New NFL Rumors on Jalen Hurts' Role in Eagles' Offensive Struggles, 'Not the Most Coachable'

Just 14 months after being named Super Bowl 59 MVP, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is at a crossroad in his career as he prepares for the 2026 season.

Per ESPN's Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler, one Eagles source described Hurts as "not the most coachable player" and it doesn't go unnoticed by his teammates.

"Poor body language, not always bought in, not the most coachable and the players notice," the person said.

A common criticism of the Eagles offense throughout Hurts' career, particularly when things aren't going well, is that the scheme is predictable and lacks creativity. There are plenty of numbers from the 2025 season to support that theory, including a lack of pre-snap motion and very limited play-action usage.

One potential explanation for that, according to McManus and Fowler, is Hurts has "pushed back" when the Eagles have tried to make changes that would help diversify their scheme, particularly "when it comes to him going under center more."

Through the first 15 games last season, the Eagles had four games when they ran at least 20 offensive plays under center. They were 4-0 in those games and averaged 26.8 points per contest, which would have ranked ninth in the NFL over the full season.

One person close to Hurts told McManus and Fowler that the quarterback needs a coach who will "check him" because he was surrounded by "too many 'yes' people" last season.

The report cited a source as noting that Hurts "continually fights" against playing under center in part because he wants to see the entire field at all times and doesn't like turning his back to the defense.

It was also noted that Hurts went into last offseason preparing to play in one type of offense, heavily reliant on the shotgun, but was "asked later to implement more under-center work."

Some of the fault belongs with the organization, as well. The Eagles have had very little stability at the offensive coordinator position throughout Hurts' career.

Since Hurts became the full-time starter in 2021, the Eagles have had five different offensive coordinators if you include Sean Mannion after he was hired in January. Shane Steichen is the only one who was with Philadelphia for multiple seasons in 2021 and '22. The latter season saw Hurts finish second in MVP voting.

Other issues that plagued the Eagles last season were injuries to the offensive line, which has been the bedrock of Philadelphia's roster for nearly a decade. Three of the five starters missed multiple games, with Lane Johnson sitting out the final seven regular-season games and playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

There are a lot of reasons the 2026 season is shaping up to be crucial for Hurts and the Eagles. Despite his myriad accomplishments over the past four seasons, including a Super Bowl victory and a close loss in another one, Hurts' future in Philadelphia could be determined by how things go next season.

His contract runs through 2028, but the cap implications of getting out of the deal after next season aren't prohibitive for the Eagles. They would only lose $2.9 million against the 2027 cap by trading him prior to June 1 next offseason. They could save $21.4 million against the cap if he were to be traded after June 1, 2027.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman isn't afraid to trade a quarterback with an expensive contract if he has an alternative option. He took a $33.8 million dead cap charge in 2021 by trading Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts in order to hand the keys to the offense to Hurts.

Hurts has been incredibly successful throughout his NFL career, particularly over the past four seasons. He has led the Eagles to at least 10 wins every year since 2022.

The Eagles have made the playoffs in each of the past five seasons, tying the longest streak in franchise history.