Jalen Hurts is walking into 2026 with the spotlight turned all the way up, even if the noise around him has little to do with what he’s actually done on the field.
The Eagles quarterback spent the offseason at the center of a messy swirl of reports. Some painted him as uncoachable and said he changed plays.
Another said the organization did not give him an extension because he needed to prove himself in 2026. There was also a report that Hurts was unhappy that not many teammates and coaches stepped up to defend him.
Put that together with an average 2025 season, and it was enough to land him on The Athletic’s list of “one player on each team to have the most on the line in 2026.”
Eagles reporter Zach Berman made the case this way: "It might seem ridiculous to suggest a Super Bowl MVP has the most on the line, but this has less to do with what Hurts accomplished and more to do with what’s ahead," Eagles reporter Zach Berman said. "The Eagles overhauled their offense by hiring OC Sean Mannion, giving Hurts a new play caller entering the season every year in his career.
Unlike 2024, a change was made this time because of the offense’s underachievement. If it struggles again, it’s unlikely the Eagles keep looking at the play calling as the fix.
The guaranteed money remaining on Hurts’ contract is waning, and he’s no longer among the top 10 in the NFL for highest-paid players at his position. There will soon need to be another decision about Hurts’ long-term future with the franchise.
He’s answered the bell throughout his career, and he has the hardware to show for it. But the offense must play better - and the quarterback is a big part of it."
That’s the crux of it: the pressure is real, but the idea that Hurts has the most on the line is a stretch. He’s already a Super Bowl MVP.
He’s been to three Pro Bowls. And with a 68% winning percentage in his starts, he’s stacked up wins at a level most quarterbacks never touch.
Still, quarterbacks get judged differently, and Hurts knows that better than anyone. Eleven wins didn’t satisfy the Eagles last season after the team came off a Super Bowl run the year before. That’s the standard in Philadelphia, where patience is thin and every storyline gets magnified.
So the obvious question hangs over everything: if Hurts delivers another season like the one he had last year, what comes next? Does the Eagles move on from him in the offseason? Does general manager Howie Roseman bring in young competition to push for the starting job?
It sounds extreme, but this is Philly. The temperature is already high, and Hurts is the one standing in the middle of it, needing a big season to quiet the doubts and convince the franchise again.
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Sirianni seems well aware of that dynamic, and he has leaned into the idea that the only thing worth his attention is the next week of preparation. Even with his own rsum growing and Hurts continuing to stack victories, the national conversation still finds ways to frame the Eagles as a team under suspicion rather than one that has earned its place near the top. [Read more 🡒]