Gov. Josh Shapiro reiterates that the Eagles’ home of the future will ‘be in the city of Philadelphia’
A diehard Eagles fan, Shapiro again praised the team for its thoughtful approach to the stadium question.
Josh Shapiro spent his formative years in Montgomery County as a rabid Philadelphia sports fan, but as an undersized point guard at Akiba Hebrew Academy, the path to signing autographs for Philadelphia fans as a sports star wasn’t all that probable.
As the governor of Pennsylvania, though? Shapiro found himself catching miniature footballs and jerseys from fans and tossing them back into the stands after applying his signature Tuesday night as the Eagles warmed up at Lincoln Financial Field ahead of their open practice.
“I was joking with some of the kids, I think I was decreasing the value of their Jalen Hurts jersey,” Shapiro joked.
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“Look, it’s humbling. It’s an honor to be with all these folks and to be with fellow Birds fans, who are not only out here to watch our team but also support an incredible cause. The amount of money they’re raising, about $800,000 tonight for the Eagles Autism Foundation, it’s an amazing thing Jeffrey [Lurie] has done for this city and the example he’s set for the entire country.”
Shapiro, after finishing with autographs and pictures, made his way to the sideline, where he chatted with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who he later called “the best GM in all of sports, although Mike Gansey is giving him a hell of a run for his money landing LeBron.” The longtime Eagles fan is optimistic that Roseman has put together a team that can compete for another Super Bowl. Shapiro attended each of the last two Eagles Super Bowl appearances.
“I think there’s a lot of hope, there’s a lot of optimism, a lot of excitement after, obviously, a down year last year,” Shapiro said. “It didn’t end how we wanted. Folks are pumped up. I think there’s something unique about this city that 50,000 people came out to watch a practice. They’re fired up and so am I.”
Tuesday was the team’s annual open practice at Lincoln Financial Field. The stadium itself has been a topic of conversation since Lurie made public statements earlier this year about his team’s future home, indicating all options were on the table when it comes to the type of stadium and even where it’s located.
Shapiro on Tuesday reiterated what he told The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane on the unCovering the Birds podcast in April.
“I appreciate the way [team president] Don [Smolenski] and Jeffrey and the entire franchise are thinking really critically about what they want for the future of a home for the Philadelphia Eagles,” Shapiro said Tuesday. “Here’s what I can tell you for sure: It’s going to be in the city of Philadelphia, and we’ll work with the Eagles once they determine what it is they’re interested in doing, but I appreciate the thoughtful and deliberate approach that they’ve taken to this process.”
The Eagles are at Lincoln Financial Field until 2032 under their current lease agreement. But the team has begun what Lurie called “exploratory research” on a new or renovated stadium. Last year, the organization sent out surveys to season-ticket holders to seek input on the prospects of a stadium renovation or a new building. It is similar to what the Eagles did before they moved from Veterans Stadium to Lincoln Financial Field in 2003.
Lurie said the goal is to have a more “definitive approach” to the team’s stadium plans in a year or two.
“They’re going to think about what they want as a home for the next 30, 40, 50 years, and then we’ll have a conversation when they’re ready to have that,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro won’t be in his current office when the lease expires. He’s up for reelection in November, and while polls show him with a 16-point lead, he’s term-limited and can’t be governor beyond the next four-year term. It remains possible, too, that he considers a run for president in 2028.
The Eagles’ first-stringers get little to no action in exhibition games, annual joint practices with other teams become one of the few opportunities for starters to get preseason reps of consequence. This year, the Eagles traveled to New England for two days of live workouts with the Patriots. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Boston Sports Journal’s Greg A. Bedard recap what they saw, and explain why, even after the joint practices, the Eagles still haven’t shown much of an identity. Listen here.
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