Eagles Trade Jalen Hurts? PFT's 'Incompetent' Mike Florio Starts Laughable Rumor
Was Philadelphia Eagles franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts as good in 2023 as his MVP-caliber season in 2022? Definitely not.
Does that mean the Eagles should be looking for other options at the quarterback position?
Wait. What?
This all stems from a truly odd take from ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio, who writes, "While there’s no specific reason to believe the Eagles or Hurts are ready for a fresh start ... (any problems) could be enough, in theory, to make the team or the player interested in making a change."
Wait. What?
The Eagles aren't going to trade Hurts, but they could in theory. Is that what we just read?
Writes Philly radio guy John Kincade, "Absolutely no one who covers this team daily, converses on it daily or understands the situation has EVER discussed this. Slow news week, desire for clicks or complete incompetence.''
Despite turning the ball over at one of the highest rates in the league in 2023, Hurts still managed to finish in the top echelon of quarterbacks in total touchdowns. He was consistently among the leaders in low-percentage plays that ended up in completions - a clear sign that he was performing well despite issues in play-calling.
Despite all the good that Hurts showed in 2023, the turnovers, and perceived "regression" at the position have left many questioning whether the former second-round talent can be among the elite.
It also doesn't help that recent comments regarding his leadership, or lack thereof, are increasingly turning negative after years of it being a strength.
But wondering about his ceiling is one thing. This sort of "report'' - rumor-mongering nonsense, really - is another.
Hurts is here to stay. The All-Pro signal-caller signed a five-year, $255 million deal last offseason with minimal cap hits over the coming years. He's also the first Eagles player to receive a no-trade clause in his contract.
Florio - who has no connection to the Eagles locker room and no basis upon which to suggest he foresees a future in which the two sides could look to part ways - clearly bumped into a contractual tidbit he considered newsworthy ...
And by steering his audience into thinking this is a "thing,'' he has bungled it badly.
The quarterback here has been a consummate professional. The ink on the contract is fresh. So are the team's wounds of failure. But when colleague Kincaid writes, "Slow news week, desire for clicks or complete incompetence,'' he's actually being quite polite.
For the Eagles, this is not a slow news week. And PFT is wildly successful and therefore doesn't need to stoop to click-baiting. So ... which option does that leave us?
