Adam Schefter Asks the Jalen Hurts Question All Eagles Fans Are Thinking

The Philadelphia Eagles have endured another offseason of drastic turnover.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was fired after an underwhelming performance last year. Heralded offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland also departed from the team amid reports of tension between himself and head coach Nick Sirianni.

Ride receiver Jahan Dotson is also now with the Atlanta Falcons, safety Reed Blankenship with the Houston Texans, linebacker Nakobe Dean with the Las Vegas Raiders, and pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips with the Carolina Panthers.

Oh, and there’s a strong possibility All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown will be traded at some point before next season as well. But amid all of the turmoil, what most people are talking about is the pressure now on quarterback Jalen Hurts after an ESPN report implied Hurts isn’t well-liked in the locker room.

Adam Schefter Takes Issue With Hurts Narrative

The ESPN report by Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler uncovered a whole mess of division and animosity within the Eagles — most of which was aimed at Hurts.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio hinted Hurts and the Eagles could soon part ways given his contract hasn’t been extended this offseason — an inference ESPN’s Adam Schefter has seemingly taken issue with.

“What I find interesting — and it’s just some food for thought here — when we think about it as we go along, we’ve spent an awful lot of time talking about Jalen Hurts, right?” Schefter stated on 87.5 The Fanatic.

“And that’s fair, I got it. Big deal, polarizing figure to an extent, but Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert did their contract two weeks after Jalen Hurts. Why isn’t anybody asking why they’re not extending yet?”

To Schefter’s point, Burrow and Herbert are both in environments much less volatile than the one Hurts is in.

For the most part, Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers fans like their head coaches — Zac Taylor and Jim Harbaugh, respectively — and their fan bases are typically much more forgiving than Eagles fans are when Hurts makes a mistake.

However, most Eagles fans are likely asking the same question Schefter is: why is their franchise and their quarterback under a microscope and nobody else?

What Are the Issues With Hurts?

According to McManus and Fowler, many blamed Hurts for Philly’s offense going stagnant last season because of his overreliance on conversative plays over riskier ones.

“Hurts has had a hand in the offense becoming calcified, according to several team sources who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity,” McManus and Fowler wrote. “

“He has pushed back on changes that would diversify the scheme, sources said, including when it comes to him going under center more. [Hurts] has shown a reluctance to let it rip at times, particularly against zone coverage. He diverts from the game plan and changes play calls to what some feel is an excessive degree.”

It was also revealed that Hurts’ demeanor had changed, and his poor attitude had started affecting his fellow teammates as well.

“Poor body language, not always bought in, not the most coachable and the players notice,” a team source told McManus and Fowler.

The hope in Philadelphia is new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion can unlock a more dynamic Hurts who’s not afraid of throwing the deep ball and relying less on the run. Whether it actually works or not will likely determine whether Hurts is still with the Eagles in 2027.

Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher