Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was named Super Bowl 59 MVP in February, helping the team win its second Vince Lombardi Trophy. But ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reports the Eagles are considering using a significant draft pick to add a potential successor at quarterback, despite Hurts’ recently helping to lead the team to a world championship.
In the Week 15 Buzz column he wrote with fellow ESPN insider Dan Graziano, Fowler said he has heard from league sources that the Eagles would use a significant draft asset in next year’s draft to address the quarterback position.
“Some people around the league were starting to think the Eagles might draft a quarterback high in 2026 even before Jalen Hurts’ four-interception performance Monday,” Fowler said. “The prediction from those folks: GM Howie Roseman snags a passer on Day 2 (second and third rounds), allowing Hurts to serve as the starter in 2026 while having a future starter to develop. ‘(The Eagles) will do to Jalen what they did to Carson Wentz,’ one industry source predicted.”
Fowler also said the Eagles’ offense’s inconsistency in the passing game was connected to Hurts’ “limitations” and that the success he had with deep shots last season was an “aberration” because of the success running back Saquon Barkley and the offensive line had running the ball, opening up the passing game downfield.
This season, Hurts, 27, has completed 64.7% of his passes for 2,754 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has also added 337 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. However, during the Eagles’ three-game losing streak, Hurts has a 59.3% completion percentage (67 of 113) for 759 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions, four of which came in Monday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Eagles are projected to have four draft picks in the first three rounds of the 2026 NFL draft. This includes their own first and second-round selections, plus a third-round pick from the Jets acquired in the Haason Reddick trade and a projected third-round pick from losing defensive tackle Milton Williams to the New England Patriots in free agency.
The Eagles were already likely to select a quarterback at some point in the draft because third-string quarterback Sam Howell is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season. The team has shown an interest in selecting young quarterbacks to develop to either be a backup or flip for another draft pick.
Financially, according to Over The Cap, the Eagles would not make the move anytime soon because releasing Hurts before June 1, 2026, would trigger a $52.1 million salary cap hit. However, in 2027, they could cut him before June 1 and save $21.9 million.
The move would be surprising given that Hurts, who was selected by the Eagles in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, has compiled a 54-25 regular-season record, making the playoffs in every season except his rookie year. He also has a 6-3 playoff record that includes two Super Bowl appearances.
For the Eagles to quiet speculation about Hurts’ future, they’ll need to beat the heavily favored Las Vegas Raiders at home Sunday at 1 p.m. and demonstrate more consistency with explosive plays of 20 yards or more for the rest of the season.