‘Last year is over’: Jalen Hurts sets tone as the Eagles conclude OTAs and depart for summer break
Hurts turns the page as the Eagles focus on improving for the coming season.
Right before the Eagles broke for summer vacation following the team’s final practice of the offseason program on Thursday afternoon, quarterback Jalen Hurts imparted a message to his teammates.
“Thinking about it holistically, last year is over,” Hurts said. “Anything that we were able to do last year … nothing that’s been done prior will get us to where we want to be now.”
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Coming off their heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl LVII to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles are hoping to reach similar heights in the fourth season of Hurts’ career. The 24-year-old recently was awarded a five-year contract extension worth up to $255 million, but Hurts insists nothing has changed about his approach to the game.
“There are a ton of experiences that we documented and deposited in the bank to learn from — that we will learn from and have learned from — but it’s a day-by-day thing,” he said. “It’s the truth. Every team has their own opportunity to do something special, and this is a whole entire new team. It’s something I’ve embraced. It takes a special type of discipline to achieve what you want to achieve.
“You have to completely reset that but also allow the things you’ve experienced to fuel you, fuel that fire, and grow.”
Over the next five weeks, players and coaches mostly will be removed from organized football responsibilities. Most players will leave the Philadelphia region for their offseason homes, where they will resume training on their own schedules. In Hurts’ case, he often has split his workout time between Philadelphia, his native Texas, and Southern California. Regardless of his location, Hurts insists he has plans to continue throwing to a majority of his featured pass catchers.
“I’m still feeling it out,” Hurts said. “I kind of go as my gut tells me to. In the end, the main thing is to come in [to training camp] conditioned, prepared, and crisp so we can get the thing going.”
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During the final OTA practice, Hurts rode a wave of emotions. The Eagles concluded the session with seven-on-sevens, during which Hurts was picked off by linebacker Christian Elliss and cornerback Mekhi Garner. However, Hurts rebounded nicely with a string of completions to wide receiver DeVonta Smith, including a deep drop-in throw down the right sideline for a touchdown.
While he discussed Hurts’ improvement with his accuracy and decision making, coach Nick Sirianni labeled Hurts as the “most coachable person” in his life.
“He’s just always looking to get better,” Sirianni said. “He’s so coachable; he just keeps getting better and he keeps getting better and he keeps getting better. I see another jump in everything that he’s done. ... We’re doing seven-on-seven, so there’s no pass rush except for the guys that are walking at him with the bags. But I do see his development continuing. That’s what we talk about with Jalen all the time. I don’t know what his ceiling is because he just keeps getting better, and he’s going to continue to do that.
“I’ve seen that same jump, the speed with which he makes the decision, the accuracy of his throws. He’s really had a good spring.”
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Hurts is looking to build on an impressive 2022 campaign that saw him finish as runner-up for NFL MVP. Over 15 regular-season and three playoff games, Hurts compiled 5,183 combined yards with 43 touchdowns and just nine turnovers (six interceptions, three lost fumbles).
He enters Year 4 with a new offensive coordinator and play caller (Brian Johnson) and a new quarterbacks coach (Alex Tanney), while the offense returns nine of 11 starters — including Hurts’ top pass catchers Smith, A.J. Brown, and Dallas Goedert — from a unit that finished third in the NFL in total offense.
“This is going to be good for us. It can be a benefit for us with the relationship that we have,” Hurts said of Johnson. “Obviously, it’s a little bit of a change of how we view things and how he views things as a play caller. But in terms of us navigating us and being on the same page, that’s the No. 1 goal. That’s something I reiterate to him all the time.”
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Hurts concluded: “It doesn’t take much to fuel me or motivate me. I think it’s about the type of competitor you are. Everybody wants to be the best. That’s what we try to be intentional toward. But it’s a steep price you have to pay to do that.”