Wednesday’s curiously timed report regarding the role of quarterback Jalen Hurts in the Eagles’ offensive dysfunction seemed to be a message. And the message reportedly has been received.
That’s the assessment from Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
McLane’s latest written assessment of the situation contains this quote from an unnamed Eagles source regarding Hurts: “He knows this is the last year of his guaranteed money. He knows the cat’s out on some of his baggage. You’ve got to be able to produce. You can’t be near the bottom of the league in passing two years in a row with the amount of talent that we have. It’s not acceptable. . . . And it’s everybody saying it — from [owner] Jeffrey [Lurie] on down. Everybody is on the same page.”
There’s much more in the latest episode of McLane’s Eagles podcast, unCovering the Birds, featuring a lengthy conversation with Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes. During their chat, it was mentioned that the Eagles use the media in an effort to get through to Hurts — which underscores the notion that the ESPN item didn’t happen spontaneously or without more fingerprints from the organization than a five-year-old eating Cheetos would leave on a glass tabletop.
Hurts is on notice. Coach Nick Sirianni, as Hayes explains, could be on notice, too. Five solid seasons including two Super Bowl berths and one Lombardi Trophy guarantees nothing.
What if last year’s home loss in the wild-card round is followed by a failure to make the playoffs? At the bare minimum, Sirianni would likely be on the hot seat in 2027. And there’s a chance he’d be trying to stave off a pink slip with a new quarterback.
It’s the nature of the NFL beast. Teams are either getting better, or they’re getting worse. For the teams that are getting worse, change is more inevitable than it is possible.
Look at the annual turnover throughout the NFL. Nearly one third of the entire league changed coaches during or after the 2025 season. The higher a team’s standards, the more critical it is to continue to satisfy them.
It is, as former Eagles defensive coordinator and now-former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon acknowledged when questions about his job security first emerged, the life they have chosen. And they’ve chosen a life of expectations, stress, pressure, and consequences.
In Philly, the expectations remain sky high. The stress remains palpable. The pressure is increasing. The consequences are always lurking.
And the team’s top priority as the 2026 season approaches seems clear. The Eagles want the starting quarterback to understand that he isn’t immune from the possibility of being replaced.
Read the full article here
