Looking at the overall results on paper, one would think the characterization of the Nick Sirriani and Jalen Hurts era for the Philadelphia Eagles would be positive. In three seasons, the Eagles are 34-17, have made the postseason each year, and have an NFC Championship banner to point to. The offense has ranked top-10 in points and yards the last two seasons.
A closer look might indicate otherwise. 2023 did not end well, with a 1-5 run at the end of the regular season, and a wild card round exit at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From November onward, the Eagles won once.
Reports about organizational camaraderie also point to the negative, with some insight from Dianna Russini of The Athletic weeks ago pointing to a somewhat strained relationship between the two. Wednesday morning, a report from Jeremy Fowler and Tim McManus of ESPN emphasized those indications in great detail.
Here is a key excerpt from the article, which is lengthy and worth a full read in context, given that it pulls from multiple sources with differing interpretations of the situation:
Things were off, including between the head coach and quarterback. ESPN spoke with several sources who detailed a prolonged strain between Hurts and Sirianni during the 2023 campaign, with one source with direct knowledge of the dynamic describing the relationship as "fractured" and unhealthy last season. At the root of the divide: a disconnect in offensive visions, with what a team source described as a lack of full respect for Sirianni's X's and O's chops.
Throughout the article, there were sources who characterized the relationship slightly differently. Some seemed to paint the struggles to align on the exact same page as normal football organization problems, others seemed to describe it as a much more pressing issue.
The report goes on to say a source, "close to Hurts" believes that the hope is newly-hired offensive coordinator Kellen Moore can be a connective tissue between the head coach and star quarterback after multiple sources described him as "tuned out" to Sirianni last season. At one point, Bill Belichick was discussed as a possible option to replace Sirianni, the lengthy expose says, before the Eagles decided to run it back with Sirianni.
Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, who was fired following the 2024 season, was another figure misaligned with Sirianni, according to the report, with Hurts often caught between conflicting directions from the two leaders. It later says that Sirianni, so far in 2024 preparations, has stepped back a bit and allowed Moore to own the quarterback room.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni's Relationship Described as 'Fractured' in New Report.
