Latest On Friction Between Eagles & Jalen Hurts

According to ESPN, Hurts pushed back on system changes in 2025, including playing under center more often, and showed reluctance to commit to deep passes when facing zone coverages. ESPN’s sources indicated that Hurts chose to divert from game plans and playcalls to an “excessive degree.”

Philadelphia moved on from Kevin Patullo as their offensive coordinator and hired Sean Mannion to the role this offseason. ESPN cites one source close to Hurts who said the quarterback needs coaches who will “check him,” and that Philadelphia had too many “yes people” around Hurts in 2025. 

Going back to 2024 under former OC Kellen Moore, ESPN cites multiple team sources who said Hurts did not always embrace new offensive concepts that Moore tried to implement. One source recalled that Hurts was not receptive to the idea of adding more motions and shifts to their system. Although another team source says Hurts was willing to experiment with their scheme in 2024, he was quick to express his frustration if changes were not paying off immediately. 

However, one source close to Hurts mentioned that the quarterback didn’t dissuade coaches from using motions and shifts, which led to Philadelphia implementing approximately 279 plays with motion in 2024, equating to the 11th most in the NFL. 

Multiple sources tell ESPN that Hurts refused Patullo’s desire to get the quarterback under center more often in 2025, which is something that Hurts “continually fights.” ESPN’s sources say that Hurts doesn’t like to “turn his back on the defense” and prefers to process coverages out of the shotgun so everything stays in front of him. 

One source close to Hurts hinted that he prepared for a “traditional Eagles attack” last offseason that was reliant on the shotgun, but was later asked to play under center more often.  

Two team sources mentioned that Hurts kept offensive players guessing after breaking the huddle, given the quarterback is quick to change playcalls: “You never know what play is coming out of the huddle.”

Regarding the situation between A.J. Brown and Hurts, multiple sources tell ESPN that they never saw the two engage in an argument during the season, and both tended to internalize disagreements: “Clearing the air probably doesn’t happen as often as it should,” one source said.

Another team source told ESPN that Brown and Hurts never seemed to get on the same page in 2025: “You might want to win, but your way might be different than mine. [Your stars] have to be on the same page and I don’t think they always were.”

As for Hurts’ dip in rushing attempts last season, one team source told ESPN that keeping the quarterback healthy over a long-term basis was a factor, while another source mentioned that defenses adjusted to their spread formations and loaded the box.

Leading into 2026, one team source told ESPN that Hurts is “as open as he’s ever been” to making changes. Team sources mentioned that Hurts had “difficult conversations” with members of the organization during the season, and members of Hurts’ inner circle addressed him on how he played a role in things going wrong in 2025. 

Hurts, 27, is a former second-round pick of the Eagles out of Oklahoma in 2020. He signed a four-year, $6,025,171 rookie contract with a $1,941,943 signing bonus.

Hurts was scheduled to make a base salary of $1.3 million in 2023 in the final year of that deal when he signed a five-year, $255 million extension. He’s set to carry a cap hit of $31.97 million in 2026.