The relationship between coach and quarterback is very important in the NFL, and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts will be working together this year, and if both do their jobs at a high level, maybe beyond.
Sirianni, who the Eagles hired in January, will be making his head coaching debut on Sunday in Atlanta against the Falcons, while Hurts, who started the last four games of the 2020 season, will begin his second season as the full-time starter for the first time in his NFL career.
Former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and former Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz’s relationship reportedly dissolved last season, and ultimately, Pederson was fired, and Wentz was traded to Indianapolis.
Obviously, Sirianni wants to have a solid relationship with Hurts, and on Wednesday, he discussed the importance of growing his relationship with his quarterback.
“Part of you, with the quarterback, you have no choice but to grow closer,’ Sirianni said. “You get closer just because of the time you spend with them. But we’re obviously – and I joke about that because I’m saying Jalen has to be close to me because I’m in the meetings with him all the time, and it’s just other ways to do that. It’s important that we don’t just have a football relationship. That’s important for me, with every player on our team, that I have more than a surface-level relationship with our players. There is more to it. That’s connecting on different things.
“I text him(Hurts) after the Alabama game, I text him after the Oklahoma game. He’s got two teams I can razz him about. [Laughing] You don’t really get to razz him about Alabama too much. So, it’s finding different ways to connect.”
Like his predecessor, Doug Pederson, Sirianni is expected to call the plays, making his relationship with Hurts even more vital. How this relationship goes could determine the fate of Philadelphia in 2021. The division is winnable for every NFC East team, and if Hurts can play well, the Eagles have a shot. However, if he struggles, his time in Philadelphia could end after the 2021 season.
