Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni doesn't "put much stock" into reports of disconnect with Jalen Hurts
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni disputed offseason speculation about a disconnected relationship with Jalen Hurts, adding he's excited to build on the "special things" he has accomplished with his All-Pro quarterback.
In his first press conference at training camp, Sirianni described his relationship with his QB as good and said he doesn't "put much stock" into reports claiming otherwise.
"The only thing you can judge relations on is your personal interactions with people, not any report that comes out," Sirianni said. "Jalen and I's relationship is good. When you hear a report like that, you don't put much stock into it because, quite frankly, not everybody sees it. We've done some pretty special things. I'm really excited for him, he's worked so hard on his game."
After the Eagles' first training camp practice, Hurts opened his press conference by saying he trusts everyone in the organization, from owner Jeffrey Lurie to general manager Howie Roseman and the coaching staff.
"I truly trust Mr. Lurie. I trust Howie. I trust Coach Sirianni to lead us in the right direction," Hurts said, "and I know there are different roles in place. Everybody has different responsibilities. There may be more demand from some than others, but I think to win championships [and] to be the team we want to be, everyone has to buy into that role."
Reports about Sirianni's relationship with Hurts circulated in the offseason after the Eagles went off the rails in the back half of the 2023 season. Philadelphia began the season with an NFL-best 10-1 record before everything went south.
The Birds lost six of their final seven games, including a blowout loss to Tampa Bay in the wild-card round.
With Sirianni seemingly in the hot seat, Hurts did little to cool the tension after the 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers.
After the game, Hurts was asked if he had confidence in his head coach's ability to fix the Eagles' problems.
"I have confidence in everyone in this building," Hurts said. "It's just a matter of us playing clean football and that's been something that we haven't done."
The Eagles did not move on from Sirianni, but the head coach's role has evolved more into a CEO head coach. Philly has new coordinators — Kellen Moore on offense and Vic Fangio on defense — and Sirianni is turning over control of those phases to them.
Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman addressing the media before the Eagles first practice. The first two questions to Nick were about his relationship with Jalen Hurts with Nick adding during the press conference - “We’re all a work in progress.” #eagles #nfl #philly #trainingcamp pic.twitter.com/y4qyQaPiP3
— Alicia Roberts | CBS Philly Reporter (@ARobertsCBS) July 24, 2024
During June's mandatory minicamp, Hurts was asked if he noticed any changes with Sirianni's role, sparking another round of speculation about his relationship with the head coach.
"Um, I mean. That's a great question," Hurts told reporters. "I don't know the answer to it … I think he's just been great in um, the messages he's delivering to the team. He's trying to be very intentional with what he's saying, yeah."
The Inquirer reported Hurts' answers "disappointed several key figures within the organization."
Last week, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported there was "some disconnect" between Sirianni and Hurts last season.
"Nick, we've seen, is a very emotional guy. Jalen is a very private guy. They are different human beings, which is fine," Russini said on her "Scoop City" podcast. "You don't all have to be the same, but you do have to be on the same page when it comes to what you want to do on offense."
On Wednesday, Hurts expanded on last season and his relationship with Sirianni, saying they're "in a great place."
"I think we're in a great place," Hurts said. "Any time you have frustration, any time you have any adversity that you have to overcome, it's supposed to test you. I think it's a matter of being on the same page. I think if we were on the same page, we maybe would have accomplished the things we would have and, you know, we didn't. But it's a learning experience."
Hurts and Sirianni are entering their fourth year together. Before last season and after his MVP-caliber 2022 campaign, Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension with the Eagles.
Roseman said Wednesday the team believes Hurts can still be an MVP candidate.
"He's got tremendous energy. Tremendous work ethic," Roseman said. "Just like all of us, everything that he feels like he can continue to work on, he will do. This is a guy that, obviously, has brought us tremendous success since he's been our starting quarterback [and] has played at a tremendously high level."