Hollywood Brown Defends Jalen Hurts from Critics After Landing Eagles Contract in NFL Free Agency

Veteran wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown praised quarterback Jalen Hurts after signing with the Philadelphia Eagles this week.

Brown inked a one-year contract worth up to $6.5 million with the Eagles on Tuesday, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz, and he is set to operate as either Hurts' WR3 or WR2 depending on whether the team trades A.J. Brown.

During an appearance Tuesday night on Speakeasy with former NFL players Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy, Brown made it clear that he has long admired Hurts and his game:

"I've always been a fan of Jalen Hurts," Brown said, before noting that he almost stayed at the University of Oklahoma for an extra year to play alongside Hurts after Hurts transferred from Alabama.

Brown went on to single out Hurts' ability as a down-field passer as something that sets him apart from other quarterbacks in the NFL (beginning at the 1:02 mark of the video).

"I personally feel like he's one of the top vertical passers in the league," Brown said. "His deep ball is great. ... That's attractive to a receiver. You know he's putting it on the money. And on third down when it matters, money downs, he can make it happen however he's gotta do it. It don't matter how it looks, he's gonna make it happen."

The 27-year-old Hurts has enjoyed enormous success as the Eagles' starting quarterback, going 57-25 with five playoff appearances.

He helped lead them to the Super Bowl in both 2022 and 2024, and he was named Super Bowl MVP in the Eagles' 40-22 win over Brown and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

Hurts' passing numbers have left something to be desired at times, though, and he has been the subject of criticism as a result.

Despite having a pair of top-flight wideouts in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Hurts threw for only 2,903 yards and 18 touchdowns in 15 starts in 2024.

He followed that up with 3,224 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions, plus 421 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns last season.

Philly only ranked 23rd in passing offense, though, and that wasn't good enough given that Saquon Barkley went from rushing for 2,005 yards in 2024 to 1,140 yards last season.

The Eagles were upset at home by the banged-up San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs as well, putting Hurts under the microscope even more.

Even so, Brown had nothing but good things to say about Hurts, which bodes well for them building an immediate connection within an offense that needs to improve in 2026.