The Philadelphia Eagles fired offensive coordinator Brian Johnson this week, and head coach Nick Sirianni apparently didn’t consult quarterback Jalen Hurts before aiding in making the decision.
Sirianni was asked about Hurts’ reaction to the news, and he provided a rather diplomatic answer.
“Obviously they have a relationship,” Sirianni said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “You’ll have to ask Jalen when you get an opportunity to talk to him. But anytime you have to let people go, we all hurt when we let people go. Every one of us. This is the worst part of the job, having to let people go.”
The Eagles finished 16th in the NFL in passing offense this season as Hurts struggled with 23 passing touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Philadelphia had to make some sort of change, and firing Johnson was evidently part of it.
“It doesn’t just affect the person you let go,” continued Sirianni. “It affects the families, and it affects — there’s a friendship there that we have worked together every day for the past three years, and we’ve spent way more time with each other than we have with our families or our loved ones, and you grow close and you grow close bonds.”
Philly got off to a 10-1 start this year, but lost five of its last six games to fall to 11-6. It was then routed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. The Eagles scored just nine points in the contest.
“I don’t even want to get into what every player — everyone is going to be hurting from this, not just the guy that got let go but the friendships that are — they’re not over, but you’re not going to see that person every day like you have in the past,” Sirianni said.
Jalen Hurts seemed frustrated throughout the second half of the season. You have to wonder if firing his offensive coordinator will exasperate him even more.
More than likely, he’ll get over it, but there is no doubt that Nick Sirianni’s Eagles seem to be on thin ice heading into 2024.
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