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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Over and over, the football world shows Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts it doesn’t think much of him.
After over a decade as a high-profile college and NFL starting quarterback, Hurts has continually defied the odds and proven doubters wrong. It’s kind of become what he’s most known for.
After a lackluster 2025, the 2026 season will give Hurts a chance to do what he’s done best.
NFL.com’s Nick Shook put out his postseason NFL starting quarterback rankings with a high dose of disrespect on Hurts and his game, putting last year’s Super Bowl MVP at No. 19 out of 65 starting quarterbacks — and putting him at the bottom of the “Tier Three” of NFL quarterbacks.
Out of the 65 quarterbacks, only Hurts and New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (No. 45) were Super Bowl winners outside the Top 16 — ostensibly the upper half of NFL quarterbacks.
The difference? Wilson won his Super Bowl following the 2013 season and was benched less than a month into the 2025 regular season.
Hurts was Super Bowl MVP in February 2025 and has played arguably the best 2 games of his career in the 2 Super Bowls he’s played in, which have both been in the last 4 seasons.
Hurts dropped 10 spots from last year’s postseason rankings. He was No. 14 in 2023 and reached No. 2 following the 2022 season and his first Super Bowl appearance.
Head-Shaking List of QBs Above Hurts
While some of the quarterbacks who landed above Hurts should come as no surprise — think NFL MVP winners like Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, there are a few names that should leave us collectively shaking our heads.
NFL.com put some egregious names in front of Hurts, a 3-time Pro Bowler and 2022 NFL All-Pro — names like Dak Prescott (No. 3), Trevor Lawrence (No. 6), Caleb Williams (No. 8), Jared Goff (No. 9), Daniel Jones (No. 12) and Aaron Rodgers (No. 16).
“Jalen Hurts was at his best when the Eagles went up-tempo, an admission that made me wonder whether removing the thought process from playing quarterback might be best for him,” Shook wrote. “The scheme certainly didn’t help him, and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was promptly fired after the Eagles’ season ended in a first-round postseason exit. But I truly believe Hurts would benefit from shedding his focus on making the perfect play, an outcome that could be expedited by new OC Sean Mannion.”
Eagles Might Rid Themselves of Biggest Headache
One thing that might help Hurts get back to an elite level in 2026 might be getting rid of the biggest headache on the Eagles roster this offseason by trading 3-time NFL All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown.
No player, coach or media figure in the NFL has put more of a spotlight on Hurts’ shortcomings as a quarterback more over the last few years than Brown — his own teammate — with a string of incessant complaints about not getting the ball enough or the way the offense operates.
Brown has shown, over and over, that winning and losing isn’t the main goal for him — he once complained about not getting the ball during a 10-game winning streak in 2024.
Things reached a head in an NFC Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers in which he and head coach Nick Sirianni had to be separated during a screaming match on the sideline — possibly Brown’s last game in Philadelphia.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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