Eagles' Nick Sirianni shares Jalen Hurts warning for rest of NFL

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is warning the rest of the NFL that Jalen Hurts is better today than when the quarterback flirted with earning Most Valuable Player honors last season. 

"I see him continuing to get better," Sirianni said Thursday about Hurts, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "I’m really pleased with how he’s been so far throughout camp. I just see continued improvement and continued consistency with Jalen." 

Hurts became a revelation under Sirianni last fall en route to guiding the Eagles to what became a three-point Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. According to ESPN stats, the 2020 second-round draft pick finished the 2022 regular season ranked fourth among qualified players with a 66.4 adjusted QBR, and he recorded a total of 35 offensive touchdowns (22 passing, 13 rushing). Hurts was also fourth among quarterbacks with 760 rushing yards. 

This past spring, the Eagles signed Hurts to a five-year contract extension reportedly worth up to $255M with $179.3M guaranteed. After the two sides put pen to paper on that deal, both Sirianni and Hurts insisted the 24-year-old will continue using his legs to make dynamic plays during games regardless of concerns related to potential future injury setbacks. 

On Thursday, Sirianni praised Hurts' growth as it pertains to reading plays before and as they happen. 

"I think he’s operating at a very high level within the offense, understanding more so how we do things, why we do things, and he’s really like a coach on the field with those things," Sirianni added about his QB1. "Our conversations in the quarterback room just keep getting deeper and deeper as far as how we dissect all the things we’re doing." 

Sirianni offered similar comments about Hurts last summer before the young signal-caller evolved into one of the most feared players at his position. The sky may be the limit for Hurts and company now that he has some long-term job security.  

As of Thursday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Eagles second among betting favorites at +800 odds to win Super Bowl LVIII. At that same time, Hurts was fourth among betting favorites at +1200 odds to win MVP.