Great read! My unpopular view: definitely keep A.J. Brown, but the Eagles should start thinking about life after Jalen Hurts. Bear with me.......yes, he's won a Super Bowl and an MVP, but you've basically hit his ceiling. A lot of last year's struggles came from needing to simplify concepts for Hurts, which massively limits what you can do offensively. Hence, A.J. Brown is being underused. It worked in 2024/25 because the run game and defence were so dominant that they could carry the load. But Kellen Moore was reportedly frustrated behind the scenes that he had to water down his playbook to fit Hurts. I don't think Hurts is bad; you just might have gone as far as you can with him.
Thanks Will! I'm self-admittedly a Hurts fan, but honestly I think you have a point man. I think that Mannion's ideal offense will stretch Jalen to do more of the things he either doesn't want to do or hasn't been asked to do in his time in Philly. Even though he's shown he can do them (like more timing based routes across the middle of the field), Mannion's offense will ask him to do those things more consistently than he ever has before.
And for the Eagles, it's a measuring stick of where Hurts is in his career and how much more he can develop. To your point, it's lowkey a pivotal year for not only the Nick Sirianni era in Philly but also the Jalen Hurts era. Appreciate the comment my friend!
Really enjoyed this, and yet, I’m still conflicted on what I want the Birds to do here. Feel like they’d never get back his true value in a trade, but it’s so hard to know how he’s affecting team culture. Sure doesn’t seem good from the outside.
I just don’t want them to trade him to a potential contender. That’s my only real concern.
Thanks for reading Matt! I think you're right, it's complicated. If you're the Eagles, I think there's little incentive to flip him before June because of the dead cap hit. So I'd take all the time you can to get more information about how he could fit into Mannion's scheme and how his relationships are developing with his teammates and coaches.
Then, if you get through training camp and things still feel rocky, there will still be a trade market for him and you're taking on less dead money.
Overall, I think the Eagles are in much better position for a deep playoff run with A.J. than without him. Last year's offense was a train wreck and a bad look for everyone involved, so it's tough to use that to evaluate how this year will be. But we'll see!
Great read! My unpopular view: definitely keep A.J. Brown, but the Eagles should start thinking about life after Jalen Hurts. Bear with me.......yes, he's won a Super Bowl and an MVP, but you've basically hit his ceiling. A lot of last year's struggles came from needing to simplify concepts for Hurts, which massively limits what you can do offensively. Hence, A.J. Brown is being underused. It worked in 2024/25 because the run game and defence were so dominant that they could carry the load. But Kellen Moore was reportedly frustrated behind the scenes that he had to water down his playbook to fit Hurts. I don't think Hurts is bad; you just might have gone as far as you can with him.
Thanks Will! I'm self-admittedly a Hurts fan, but honestly I think you have a point man. I think that Mannion's ideal offense will stretch Jalen to do more of the things he either doesn't want to do or hasn't been asked to do in his time in Philly. Even though he's shown he can do them (like more timing based routes across the middle of the field), Mannion's offense will ask him to do those things more consistently than he ever has before.
And for the Eagles, it's a measuring stick of where Hurts is in his career and how much more he can develop. To your point, it's lowkey a pivotal year for not only the Nick Sirianni era in Philly but also the Jalen Hurts era. Appreciate the comment my friend!
Really enjoyed this, and yet, I’m still conflicted on what I want the Birds to do here. Feel like they’d never get back his true value in a trade, but it’s so hard to know how he’s affecting team culture. Sure doesn’t seem good from the outside.
I just don’t want them to trade him to a potential contender. That’s my only real concern.
Thanks for reading Matt! I think you're right, it's complicated. If you're the Eagles, I think there's little incentive to flip him before June because of the dead cap hit. So I'd take all the time you can to get more information about how he could fit into Mannion's scheme and how his relationships are developing with his teammates and coaches.
Then, if you get through training camp and things still feel rocky, there will still be a trade market for him and you're taking on less dead money.
Overall, I think the Eagles are in much better position for a deep playoff run with A.J. than without him. Last year's offense was a train wreck and a bad look for everyone involved, so it's tough to use that to evaluate how this year will be. But we'll see!