Announcement: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts Is Eager For A New Journey Amidst Frustrations With Nick Sirianni

The fourth-year starting QB is taking on new roles and responsibilities that he’s craved.

Jalen Hurts, the quarterback for the Eagles, walked the stage at the NovaCare Complex Auditorium five days away from the autonomy he has so much desired. Hurts did this to mark the transition from future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce to the quarterback in the moment.

Hurts, who is about to start his fourth season as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback, had long yearned for that role but was instructed to step down due to Kelce’s years of experience managing pass protection modifications.

The split is not the fault of anyone. There aren’t many opportunities in college football to teach protection calls, and most quarterbacks enter the current NFL after practice time has been reduced by law.

Every QB needs to be trained, and the objective should always be to identify a signal caller who has the mental agility to tackle a challenging task and the drive to achieve it.

But Philadelphia is a team that saw Hurts become an MVP-caliber player playing in the same scheme as Kelce, who helped Nick Foles win the lone Super Bowl in the team’s history by taking on the heavy lifting.

As long as Kelce was in the lineup, it made sense for the Eagles to maintain the status quo. It was also reasonable that Hurts became a bit of a rut after being told to step back when handling protection calls, something head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed on Sunday at his press conference, which was held ahead of the team’s preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers on Friday in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“At the line of scrimmage, things can happen. For some teams, it’s all about the quarterback, for others, it’s all about the center, and for some teams, it’s a mix,” Sirianni explained. “Jalen was able to accomplish additional things at the line of scrimmage, and Kelce took care of most of it.”

“Yeah, what [Hurts] said is 100% true.”

What Hurts said came during an interview with 94.1 WIP last week.

Hurts remarked, “There’s just different autonomy in different places.” “I was instructed not to worry about a lot of things because we had a terrific player here in Jason Kelce, who took on a lot of duties.

“Over the years, because of who we had, my eagerness to learn and all that kind of stopped, but things are different now.”

Hurts did not show any signs of irritation to Sirianni.

The coach said to Eagles on SI, “Jalen has been all win since I’ve been here, trying to do everything he can do to win.” “To say it’s been more than that would be an understatement. He has given this football club his all every year, 2021, 2022, 2023, doing all within his power to help them win.

“We know we need him to play good football for us to have a chance week in and week out, so we see the same Jalen—a guy who’s working his ass to help us win this first game, working his ass to make sure the team is in a good position, and playing his best ball.”

Then Sirianni added his own punctuation to the passage.

“I will say this: I think he’s had an incredible training camp, and each year I’ve been here, I’ve sensed his drive and determination to succeed,” Sirianni remarked. “That guy has won.” He knows how to win because he has always been a winner. He approaches that procedure daily in an effort to outperform everyone I’ve ever encountered.

The Eagles faced more blitzes last season than any other team in the NFL, only surpassed by the Packers, who will meet them on Friday. Still, the results are what they are.

It was usually a successful tactic for the opponent, particularly in the Eagles’ 1-6 final frame.

The Bucs have eliminated the Eagles from the postseason in 2021 and January 2024 thanks to the defensive-minded coaching of Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles. Former New York defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was such a pain that Hurts contacted the seasoned coach to get advice.

Pro-grade right tackle Lane Johnson hinted at what was to come.

Johnson acknowledged, “I think teams will watch last year’s film and, until we stop it, I think those things are going to keep coming.”

Hurts’ increased responsibilities will need to be gradually explained to him by Kellen Moore, the team’s new offensive coordinator. When the red light is on, Moore downplays the bullet item in his job description, but the consistently truthful Johnson confirmed that the blitz has been a focal point.

“We’ve really been focusing on that throughout camp—throwing a lot of different blitz packages during practice and having hot checks,” Johnson stated.

This process will begin to yield results, which will be published from South America on Friday night.

“I’m about to embark on a new year filled with new duties and responsibilities. We are there, Hurts stated. “I believe that as a quarterback, you’re constantly changing. You never stop developing. You’re constantly learning new things, and I believe that’s what improves both of us. That has always been my methodology.

“… I’m looking forward to that adventure.”