One day after the Philadelphia Eagles were eliminated at home by the San Francisco 49ers, Jalen Hurts delivered a quiet but firm message to head coach Nick Sirianni that captured his mindset moving forward.
“We’ll be back,” Hurts told Sirianni on Monday, a moment caught on HBO’s Hard Knocks.
Sirianni‘s reply came without hesitation: “I have no doubt.”
The exchange set the tone for an offseason that promises major questions for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Less than a year removed from lifting the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl 2025, the franchise took a clear step backward, ending its title defence with a disappointing 23-19 wild-card loss that mirrored many of the struggles seen throughout the season.
Change has already started in Philadelphia. The Eagles moved on from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, a decision that reflected mounting dissatisfaction with an attack that never fully found its rhythm.
With owner Jeffrey Lurie known for his aggressive approach, further moves are widely expected as the organisation looks to reset quickly.
Offensive regression brings Hurts-Sirianni pairing into focus
Much of the scrutiny centres on Hurts and Sirianni together. In Hurts’ first four seasons as Philadelphia’s starter, the Eagles ranked 12th, 3rd, 7th, and 7th in points per game. This season, that figure slipped to 19th, reflecting an offence that lost consistency and explosiveness.
Hurts‘ rushing impact also dipped. He recorded his lowest rushing yardage and fewest rushing touchdowns since becoming the starter, removing a key element that had previously stressed defences.
There were also two games in which he failed to complete a pass in the second half, an unusual statistic for a quarterback expected to drive late-game success.
With Sirianni‘s background rooted in offence, responsibility has naturally fallen on both coach and quarterback. The playoff loss to San Francisco encapsulated the issue. Facing a depleted 49ers defence, Philadelphia managed just six points after halftime.
“Felt like that was the story as our year progressed,” Sirianni said after the game.
“Those are things we always work our ass off to try to fix any and every situation we can, and you know what, at the end of the day we didn’t do a good enough job of doing that and that starts with me.”
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