It seems not a day can go by without the Eagles being linked to a big-name quarterback.
Throughout the offseason they have been linked to Deshaun Watson, a rumor that remerged on Monday when Peter King speculated they would be the top landing spot for the Houston Texans quarterback.
King wrote the following, giving the Eagles the best odds to land Watson:
"3-1: Philadelphia. A likely need, plus Eagles are in perfect position to deal with three first-round picks (if Carson Wentz plays three-quarters of the Indy season)"
Prior to the NFL Draft, the Eagles were linked to BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, when NFL Network's Ian Rapport reported they tried to trade up to No. 3 before moving down to No. 12:
And now, just yesterday, there was speculation they could try to land Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Put all the reports together and the message is clear — not many NFL insiders believe the Eagles are committed to sticking with Jalen Hurts.
Of course, they could be wrong. If you dig past the reports and rumors, there have been some pretty strong indications that they are.
The Eagles did, after all, draft Hurts in the second round just last year. They then proceeded to force him on the field while Carson Wentz was their starter, and then eventually benched their soon-to-be-former franchise quarterback to put Hurts in. After trading Wentz, an ESPN report emerged that owner Jeffrey Lurie wants to build around Hurts.
There is also the fact that they didn't sign a quarterback of significance in free agency and have yet to trade for one despite having three-first round picks. They then decided to pass on drafting one as well, even with Ohio State's Justin Fields and Alabama's Mac Jones there for the taking when the Eagles were on the clock at No. 10 overall last month. Instead, the Eagles selected Hurts' former college teammate DeVonta Smith.
Then there is this quote from Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, speaking on SiriusXM Radio:
"We want to see him grab the job and kinda run with it, and see what you do over a period of time," Roseman said. "I remember you told me this a long time ago…the more you can see a player play, the more you can make decisions on that player."
That isn't a complete commitment to Hurts, but it is a sign of where the front office, coaching staff and ownership seems to be at — their current plan is indeed to go with Hurts for the 2021 season.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
