'I'm not surprised': Jalen Hurts has long, strong response to rumors about Eagles' frustrations with him

The Philadelphia Eagles are 8-2 but have routinely generated headlines throughout the season for reasons not related to their success. 

Most recently, reports surfaced detailing how some within the Eagles have grown "frustrated" with the play of quarterback Jalen Hurts. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Hurts didn't deny that such stories are accurate. 

Jalen Hurts will not run away from criticism, negative reports

"I guess I get a lot of attention when things are going well and when things are not going so well," Hurts explained, per Tim McManus of ESPN. "I never run away from holding myself accountable, and I think that's exactly what I've taken the approach of doing. I take great pride in what we do on offense. I take great pride in how we go out there and play as a team and what our flow is. I think we've got work to do, and that obviously starts with me. That's always my approach. That's always me looking internally first in everything that we do and then in due time rising above."

Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has repeatedly made it known this fall that he has been less than pleased with his numbers and with the overall play of the team's offense. This past weekend, Dianna Russini of The Athletic shared that multiple Philadelphia offensive players think Hurts has "become hesitant in tight windows, leaning on checkdowns or scrambles instead of trusting what’s open downfield." 

Later, longtime Eagles insider Derrick Gunn (h/t Bleeding Green Nation) mentioned that some within the organization don't love that Hurts plays "his game" instead of "the game the coaches want him to play." 

"I’m just basically telling you there’s a lot of people in that organization that are frustrated with the quarterback situation right now," Gunn said about the Eagles. 

Have reports about alleged frustrations surprised Jalen Hurts?

ESPN stats show that the Eagles rank 25th in the league in total yards per game (300.1), 28th in passing yards per contest (184.9) and tied for 16th with 23.4 points scored per game. For what it's worth, Hurts didn't seem stunned that the latest reports about the team have gone public. 

"I'm not surprised by anything. This is kind of the nature of the position," Hurts said. "But I put my energy and my focus on trying to go out there and do my best and trying to learn, trying to build, trying to take in the things that I can to try and improve."

As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had Philadelphia as a 3.5-point favorite for the club's game at the Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1) this coming Sunday. Hurts indicated that producing a solid outing at AT&T Stadium could silence chatter about what he is and/or isn't for the 2025 Eagles. 

"Ultimately, it's about how you navigate what's in front of you and how you respond to these things," Hurts added during his comments. "I think the response is more important than anything. It's about pushing forward; it's about finding ways to grow. There's always going to be something. There's always unknown. There's always another dynamic to a situation. Ultimately, it's about growth."