What do people in the NFL really think about Jalen Hurts?
A panel of 50 voters voted on the top QBs for the 2026 season with Mike Sando of The Athletic.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts came in at No. 17.
“Philly just won it all not too long ago, but I think of all the bulls--- he had to deal with,” a defensive coordinator said. “They are not on the same page, going through different coordinators, and all the s--- he had to deal with regarding A.J. Brown.”
“Hurts can throw slants and go-balls,” a GM said. “Is there anybody better at running slants and go-balls than A.J. Brown?"
“You don’t want to count on (Hurts) to win a game unless it’s a go-ball, which is a 50-50 ball, except he’s had A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who can go catch it,” a defensive coach said. “His best plays are off schedule. It will become less sustainable as he gets older. And you can’t keep cycling through coordinators.”
“What I appreciate about Matt LaFleur was how he met Aaron Rodgers halfway when implementing a new offense (in Green Bay),” an exec said. “I’ll be curious to see if Mannion has the feel to marry what he wants to do with what Jalen does well, or do they say, ‘Jalen, you have to do this’?"
Hurts finished the 2025 season with 3,224 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 421 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He completed 64.8% of his passes.
Philadelphia won the NFC East last season. However, Hurts and Co. lost to the San Francisco 49ers at home in the wild-card round.
The Eagles signed Hurts to a five-year, $255 million extension in April 2023. However, there is little guaranteed money left on Hurts' deal after the 2026 season.
Hurts enters this season with 17,891 passing yards, 110 passing touchdowns, 3,554 rushing yards and 63 rushing touchdowns in his career. He's made the Pro Bowl three times and won Super Bowl LIX MVP against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Eagles open the 2026 season at home against the Washington Commanders. Hurts is under pressure to play well this season since A.J. Brown and Kevin Patullo are gone.
Sean Mannion, the Eagles' new OC, is a former NFL QB, so he's bonded with Hurts well.
"Jalen's been awesome," Mannion said. "I really think he can do anything we ask of him. He's accurate. He's a great athlete. He really attacks the fundamentals. That's what's been really fun to watch these last two weeks of Phase 2. He's always wanting more things to work on, wanting more things regarding fundamentals, timing, understanding the scheme. He's hungry for more. Those are the guys that are really fun to work with."
Hurts has had seven different play callers over six-plus seasons as a pro.
It will be fascinating to see how he plays in 2026 with Mannion calling plays.
"Jalen's been outstanding in the meetings, and I think having gone through multiple coordinators and stuff, you can tell he's a really capable learner," Mannion said. "He has a great process in the meetings. He always asks really, really thought-provoking questions. He's detailed and attacks his fundamentals. He's always a guy who stays after practice and is working on things. Those are the guys you love to work with."
