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Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts Responds to Reported ‘Lack of Respect’ For Nick Sirianni

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts pushed back against an ESPN report detailing the unraveling of his relationship with head coach Nick Sirianni during the 2023 season.

Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Hurts
Aug 1, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) talks with head coach Nick Sirianni (L) during a practice at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

“I think there are certain things, and I appreciate what you guys do, everything you bring, the attention, sometimes I understand, but I think sometimes people are only able to know what they understand,” Hurts told reporters on August 7, hours after the report was published. “Sometimes people don’t know what they don’t know. But in that regard, I think wherever you are, you have reports and you have other things, then you have reality. We’re in reality right now.”

Hurts, Sirianni and the Eagles are looking to turn the page from a disastrous 1-6 finish to the 2023 season that began with an electrifying 10-1 start but resulted in the embattled head coach replacing both coordinators ahead of the 2024 campaign.

ESPN’s reporting detailed just how strained the relationship between Sirianni and Hurts had become last season as well as the communication breakdowns that led to key mistakes in big moments for the offense down the stretch.

“You have different people doing different things, there are different responsibilities, but ultimately we’re just attacking it day by day, and this team is putting its best foot forward in effort and intensity,” he said. “It’s really been a team of being together. That’s been my whole entire message this entire training camp and this offseason.

“It’s been a good journey so far and I think my natural nature is to block out the external factors, because I think there comes a point where sometimes you question so much and negativity becomes redundant.

“This team is one of those teams that’s going to do that, especially with the things that we’ve been able to experience. It was a developing time, it was a time of development for us, and that’s something we learned from.”

Whether Hurts and Sirianni can get and stay on the same page throughout the upcoming season just may dictate how competitive the Eagles are able to be this fall and the head coach’s future in Philadelphia, as well.

Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Hurts
Aug 1, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) talks with head coach Nick Sirianni (L) during a practice at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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About Matt Lombardo

Matt Lombardo is a seasoned NFL reporter, with over 12 years of experience covering the league. In addition to his work at Gridiron Heroics, Lombardo covers the NFL for Heavy.com, is an on air sports contributor for FOX29 Philadelphia, and writes an NFL Substack "Between The Hashmarks." Lombardo is the former Senior NFL Insider of FanBuzz, and prior to taking that role was a national NFL reporter at FanSided where he hosted a weekly podcast "The Matt Lombardo Show." A former beat reporter for NJ Advance Media (Parent company of NJ.com and the Newark Star Ledger), Lombardo covered the Philadelphia Eagles from 2011 through the 2017 season before moving to cover the New York Giants for the Star Ledger for two seasons from 2018 through 2020. During his career to date, Lombardo has covered five Super Bowls, four NFL Drafts, multiple NFL Combines, and has had his work frequently featured in publications such as Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, and more. In addition to his journalism work, Lombardo is a strong on air presence and is a former sports talk radio host on 97.5 FM The Fanatic, Philadelphia's first FM Sports Station and the radio home of the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers.

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