PHILADELPHIA – Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has instructed the team to prioritize making Jalen Hurts successful in 2021 rather than creating a true quarterback league, sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
Hurts is currently the only quarterback under contract in Philadelphia. More quarterbacks will be added, but Lurie wants his staff to build around Hurts and determine if he’s the answer to moving forward, the sources said.
Hurts, who appeared on the Adam Schefter Podcast, said he sees the Eagles’ decision to trade Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts off-season as a vote of confidence in him to move forward.
“I think it was just an opportunity for me,” Hurts said in his first public comments since trading, when asked if he was surprised to hear the Wentz news. “I think it shows the confidence and what they think I can be as a player, so I want to prove them right.”
Philadelphia agreed last month to trade Wentz to Indianapolis for a 2021 third round and 2022 conditional second round that could turn into a first round. The transaction will become official when the competition year begins on March 17.
The relationship between Wentz and the Eagles came under strain during a rocky 2020 season in which Wentz struggled before being replaced by Hurts, the team’s second round last April, for the final four games. When it became clear that Wentz would rather pursue his career elsewhere, the wheels were set in motion to trade him.
One of the reasons Philadelphia felt comfortable trading Wentz was the presence of Hurts, who sparked the offense when he was included in the lineup and helped make an upset victory against the New Orleans Saints in his first career start. Hurts cooled down a bit on the trajectory, finishing with a 52% completion rate and six touchdowns to four interceptions as they rushed for 354 yards and three scores.
The Eagles will contribute to the position in free agency and / or design, but as it stands, Hurts will enter the 2021 season as the presumed starter.
“I think, you know, nothing changes for me and my way of thinking, trying every day to get better as a player,” he said. “Be the best leader I can be. Influence the guys around me, and ultimately it’s about winning football games and being consistent and doing that, so my mindset doesn’t change it.”
The Eagles are the # 6 overall choice in design and could be in the market for a receiver. Two of the best wideouts in the draft class, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith, were teammates of Hurts in Alabama.
“I just saw something about Waddle that said he’s different … and he’s different. You know he’s a great player, a good friend of mine, a little brother to me,” said Hurts. “I mean, the things he can do with the ball in his hands, his speed, athleticism, there’s nothing he can’t do. And DeVonta Smith is like a smooth criminal … ball., strong hands … he’s so strong with his hands. He’s a great player himself. “