ESPN on Wednesday released a lengthy deep-dive into the struggles and frustrations of the Eagles' disappointing 2025 season, particularly as they relate to oft-criticized quarterback Jalen Hurts.
To his detractors, Hurts is not as strong a QB as his Super Bowl MVP win would suggest, a notion they'll support by pointing to the Birds' offensive struggles last season. But to his supporters, the former Alabama and Oklahoma signal caller does what he needs to do to win, regardless of whether or not it makes him look good.
Wednesday's article, penned by ESPN's Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler, paints the picture of a locker room that's also divided in this regard, with some (unnamed) members turned off by Hurts's stoic, Michael Jordan-esque mentality and leadership, and others charmed and encouraged by it.
In our opinion, here are the three biggest takeaways from the piece:
A.J. Brown and Hurts’s relationship began fraying toward the end of the '24 season
Eagles DE Brandon Graham ruffled some feathers back in December 2024 when he suggested during his weekly 94 WIP radio show that Hurts and Browns's once-close relationship was strained.
"The person that's complaining needs to be accountable," Graham said at the time. "I don't know the whole story, but I know that [Hurts] is trying and [Brown] could be a little better with how he responds to things. They were friends before this, but things have changed, and I understand that because life happens. But it's the business side, that we have to make sure the personal doesn't get in the way of the business."
In the moment, both Hurts and Brown shrugged off the supposed beef, and Graham later apologized for taking private matters public.
But, per McManus and Fowler's Wednesday report, "word began circulating within the organization around that time that things 'weren't good' between the two."
Brown is currently the subject of trade rumors, and widely believed to be heading to the Patriots post-June 1.
The Eagles' dysfunction allegedly began over the 2025 offseason
The chief narrative around the Eagles in 2025 was that the team lacked an offensive identity—they appeared disjointed, at odds, and out of touch with one another, even though they finished the regular season 11-6.
But apparently, "there was a level of consternation in pockets of the '25 team dating to the summer," Fowler and McManus wrote Wednesday. "Beneath the public excitement surrounding the team [after the Super Bowl] was an uneasy undercurrent for some internally."
In fact, the reporters continued, "a team source at that time described the state of affairs as a 'disaster' and indicated Hurts was part of the issue, noting that whatever personality traits had rubbed people the wrong way before had grown since the championship win."
Others, however, said Hurts seemed a lot more relaxed than he had before.
Hurts reportedly suggested the failed play call in the Eagles' wild-card loss
Back in January, the Eagles went shockingly one-and-done in the playoffs after losing 23-19 to the 49ers. In the waning seconds of the loss, the Birds had one more chance to make something happen, but fell short on an unsuccessful fourth-and-11 pass from Hurts to tight end Dallas Goedert. Per McManus and Fowler, the suggestion to run the "four verts" play, which the team had also used on third down, was Hurts’s (another source told the reporters that "though the Eagles' quarterback did suggest it, he was simply responding to a question about his preferences.")
In any event, at least one team source wasn't happy with the decision.
"I was like, 'Oh my God, this is not happening," the source told ESPN. "We can't run four verts."
McManus and Fowler then continued: "Though it's unclear what other plays were considered, if any, Sirianni ultimately approved Hurts' suggestion. Within seconds, the plan—and a premature offseason vacation—was in motion."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Biggest Takeaways from New Report on Eagles, Jalen Hurts's Frustrating 2025 Season.
