Jalen Hurts Says He Will Set Eagles' Culture After 2023 Collapse: 'I Have a Standard'
April 17, 2024
The Philadelphia Eagles' 10-1 start last season gave way to losses in six of their final seven games, including a 32-9 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card round.
Obviously, a host of things need to change to avoid that from happening again. And on Wednesday, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts made it clear to reporters during his team's voluntary offseason program that he's looking to set the standard for the team's culture when asked what he needs to do differently in 2024.
"I think really leaving it to no one else to set the culture in how I want it be," Hurts said, per Zach Berman of PHLY.
"Communicating that, communicating that to everyone above, and communicating that with my teammates. And carrying that. I have a standard I want to play to and I want to play to that all the time. And so in the end, the No. 1 thing you're going to establish that with is with work."
Hurts will be entering his third full season as the Eagles' quarterback. He's a two-time Pro Bowler who notably led the Eagles to the 2022 NFC title.
Rumors of discontent (some involving Hurts) circulated before and after the conclusion of the season.
On Jan. 1, Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown was "at the epicenter of a fractured locker room that cannot handle adversity and has little faith in its coaches, but as a leader, he should be handling it better."
Reporter Derrick Gunn then offered this note on Hurts, who had signed a five-year, $255 million extension before the season.
Derrick Gunn @RealDGunnAccording to sources: Jalen big contract-pulled in numerous directions on/off field put him under a lot of pressure he didn't handle well ..<br>Big Dom suspended-controls Sirianni emotions on sideline ,in his absence Nick gets in numerous arguments with players/coaches during games
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network also reported before the Super Bowl that the team wanted Hurts to be more of a vocal leader (h/t Nick Faria of Eagles Today).
"The Eagles are not questioning his long-term viability as a franchise quarterback ... Hurts is usually a few words and stoic. They want him to be more front-facing and a vocal leader, especially with (center) Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, and long-term fixtures could be moving on."
The Eagles moved in a different direction on the sidelines, replacing offensive and defensive coordinators Brian Johnson and Sean Desai with Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio, respectively.
Based on Hurts' comments, it's clear the team could be moving in a new direction culture-wise as well, with the quarterback now taking those reins.