NFL Insider details rocky relationship between Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles had no shortage of issues during a 2023 campaign in which the team started 10-1 before ultimately losing five of their last six and backing into the playoffs and losing in the Wild Card Round.

One of the issues with the team was the relationship between quarterback Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni. As The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on the “Scoop City” podcast, “there was some disconnect” between the two in 2023.

“It’s a relationship that’s a work in progress,” Russini said. “So, last year, there was some disconnect between them in their personalities. Nick, we’ve seen, he’s a very emotional guy. Jalen is a very private guy.

“They are different human beings, which is fine, that’s OK. You don’t all have to be the same, but you do have to be on the same page.”

What’s going on between Eagles HC Nick Sirianni and QB Jalen Hurts?
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— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) July 19, 2024Russini added that the issues for the Eagles internally didn’t just pop up during the lackluster stretch to end the season.

“Those 10 wins were a grind, from what I was told,” she said. “It was explained to me that just because they were getting (wins), that doesn’t mean that behind the scenes it was perfect and it was just this winning culture at all times.

“Every win felt like a really big feat for them because of the challenges that they were facing in terms of what they were doing on offense.”

The Eagles struggles on the offensive side of the ball led to the firing of offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, who had a good relationship with Hurts, Russini noted. However, Russini added that Johnson “really leaned into” what Sirianni wanted for the offense as opposed to making it his own.

“From just talking to some of the guys in the locker room, Brian Johnson really leaned into making sure Nick was getting what Nick wanted,” she said. “So, what you saw last year wasn’t reflective of what Brian Johnson wants and what he would do with an offense, that was Nick Sirianni.”

Looking ahead to 2024, the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, who is expected to have more control over the offense. Philly will hope that yields much better results.

Author(s)

After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report, Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided, and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. On top of his duties with Sporting News, Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire.