Jeffrey Lurie

Packers’ Proposal To Ban Tush Push Fails

May 21st, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

10:15pm: The other five teams who voted against the Packers’ proposal were the Browns, Jaguars, Dolphins, Saints, and Titans, per Schefter.

The Saints are now coached by Kellen Moore, who helped Philadelphia execute the play as their offensive coordinator last season. However, the Shane Steichen-led Colts and the Jonathan Gannon-led Cardinals both voted to ban the tush push despite their connections with Nick Sirianni and the Eagles.

10:47am: The Packers’ effort to to ban the tush push has failed, according to The Athletic’s Diana Russini. Green Bay’s revised proposal to prohibit all instances of pushing on offense only received 22 votes, two shy of the 24 required to pass, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Eagles led the opposition to the measure, and the Ravens, Patriots, Jets, and Lions were among the teams to join them, according to Schefter. John Harbaugh, Mike Vrabel, and Dan Campbell all came out against the ban during league meetings in Florida in March. Aaron Glenn spent the last four seasons under Campbell in Detroit, and his new quarterback in New York, Justin Fields, has converted 11 of 12 push sneaks in his career, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Baltimore has also found some success with their version of the play featuring tight ends Mark Andrews and Charlie Kolar.

The NFL’s committees on competition and health and safety both endorsed the proposal ahead of the owners’ meeting this morning, per Russini, as did Roger Goodell, according to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. That led to increasing belief that the tush push ban would be successful, per FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, though some owners remained uncertain, as noted by Mark Maske of The Washington Post.

The Eagles then launched an all-out effort to rally opposition during today’s meeting with owner Jeffrey Lurie, assistant general manager Jon Ferrari, and former center Jason Kelce speaking for almost an hour, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The main thrust of Philadelphia’s argument was their belief that the tush push is actually safer than the traditional quarterback sneak, which was one of their reasons for adopting the play originally, according to Bleacher Report’s James Palmer.

“Whoever votes to ban this play is taking liability for putting risk on our quarterbacks,” said Lurie (via Russini). Following his “passionate but fair” speech, Kelce addressed safety concerns accompanied by video footage, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Other owners who spoke at the meeting were Jerry Jones (Cowboys), Jed York (49ers), and Terry Pegula (Bills), per Breer.

The meeting then moved into a privileged session in which only owners and family are allowed for a vote, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. After announcing the decision, owners returned to the privileged session for further discussion on the tush push, per Maske, though it’s unlikely another vote would yield a different result.

The NFL was reportedly behind the Packers’ attempt to ban the tush push, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, as well as the Lions’ tabled reseeding proposal. Goodell pushed back against reports of his support for Green Bay’s proposal after the vote (via Mike Jones of The Athletic), saying that he wanted a thorough debate regarding both measures.

The NFL did unanimously approve a proposal to modify the onside kick, according to Breer. Teams who are trailing may now declare an onside kick at any time and can line up even with the ball at the 35-yard line. Previously, only the kicker could line up with the ball with the other 10 players at the 34.

Tush Push Fallout: Eagles, Lurie, Packers, NFL, Odds, Safety, Rewording

May 21st, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

We saw earlier today that the Packers‘ proposal to ban the Eagles‘ notorious tush push play fell two votes short of the necessary 24 votes to pass. As the day continued, we saw some minor reports following the failed proposal.

For instance, Dianna Russini tells us that four high-ranking front-office officials were under the impression that the league used Green Bay to push the proposed rule change due to their lack of a principal owner. The thought being that, by using Green Bay, other team owners would be able to put their support behind the proposal without any singular owner being targeted by those who oppose it.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie seemed to agree with this sentiment, believing that the league was attempting to influence the vote. He particularly criticized NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent for advocating for the ban, per ESPN’s Seth Wickersham.

Here are a few other notes from the initial fallout of the failed proposal:

Lurie’s speech attempting to keep the proposal from passing was reportedly described as both extremely emotional and passionate and fact- and data-based. According to Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the impassioned intensity of the speech was due to an internal feeling within the franchise that the Eagles faced an uphill battle and believed the proposal would indeed be passed.
We had mentioned briefly in recent weeks that the Packers were resubmitting the proposal with broader language in an attempt to gain more supportive votes, going beyond the QB sneak terminology to include any offensive player “pushing, pulling, lifting, or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.” According to Russini, multiple sources believe the new phrasing alienated some teams and ended up actually hurting the odds of the proposal being passed.
In his impassioned speech, Lurie made some questionable assertions, per Russini, the most notable of which being that the tush push is “the safest play in the history of the game” and claiming that “whoever votes to ban this play is taking liability for putting risk on (the league’s) quarterbacks.” He doubled down on this in his attacks on Goodell and Vincent, citing that he had spoken to NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills about the play extensively, according to Wickersham.

Jeffrey Lurie Considering Sale Of Minority Interest In Eagles

July 7th, 2024 at 9:33am CST by Rory Parks

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is considering selling a minority stake in the club, as Bloomberg’s Gillian Tan reported last month. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk makes plain that the size of the stake is uncertain, and that there will be no path to a controlling interest.

As such, it is eminently possible that the sale will not happen at all. The club will be valued at $7.5 billion in any transaction (an 11-times multiple of annual revenue), so it will be a pricey endeavor for any buyer, especially since their prospective purchase would not guarantee them a chance to acquire a more significant share.

After all, it appears that the plan is to keep controlling ownership of the Eagles within the Lurie family. Jeffrey Lurie’s son, Julian, participated in the NFL’s two-year program for prospective executives upon his graduation from Harvard, he took part in the Eagles’ head coaching interviews in 2021 — ultimately advising his father as the team transitioned from Doug Pederson to Nick Sirianni — and even spearheaded the interviews for the team’s analytics department. Julian Lurie, now 29, appears poised to someday succeed his 72-year-old father at the top of the franchise.

The NFL currently does not allow private equity or other institutional investment in its clubs, and while that has not yet prevented owners who wish to sell from finding deep-pocketed buyers, the skyrocketing value of NFL teams could soon necessitate a relaxation of the rule. As Brendan Coffey of Sportico.com writes, the league recently retained an investment bank, PJT Partners, to explore the possibility of private equity partnerships.

Naturally, Jeffrey Lurie’s efforts to sell a share of the Eagles would be aided by a revised private equity rule, and as of the time of Tan’s report, those efforts were still in their early stages. Lurie is working with BDT & MSD Partners, a private banking company, to locate potential buyers.

Lurie purchased the Eagles for $195MM in 1994. Under his stewardship, Philadelphia has appeared in three Super Bowls, winning one and dropping the two others by three points. Like many owners of major sports franchises, Lurie has sometimes been accused of meddling too much in matters of on-field personnel, to the point that some saw GM Howie Roseman as a mere conduit for Lurie’s wishes. Of course, Lurie’s push to keep QB Jalen Hurts as the unquestioned starter heading into the 2021 campaign — even when Roseman had doubts about the young passer’s ceiling — turned out to be the right call.

More Bill Belichick Fallout: Kraft, Falcons, Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, Commanders

April 17th, 2024 at 10:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Plenty has emerged in the wake of Bill Belichick going from eight-time Super Bowl champion to unemployed, but as the legendary coach regroups, some additional information about what went down in Atlanta — along with other teams’ coaching searches — has come to light.

Connecting some dots based on what has previously come out this offseason, ESPN.com’s Don Van Natta, Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler report in an expansive piece that Falcons execs dissuaded Arthur Blank from hiring Belichick and Robert Kraft played a major role in the process that ended up veering away from an overqualified candidate who had initially appeared the favorite for the job Raheem Morris now has.

On the morning of the day Morris became the pick, Belichick still viewed himself as likely to land the job. Blank confirmed the 24-year Patriots HC did not ask him for personnel control, but power brokering — given Belichick’s outsized influence and experience — is believed to have still gone down in Atlanta’s front office. As a result, Belichick felt “blindsided” by the Morris hire.

CEO Rich McKay and GM Terry Fontenot did not want to work with Belichick, according to ESPN, which adds the six-time Super Bowl-winning HC was willing to work with the fourth-year GM (while confirming he and McKay’s less-than-stellar relationship). A previous report pointed to Belichick’s concern with Fontenot and the Falcons’ overall power structure. Fontenot, McKay and Falcons president Greg Beadles were part of the Falcons’ second Belichick interview.

Going so far as to reveal Falcons brass’ final rankings for the HC job, Fowler, Van Natta and Wickersham indicate Belichick did not finish in the top three for the Atlanta position. Beyond unanimous top choice Morris, Mike Macdonald and Texans OC Bobby Slowik respectively slotted second and third in this process.

Kraft is believed to have played a role in Blank backing off his initial hope to hire Belichick. A conversation between Blank and his longtime friend came after the Jan. 15 Blank-Belichick yacht meeting, and ESPN reports the Patriots owner warned the Falcons boss not to trust the accomplished HC.

Seeing as this comes during an offseason that has seen more information come out — via the much-discussed The Dynasty series — about Kraft’s issues with Belichick, it is hardly surprising the longtime Pats owner would provide such a warning. Robert Kraft, who considered ousting Belichick after 2022 (before son Jonathan Kraft advised against), referred to Belichick as “very, very, very arrogant, per ESPN. A Robert Kraft spokesman denied the owner, who was naturally complimentary of the game’s second-winningest HC upon the January separation, disparaged Belichick to Blank.

Belichick had already assembled a coaching staff, with some familiar names indeed believed to be part of it. Beyond plans to bring Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge aboard, former Texans VP (and Patriots staffer) Jack Easterby was on the radar to be part of a Belichick Atlanta staff. Falcons execs expressed reservations about this staff, with ESPN adding Blank also questioned why this group failed elsewhere. Belichick reportedly responded by saying this group was comprised of “better soldiers than generals.” Judge has since joined Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss staff. The Texans moved on from Easterby in 2022.

New Commanders GM Adam Peters, a Patriots scout in the 2000s, discussed the HC position with Belichick. Minority owner Magic Johnson pushed for Washington to hire the Maryland native, but Josh Harris — who spoke to Kraft about Belichick in December — had decided he would not make that move. We had heard previously the NBA and NHL owner wanted a more collaborative approach, which many current NFL owners prefer, rather than handing the keys to one person. With Harris wanting a front office-oriented leadership structure, Peters has final say on Commanders football matters. Belichick was not interested in the Chargers.

The three other NFC East HC jobs may well be open in 2025, and ESPN notes Belichick would be interested in the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants positions — should they open up. The Eagles did work on Belichick before determining Nick Sirianni would stay, with Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman viewed as fans of the future Hall of Famer, and the former has been close with Jerry Jones for many years. Lurie looks to have joined the Falcons in expressing hesitancy in greenlighting a Belichick move that would bring major changes while qualifying as a short-term fix.

Belichick, who turned 72 on Tuesday, is now six years older than the oldest HC ever hired (Bruce Arians). Any team that considers a 2025 hire would be adding someone who will turn 73 before coaching his next NFL game.

A Belichick confidant also expressed doubt the former Giants DC would earn another HC job unless Jones signs off on a Cowboys hire. Mike McCarthy‘s lame-duck status will keep Belichick rumors going, it would seem, but for now, a TV gig appears in the works. Belichick is expected to join Peyton Manning‘s Omaha Productions for analysis-based work. ESPN’s Pat McAfee also announced Belichick will be part of his show’s draft coverage (video link).

Fifteen wins shy of Don Shula‘s career record, Belichick is believed to have informed allies he expects to land at least one interview next year. While the NFC East jobs are worth monitoring, the bumps the Patriot Way has taken — coupled with Belichick’s age and implied threat to organizations’ status quos — leave it far from certain he will have a third opportunity to lead an NFL team.

Eagles Were Split On Jalen Hurts’ Trajectory During 2020 Draft

July 12th, 2023 at 2:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles’ 2020 first-round decision generated some intrigue, especially as Justin Jefferson made a quick ascent to the All-Pro level and put together the most prolific three-year receiving stretch to start a career in NFL history. The Eagles were split on Jefferson and Jalen Reagor, going with the latter, who was preferred by Howie Roseman and the team’s coaching staff.

That call obviously proved incorrect, with Reagor now one of Jefferson’s sidekicks in Minnesota after an August 2022 trade. But the Eagles made a better choice, albeit an unexpected one, a round later. An extensive research effort into Jalen Hurts, which had begun during his senior year at Oklahoma, led Philly to pull the trigger on the ex-Sooners quarterback in Round 2. The move came despite the organization having extended Carson Wentz less than a year prior.

The Eagles decided on Hurts over safety Jeremy Chinn, with some in the organization preferring to add the Southern Illinois product — who later went to the Panthers at the end of Round 2 — instead of taking a quarterback so early. Again, the Roseman-Doug Pederson preference won out.

“Coach Pederson and myself liked Jeremy Chinn, but our job is to determine the vision and then make sure it’s executed,” Roseman said, via The Athletic’s Dan Pompei (subscription required). “So when we were on the clock and having those conversations, it really came down to the quarterback versus safety. The quarterback we like. The safety we like. We’re going with the quarterback.”

Hurts as a second-round option came about partially because the organization did not want a repeat of 2012, when it intended to take Russell Wilson in the third round before seeing the Seahawks swoop and taking the future Pro Bowl mainstay at No. 75. With no pro days in 2020 — due to the COVID-19 pandemic — the Eagles did not have a good idea how other teams valued Hurts, with Pompei adding the team believed it was possible the ex-Oklahoma and Alabama passer fell into Round 3. But the Wilson experience helped lead to the Eagles ruling out the prospect of waiting until Round 3 for Hurts.

Philly made that pivotal pick at No. 51 overall, leading to outside skepticism due to Wentz’s presence. Some inside the Eagles’ building were not entirely sold on Hurts as well.

“[Hurts] was a polarizing figure in the sense that some people liked him, some saw him as a developmental quarterback and some thought he was a backup,” former Eagles exec Ian Cunningham, now the Bears’ assistant GM, said (via Pompei). “I thought he was a developmental quarterback that had upside.”

At the time, the team based the move on wanting a better backup option behind Wentz. Teams do not exactly make a habit of choosing backup QBs in Round 2, but the Eagles have needed a number of QB2 contributions this century. Donovan McNabb went down with a broken ankle during the 2002 season, leading to A.J. Feeley and Koy Detmer seeing extensive time for an Eagles team that earned the NFC’s top seed. McNabb was lost for the year late in the 2006 season, moving UFA addition Jeff Garcia into the fray. The organization’s controversial decision to sign Michael Vick after his prison term in 2009 led to him replacing McNabb in 2010, and 2012 third-rounder Nick Foles eventually usurped Vick three years later. Foles delivered one of the NFL’s most famous fill-in performances in 2017, taking over for an injured Wentz to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl title. The Eagles, however, soon made bigger plans for Hurts.

The Eagles cleared the Hurts move with Wentz, with Pederson calling his then-starter to inform him of the pick. But the five-year Eagle struggled in 2020, leading to a late-season benching. The Eagles soon traded Wentz to the Colts, and Jeffrey Lurie angled for the organization not to bring in a starter-caliber QB in 2021. That led to Hurts being given a legitimate opportunity. Lurie was believed to be behind Hurts, even when Roseman had questions about his ceiling, and the Eagles — after showing interest in Wilson and Deshaun Watson — stuck with the former second-rounder last year.

Philly staying with Hurts turned out to be a seminal decision, as the team booked another Super Bowl berth. The Eagles went 16-1 in games Hurts started prior to the Chiefs matchup, with the third-year QB showing significant improvement as a passer. Hurts’ 2022 season earned him a then-record-setting five-year, $255MM extension from the Eagles in April. The Eagles also greenlit their Wentz extension shortly after he became extension-eligible; they will hope the Hurts Year 4 investment turns out better.

NFC East Notes: Toney, Eagles, Commanders

October 7th, 2022 at 10:10am CST by Sam Robinson

Kadarius Toney did not make the trip to London with his Giants teammates, and Brian Daboll offered another discouraging update regarding the 2021 first-round pick’s status. Toney is battling a new injury, with Daboll indicating the reason he did not make the trip is due to a Wednesday tweak of his previously non-injured hamstring (via SNY’s Connor Hughes, on Twitter). Toney is now dealing with injuries to both his hamstrings, and ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan adds (via Twitter) the shifty wideout said the hamstring issue he entered the week with was different from the one that plagued him this offseason. That would add up to three hamstring problems since camp.

Toney has yet to sustain a serious injury as a pro, but he has fast become one of the league’s most unavailable players. Quadriceps and oblique injuries sidelined him for seven combined games last season, and an ankle malady forced him out of another game. Toney missed much of last year’s training camp with a hamstring injury and underwent a knee scope this offseason. The Giants’ current regime is souring on the Dave Gettleman-era investment, who is signed through 2024.

The Giants will be without Toney, Kenny Golladay and Wan’Dale Robinson against the Packers in London. The second-round rookie, who has not played since Week 1, will likely be out again. While Golladay will almost certainly not be part of next year’s Giants team, it is worth wondering if Toney will be. Here is the latest from the NFC East:

The Giants wanted DeVonta Smith last year, but the Eagles traded in front of them. Philadelphia was able to begin wheeling and dealing to land the Heisman winner after its apparent Week 17 tanking effort the year prior. That gave Philly the No. 6 overall pick, though Doug Pederson was no longer with the team by that draft. Pederson never informed Jalen Hurts of the plan to, after not dressing Carson Wentz that night, take him out and play third-stringer Nate Sudfeld, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. Pederson benching Hurts late in a close, nationally televised game bothered some in the organization, including then-DC Jim Schwartz. Some staffers also wondered if that decision would affect the Pederson-Hurts relationship going forward, McLane adds. That said, Pederson later expressed regret he did not go with Hurts sooner. As Wentz struggled during the 2020 season, the Eagles did not turn to Hurts until Week 14 that year.
Eagles management wanted to use the 2021 season to retool with younger talent, Zach Berman of The Athletic notes, while Pederson was behind a reload with a similar coaching staff. Pederson, who had resisted management’s wishes to oust Mike Groh during the 2020 offseason, wanted to promote Press Taylor to OC. That did not sit well with Jeffrey Lurie. Pederson has since hired Taylor as his Jaguars OC.
The Andrew Norwell–Trai Turner guard reunion may end up being short-lived. The Commanders benched Turner in Week 4, and Ron Rivera said the move will carry over. Saahdiq Charles will start over Turner in Week 5, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post tweets, with Rivera noting Turner is not fully over the quad injury he battled in camp. Turner nevertheless started from Weeks 2-4 and played 100% of the Commanders’ offensive snaps in Weeks 2 and 3. The former Rivera Panthers charge signed a one-year, $3MM deal this offseason, coming to Washington after one-year stays with the Chargers and Steelers. A third-year Washington O-lineman, Charles has started five career games

Eagles Notes: Cox, Lurie, Kirk

April 10th, 2022 at 11:38am CST by Rory Parks

The Eagles released longtime DT Fletcher Cox last month to avoid having $18MM of what he was due under his prior contract becoming fully-guaranteed. The club then re-signed him to a one-year, $14MM contract several days later, which, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, is “real” (meaning that Cox will actually earn that money and that the $14MM figure is not inflated by incentives). However, the deal does include two void years to flatten the cap charge, which was especially important since the release already created considerable dead money on the Eagles’ books for the 2022-23 seasons.

Even though Cox is coming off a season in which his play showed noticeable signs of decline and in which he publicly complained about the club’s defensive scheme, his $14MM payout is still $4MM more than what any other free agent interior D-lineman received on a per-year basis this offseason. That has led to plenty of questions about why the Eagles authorized such a contract, but owner Jeffrey Lurie suggested other clubs were willing to pony up for the six-time Pro Bowler, thereby necessitating the financial outlay.

McLane reports that the Eagles did call at least three teams in March to discuss a Cox trade, but just like their in-season trade talks in 2021, the more recent discussions were undermined by Cox’s prior contract and GM Howie Roseman‘s high asking price.

Now for more out of Philadelphia:

In the same piece linked above, McLane details the growing role of Lurie’s son, Julian Lurie, within the organization. Now 26, the younger Lurie participated in the NFL’s two-year program for prospective executives upon his graduation from Harvard, he took part in the Eagles’ head coaching interviews in 2021 — ultimately advising his father as the team transitioned from Doug Pederson to Nick Sirianni — and even spearheaded the interviews for the team’s analytics department. Assuming he wants to take up the mantle, it seems that Julian Lurie will someday succeed his 70-year-old father at the top of the franchise.
In a piece exploring whether Jeffrey Lurie is too involved in his team’s personnel decisions, which will be of particular interest to Eagles fans, McLane reports that, in 2018, the team was prepared to select one of two receivers in the second round: Ohio State’s Parris Campbell or Stanford’s JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Roseman and then-VP of player personnel Joe Douglas wanted Campbell, but Lurie preferred Arcega-Whiteside, and after Lurie successfully curried Pederson’s support, Roseman and Douglas felt compelled to go along with their wishes. That has led to broader questions about whether Lurie really values Roseman as a GM as much as he says he does, or if he simply likes that he can use Roseman as a “conduit” to the team.
The Eagles have not yet acquired a cornerback this offseason, and while Sirianni hyped the unproven contingent of players behind CB1 Darius Slay on the current depth chart — a group that includes Zech McPhearson and Tay Gowan — McLane says the team will almost certainly add a CB or two at some point. The Eagles will hold a “30” visit with top CB prospect Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, and while Gardner may be off the board by the time Philadelphia is on the clock with its No. 15 overall pick, a player like Washington’s Trent McDuffie or LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. could be an option should Roseman decide to select a first-round corner for the first time in his history as a GM.
The Eagles have taken some swings at high-profile FA targets this offseason but have mostly come up short (with all due apologies to Haason Reddick and Zach Pascal). In addition to his pursuit of receivers like Allen Robinson and Robert Woods, Roseman also made an offer to former Cardinals wideout Christian Kirk, as McLane writes in a separate article. Kirk, though, received a four-year, $72MM deal from the Jaguars, a move that many have decried as more desperate spending on the part of Jacksonville. Though Kirk would doubtlessly have been an asset to Philadelphia’s WR corps, his $18MM AAV presently looks like an overpay.

Latest On Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

March 31st, 2022 at 7:55pm CST by Ben Levine

With the QB carousel mostly complete, it seems pretty clear that Jalen Hurts will be under center for the Eagles next season. However, when asked about the quarterback position, owner Jeffrey Lurie didn’t necessarily give a ringing endorsement. While Lurie told Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the organization believes in Hurts because of his intangibles, he never mentioned Hurts’ on-field skills. The owner also asked “who knows what the future holds, right?”…which is something an owner with a franchise QB probably wouldn’t say.

We heard that the Eagles had done extensive research on Deshaun Watson, and McLane writes that the organization kicked the tires on Russell Wilson. However, the two QBs refused to waive their no-trade clauses to land in Philly, taking the Eagles out of the conversation. Still, these pursuits illustrate that the front office would certainly consider an upgrade at QB.

Some pundits have even suggested that Philly could look toward the draft for a signal-caller. McLane previously expressed doubt in this scenario, with the writer believing the Eagles could move one of their three first-round picks with eyes on QBs in the 2023 draft.

Hurts finished this past season with 3,144 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air, but also 784 yards and 10 majors on the ground – both of which ranked first in the league among quarterbacks. The 23-year-old injured his left ankle late in the season, casuing him to miss the following game. While that was his only injury-related absence, it affected his mobility throughout the latter stages of the campaign. We learned in February that Hurts was going to undergo surgery.

Eagles’ Lurie, Roseman Split On Jalen Hurts?

December 3rd, 2021 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Carson Wentz‘s Colts usage tracking toward the Eagles receiving a first-round pick from their recent quarterback trade, the NFC East franchise will face a big decision in 2022. The Eagles are in line to have three first-round picks next year, giving the team ammo to move up in the draft or dangle picks for an established quarterback.

The prospect of the Eagles standing pat at QB next year has entered the equation, with Jalen Hurts showing growth as this season has progressed. But the franchise is not yet certain Hurts will be a long-term starter.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie, who directed the Eagles’ front office to avoid adding competition for Hurts’ QB1 gig this offseason, still believes in the second-year passer, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. GM Howie Roseman, however, is not as bullish on Hurts long-term.

Lurie led the way in the Eagles drafting Hurts in the 2020 second round, with McLane adding Roseman supported the pick and made the final decision to pull the trigger. The move ended up triggering a seismic shift at QB in Philly. Wentz went from big-ticket extension recipient in summer 2019 to Colts starter by winter 2021. And, it seems, the Eagles are still entertaining the prospect of making another big splash.

Lurie is believed to have led the way in the Eagles being in the Deshaun Watson mix, per McLane, who adds Hurts was viewed as a possible trade chip in such a deal. Of course, Watson would have needed to approve a trade to Philadelphia. Thus far, the Texans quarterback is not believed to have waived his no-trade clause for any team but the Dolphins. Watson figures to be moved in 2022. While the Eagles stand to be interested again — especially once clarity regarding the embattled star’s NFL discipline emerges — Miami appears to have a lead on the field at this juncture.

