Why Eagles made controversial Cole Payton draft decision after Jalen Hurts reports

Following the Philadelphia Eagles' wild-card playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers in January, multiple reports surfaced claiming that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was "the source of much internal frustration" during the 2025 season.

Thus, eyebrows understandably were raised when the Eagles somewhat surprisingly made North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton a fifth-round pick during the 2026 NFL Draft. While speaking with reporters over the weekend, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman explained why he grabbed Payton when he did during the player-selection process. 

Eagles are "excited" about having Cole Payton in their quarterback room

"He was the highest guy on the board, and obviously, it’s an important position," Roseman said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "We feel really good about the three quarterbacks that are here. We plan to have them here, we’re excited about all three of those guys. It’s not about them, it’s about staying true to the process and taking the best player available...We’re open to keeping four quarterbacks, for sure. It’s the most important position in sports. If you have four good ones, why wouldn’t you keep them?"

Earlier in April, Roseman publicly defended Hurts regarding reports that the executive said were "unfair." It now seems unlikely that Philadelphia will keep both Tanner McKee and fellow backup Andy Dalton after the club took a flier on Payton. According to Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, Payton could see some playing time during his rookie season. 

"We’ll see how that goes, get him here, get him acclimated here, have a chance next weekend at rookie minicamp learning the playbook, then we’ll see where it goes from here," Sirianni said about Payton possibly playing this coming fall. 

Meanwhile, many believe McKee will be shopped to other teams before the 2026 campaign gets underway.

What Eagles liked about Cole Payton

"Really, really athletic, really good with the ball in his hands in the quarterback run game, made great decisions with the football, accurate passer — 72 percent last year as a starter, and you can’t be that unless you’re making good, accurate throws and going the right place with the ball," Sirianni added about Payton. "There are some 'Wow' plays on his tape that are really impressive. I think I charted four times he jumped over somebody. I wrote down, 'He’s the best athlete on the field.'"

Hurts signed a five-year contract extension reportedly worth up to $255M with $179.3M guaranteed in the spring of 2023, and he's in no danger of losing the starting job in Philadelphia anytime soon. However, questions about his long-term future with the organization likely won't quiet down this offseason now that he's sharing a quarterback room with Payton.