Jalen Hurts Criticized by NFL Exec in Comparison to Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts continues to invite a level of skepticism despite being a Super Bowl champion on one of the NFC's best teams.

The Athletic's Mike Sando spoke with an NFL team executive who drew a line between Hurts and the Detroit Lions' Jared Goff and Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford.

"Goff, when he is going and they are going downhill, is difficult to deal with, and of course, Stafford is that way too," the exec said. "But I don't feel that way about Jalen Hurts."

This is the same general conversation that has followed Hurts for the last few years.

The two-time Pro Bowler was ninth in the preseason quarterback rankings from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Sando had him tied for ninth in his annual QB tiers exercise. Hurts' stock dropped even in the eyes of his peers as he went from 15th to 19th in the NFL Top 100 players list.

And this was after achieving a career-defining goal of lifting a Lombardi Trophy.

The numbers certainly aren't flattering. Through Philly's eight games, Hurts is averaging 209.6 passing yards per game. While that's an improvement from 2024 (193.5 yards), the Eagles offense has gone backward with running back Saquon Barkley failing to replicate his milestone campaign.

Some might have thought NFL legend Drew Brees was being a bit hyperbolic when he called the Eagles offense "the most boring" in September. That assessment isn't wide of the mark with more evidence to judge the unit.

The franchise knows it can win a Super Bowl with Hurts at the helm, but there's no question he's not a prolific game-changer in the mold of Stafford, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and others.

Maybe that will be Philadelphia's undoing this time around in the playoffs.