He also needs to know that Watson is a elite. If anything it should motivate him to try even harder to succeed, I like Hurts and think he will be fine
I've always felt that rookies should be given 1-3 years of backup before they ever start a game. Unless they are off the charts good. Just think of your own work history, or job, and how you became so much better after a few years of experience. These kids need that too.
The little bit I saw of him last year, I liked Hurts. I would defer to Eagles fans who have seen him play much more than myself though
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Tua and Hurts are in the same class of hohum QB’s. Unless something drastically changes with their play they are in the Tyrod Taylor class. Pretty good but always willing to trade for better.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
Used to be that way. But the massive amounts of money they are getting paid coming right out of college, forces many teams to play them immediately in many cases.
I haven't seen Hurts play enough to really know. On the other hand, I have been reading sports articles this morning, and find it very interesting that Frank Reich apparently thinks Carson Wentz "still has it".
ProFootballTalk
Frank Reich: Carson Wentz’s 2019 film confirmed to me he still has it
Myles Simmons
1 hour ago
When rumors began to circulate that the Eagles could trade quarterback Carson Wentz, the Colts were always considered the natural landing spot because of Wentz’s relationship with head coach Frank Reich.
Before the deal went down, Reich reviewed Wentz’s tape to see what went so wrong for the quarterback in 2020. And while Reich served as Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator for the QB’s first two seasons, what convinced the head coach that Wentz can round back into form were some more recent performances.
“All you had to do, for me, was turn on the film in 2019, and with four games to go the Eagles needed to win out,” Reich told Albert Breer of SI.com. “And not only did they need to win out, but in each of those games, as I recall, looking at the film, Carson had to play great in the second half, and play a major role in that team winning those games in the second half.
“Now, they were team wins, they were team efforts, it wasn’t a one-man show. But Carson made the plays that a quarterback needs to make when you need to win four games in a row to make the playoffs. He did that, and that wasn’t 2017. That was 2019. So in my mind, that just confirmed to me this guy still has it.”
Reich went on to say that Wentz can do a better job of playing in rhythm, getting rid of the ball instead of trying to make something out of nothing. But the head coach also said that Wentz’s protection last year was not as good as it was in 2017, which required him to do more with less.
“But it’s not all Carson’s fault either,” Reich said. “It’s everybody’s fault.”
Still, Wentz was the most-sacked quarterback in football in 2020, being taken down 50 times. Houston’s Deshaun Watson was second at 49 sacks — but he played four more games than Wentz.
I didn't want to bring up Carson Wentz, but the gnome made me do it. There's a Carson Wentz gnome that bites me. He's very demanding, and insists that I keep him relevant in the world of football. He's delusional and still believes that he plays for the Eagles!
My brother-in-law's parents once invested in a harness racing horse with one of the top trainers in the business.
The horse turned out to be amazingly fast, with one bad problem. It would break (go off gait) in almost every race. That's a big problem in harness racing, including a safety issue for the drivers.
Its final race as a three year old, after around eight races, was a race at Pocono Downs. I'm watching it live on TV on a simulcast, it had around a ten length lead at the top of the stretch, pacing easily towards the finish line, and it broke, finished dead last. They retired the horse after that.
Carson Wentz reminds me a little bit of that horse. Lots of talent, but perhaps he is untrainable at this point. We shall see.
At least they grabbed Jalen Reagor ahead of Justin Jefferson - that should help out their QB
🤔
The Philadelphia Eagles are in the hunt for a veteran quarterback to challenge Jalen Hurts, and one has clearly emerged on their radar.
According to Tim McManus of ESPN, the Eagles have brought Joe Flacco in for a meeting. No offer is on the table yet, but there is “mutual interest” between Flacco and Philadelphia.
Flacco spent 2020 with the New York Jets, who brought him in as Sam Darnold’s backup. He ended up getting four starts for Gang Green, throwing for 864 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. He turned 36 in January, and hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2017.
It’s been reported that the Eagles want to legitimately push Hurts to win the starting quarterback job. There’s a strong perception that Hurts ends up getting the job no matter what, however, which could mean a veteran who wants a legitimate shot at starting might avoid the Eagles. It could leave Flacco as their best option.
That's not really the case. Tua, for example, is making $30m over his 4-year contract. While not exactly nothing, it's pretty low for even a backup QB in the NFL. Jalen Hurts is making $1.5m.
Ain’t nobody trading for Watson right now.