It's a new season for the Philadelphia Eagles as training camp gets underway, but the shadow of last year's catastrophe looms. Philly went 10-0 to start the 2023 season before completely falling apart down the stretch, eventually losing in the Wild Card round to the Baker Mayfield-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
One of the many elements of the organization under a microscope in the aftermath of the collapse is the relationship between head coach Nick Sirianni and star quarterback Jalen Hurts. It became a talking point this week after The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported it was a "work in progress" due to the differences in the pair's personalities.
Hurts took time in his first media appearance of camp on Wednesday to address that report and the general noise surrounding the topic.
"I'm excited to be back," Hurts said after he was asked about his connection with the head coach. "Excited to go through this journey and go through this season with everyone here. Everyone. I trust Mr. [Jeffrey] Lurie, I trust Howie [Roseman], I trust coach Sirianni to lead us in the right direction. I know there are different roles in place. Everybody has different responsibilities. There may be more demands from some than others.
"I think, to win championships, to be the team we want to be, everyone has to buy into their role and be fully committed to doing their part and helping the team. I'm excited to go on the journey. I feel like for me, as a player, as a leader, everything we went through last year, I just feel like I'm equipped to handle whatever is to come."
Jalen Hurts cuts-off reporter’s question regarding off-season reports of tension between himself and Nick Sirianni, and shuts it down: pic.twitter.com/w0cE59xyid
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) July 24, 2024
It's not necessarily a strong statement that puts everything to rest, but that's not really Hurts' style. For the Eagles QB this is as close as we'll get to hearing him bluntly state everything is fine. He trusts Sirianni and clearly that's enough for Hurts.
Regardless of how much Hurts trusts everyone, though, a lot is riding on this season. Sirianni was spared the chopping block but that probably won't happen again if Philly is a letdown this season. Hurts is entering what is effectively the first year of his five-year $255 million contract with the Eagles so much is expected of him.
If both men cannot work together to lead Philadelphia to a deep playoff run this postseason, it seems all but certain one of them won't be around to try again in 2025.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jalen Hurts Addresses Relationship With Head Coach Nick Sirianni Ahead of Eagles Camp.
