Jalen Hurts Making it Tougher on Eagles Front Office

Before yesterdays game in Arizona a report emerged that quarterback Carson Wentz has no interest in sticking around to be Jalen Hurts backup if that's going to be the case in 2021 according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"My reaction is Carson has done everything we've asked him to do," Pederson said when asked about the report.  "He's a pro, he's engaging, he's helping Jalen.  He's doing everything we are asking him to do right now. "

Hurts isn't making things any easier for Wentz and the Eagles front office.

The rookie signal-caller had another terrific performance on Sunday in Arizona, completing 24-of-44 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns, rushing 11 times for 63 yards and another score.

"All external factors don't matter to us," Hurts said. We're just getting better as a team, putting ourselves in the best position for our future."

Could he have been foreshadowing?

Is Hurts the player who puts the Eagles in the best position in the future?

If you're going off of his two-and-a-half games versus Carson Wentz 2020 season, the answer is obvious.  However there are plenty of other factors.

Wentz has a bigger body of work, much of which is filled with success.  There is the very memorable 2017 season, where many NFL scribes believe Wentz would have won the leagues Most Valuable Player Award before he went down for the season with a major knee injury.

That year Wentz was nearly flawless, tossing 33 touchdowns in just 13 games with only seven interceptions.  The next two seasons, Wentz had his ups-and-downs, but seemed to put it all together when it matter the most - late in the year.

In those two seasons, Wentz compiled 48 touchdown passes and just 14 interceptions, completing 66 percent of his passes over 27 games.

This season has been a disaster.  Wentz has been indecisive, inaccurate, and made poor decisions virtually every game all season.  While he has had some positive moments, they have been few and far between.  His highly erratic play has led him to completing just 57.4 percent of his passes for 16 scores and 15 interceptions.

"I'm glad we got a little light at the end of the tunnel," said  Eagles defnesive end Brandon Graham.  "It's definitely a little motivation when we come back on Wednesday."

But is the Hurts the light at the end of that tunnel for the Eagles?

Wentz has a nearly untradable and uncuttable contract, making it very likely he will be back in 2021.  Are the Eagles prepared to have Wentz earn $15.4 million to hold the clipboard?

And quite frankly,  are we even sure Wentz does want out?  According to Rob Maadi of the Associated Press, Wentz  is rooted in this community,  and not real interested in uprooting his family.

"I get it and I understand its probably a frustrating situation for him," Pederson acknowledged.  "But at the same time, I see him helping Jalen and helping our offense during these games.  I don't know much about the other stuff."

That other stuff falls on Howie Roseman and the Eagles front office.

They made the decision to draft Hurts, and now Hurts is playing well enjoy to justify the pick.

However, its not that simple.

"Obviously, we haven't had a full body of 16 plus games, a preseason," Pederson said about Hurts' body of work. "It is a little bit of a small sample size to really probably make that determination, overall."

Pederson wouldn't even name Hurts the starter for Week 16 right away, let alone to open the 2021 season.

So will they both be back in 2021, with a chance to battle it out for the starting quarterback position?  You rarely see that in the NFL at that position, especially when a player is drafted as high as Wentz was, and paid the amount of money Wentz was.

Teams typically just acquiesce and give that guy the position, without making them earn their playing time. Will the Eagles buck that trend and make the two players battle it out letting the best QB win?

Unless Wentz gets his way and is traded away, we're about to find out.