Eagles' Nick Sirianni compares relationship with Jalen Hurts to dating

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni offered an interesting comparison while discussing his relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts. 

"It’s like you’re dating your wife—you get to know her better and better and better," Sirianni explained during a conversation with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. "You just get to know her like that. It’s the same thing. I’d say the first year, we were trying to find our way of what we knew he liked and what he’d be good at. You figure it out and you go on a roll. You just continue on that in the second year, and you’re going to try and continue on that in the third year while also changing it up enough where you’re not predictable." 

Sirianni accepted the Eagles job in January 2021, and his coaching helped Hurts guide the club to a playoff appearance in their first season working together. The 2020 second-round draft pick then turned into a revelation under Sirianni beginning last September. 

Per Pro-Football-Reference, Hurts finished second in Most Valuable Player voting for the 2022 campaign behind only Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes. The Eagles ultimately won the NFC Championship before they fell to none other than the Mahomes-led Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. 

"I just see him continuing to grow in who he is as a player and his knowledge of plays," Sirianni added about Hurts. 

Hurts and the Eagles agreed to a five-year contract extension this spring reportedly worth up to $255M with $179.3M guaranteed, and there remain some questions about if the Eagles will ask the 25-year-old to play a bit more cautiously now that he's been paid franchise-quarterback money. He spoke with Breer about how he's evolved from when he first entered the league over three years ago. 

"I’m older. I’m wiser. I have more experience, and I play with those experiences," Hurts said. "I haven’t grown or shrunk. I think it all comes with time. The game evolves. You look at the greats, Peyton [Manning] and Tom Brady, those two guys, for example, when they came into the league and when they left the league, their games were totally different. That’s how it’s supposed to be." 

Hurts and the Eagles open the upcoming season at the New England Patriots this coming Sunday afternoon, a day that will feature the Patriots honoring none other than Brady. As of Monday, OddsChecker listed the Eagles as the betting favorites at +330 odds to represent the conference in Super Bowl LVIII.