Hurts is completing 61% of his passes and averaging 7.0 yards per attempt. He sits 22nd in QBR. Not upper-echelon numbers, but the ex-Alabama and Oklahoma starter has obviously made a major impact on the ground for the Eagles as well. Hurts has a shot at a 1,000-yard rushing season, sitting at 695 (with eight TDs) through 12 games. Neither Randall Cunningham nor Michael Vick accomplished that as Eagles. Catalyzed by 200-yard rushing games in four of their past five games, the Eagles lead the NFL rushing. It would be interesting if the Eagles bailed on him as a starter after such an accomplishment, but quarterbacks like Watson, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers figure to be heavily involved in trade rumors again in 2022.

The Eagles would acquire the Colts’ first-round pick if Wentz plays 75% of Indianapolis’ offensive snaps this season. The injury-prone QB is on pace to do so. Though the Colts could make a run to the playoffs, the Eagles at this point project to have three picks inside the top 20. While the 2022 QB crop is viewed as a significant step down from 2021’s celebrated group, Hurts stumbling down the stretch would certainly link the Eagles to first-round passers. The Eagles’ quarterback decision figures to be one of next year’s top dominoes.

Eagles GM Discusses Trading Back, Draft Flexibility, Owner

April 21st, 2021 at 10:19pm CST by Ben Levine

The Eagles have already made headlines this offseason when they traded the No. 6 pick to the Dolphins for No. 12 and a future first. While the front office might not be done trading, they’re making their final preparations for the draft. Armed with 11 picks, the Eagles have the most flexibility they’ve had in the draft in several years, and executive vice president/general manager Howie Roseman recognizes how crucial it is to be ready for whatever opportunities present themselves.

Speaking alongside executive Andy Weidl and head coach Nick Sirianni during a press conference today, Roseman provided some notable details on why the Eagles decided to trade down, how they plan to proceed with all of their picks, and how the team owner is involved throughout the process (h/t to Dave Spadaro and Vaughn Johnson of the team’s website and Zach Berman of the The Athletic):

On the front office’s logic for trading back from No. 6 to No. 12:

“Flexibility creates opportunity. When you go back and look at things that are hard to acquire, that’s one of the toughest things to acquire, a team’s first-round pick in the following year.

“What we really had to do is sit there and go, who are the 12 best players in this draft that we would feel really good about? Are there 12 players in this draft that we really feel good about? That’s what we’re going to do throughout this draft. If you move back, it’s because you feel like you have a bunch of guys that are the same value and to be really happy getting one and getting the extra volume from that pick. If you move up, it’s because your board kind of drops off at that point.

“You have to feel like you’re getting a premium and we felt like we were getting a premium to do that.”

On the front office’s preparation for the draft, especially considering they’re armed with 11 draft picks:

“The process this year with the coaches, with the scouts, has allowed us to really sit down and talk about a lot of these things and figure out the best way to maximize our 11 picks in this draft. We’re really excited about the opportunity to add to this football team next week.”

On how the team overcame the limitations presented by COVID when evaluating prospects:

“Our coaches did an unbelievable job of taking all the guys that we would have interviewed at the Combine in Indianapolis and would have had here in Philadelphia and interviewing all of those guys.

“So just really appreciative of coach and his staff to take all the time to do that, and we continue to do the other things that we do, the psychological reports, and put ourselves in the best possible situation for next week.”

On whether the Eagles would consider Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, who finished last year with 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns, despite him only weighing in at 166 pounds:

“Good players come in all shapes and sizes, and so we’re not going to discriminate based on any of those things.”

On owner Jeffrey Lurie’s role in the draft process:

“He’s there to make sure that he’s looking through our process, and if he’s got any questions about why we’re doing things, we’re going to go and have those discussions about why the process looks like it does, why our draft board — just based on the descriptions that the coaches and the scouts are giving of this player. He’s taking notes on those. Those aren’t his evaluations, those are based on the coaches and scouts and making sure they fit in terms of what he’s looking for from that value, that spot. If we’re talking about a guy in the first round and we’re talking about him as a role player, he may stand up and say, ‘Wait a minute, is that really what we’re looking for in a first-round pick?’ He’s not saying this is my opinion, this guy is a role player or not. In terms of his role in the draft room, the draft room, 90 percent of the time, the work is done. It’s all done, and you’re just picking them off based on where it is.”

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