Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni moved quickly on Wednesday to shut down the rising speculation around Jalen Hurts’ job security, calling talk of a potential quarterback change “ridiculous” despite his team’s three-game losing streak and their franchise star’s sudden dip in form.
Hurts committed five turnovers – four interceptions and a lost fumble – in Monday night’s 22-19 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers, punctuating one of the ugliest outings of his career. The final mistake, an interception near the goalline in overtime, sealed another deflating loss for an Eagles side that has averaged just 16 points across the past five games. The 8-5 Eagles have not won since 10 November.
Hurts’ performance tied several unwanted marks: the most giveaways by an Eagles player since tracking began in 1978 and the first four-interception game by a Philadelphia quarterback since Michael Vick in 2012.
The struggles have not gone unnoticed. Boos rang out during the Eagles’ Black Friday home loss to Chicago while traveling fans voiced their frustration again in Los Angeles. With Hurts now up to six interceptions on the season – already surpassing last year’s total – the quarterback’s slump has cracked open a conversation that once seemed unthinkable less than a year removed from his Super Bowl MVP performance.
Sirianni, however, isn’t entertaining thoughts of benching his quarterback though.
“I know every time I go out in that field with Jalen Hurts as our quarterback, we have a chance to win the game,” he said during his weekly appearance on Philadelphia sports-talk radio network 94 WIP. “And that’s something that’s proven. We’ve won a lot of football games. We don’t ever go in and assign something. This is a team game. You win together as a team. You lose together as a team.”
Hurts’ ledger still reflects that broader truth: a 54-25 regular-season record, six wins from nine playoff games and multiple Super Bowl appearances. His teammates echoed the coach’s stance, with Saquon Barkley saying he had “all the confidence” in Hurts leading the offense in overtime, despite Monday’s mistakes.
The options behind Hurts do little to strengthen the case for a change. Tanner McKee, a 2023 sixth-round pick, has made one career start; Sam Howell, acquired from Washington, remains a developmental backup. While McKee impressed in limited action late last season, neither quarterback is regarded internally as a threat to Hurts’ role.
Sirianni pointed to “a lot of good things on offense” against the Chargers and insisted the group is “encouraged” heading into Sunday’s home game against the 2-11 Las Vegas Raiders, even as the wounds from their epic 2023 collapse threaten to resurface.
“I come away encouraged from that game, knowing that we have things to clean up ... No one is pressing, everyone is just thinking, how do we get ourselves in the best position to win this game and play our best game this game?”
