Jalen Hurts says he’s off to a good start with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion: ‘You can definitely see the vision’
Hurts also answered questions about the likely departing A.J. Brown at a Wednesday news conference.
In Jalen Hurts’ world, Groundhog Day is in the spring, not the winter.
Nearly every April since he became the full-time starting quarterback, save for 2022, Hurts relives the same process — he returns to the team’s training facility and cracks open a new playbook authored by a different offensive play-caller.
First, that play-caller was Nick Sirianni. Then it was Shane Steichen. Then Brian Johnson. Then Kellen Moore. Then Kevin Patullo. Now, with Hurts entering Year 6 as the starter, it’s Sean Mannion leading the offense.
Hurts’ offensive coordinator may change, but his approach to learning a new offense does not.
“My process hasn’t changed since college,” Hurts said Wednesday at the Eagles’ second day of organized team activities. “It hasn’t changed at all. I learn as much as I can, build with the coaching, see what his direction is, what his vision is, ask the right questions. It’s been the same exact process, and I’ve learned a lot on that journey.”
That process is beginning again. The Eagles kicked off the first phase of the offseason program just five weeks ago. Phase 3, which includes OTAs and mandatory minicamp, commenced on Tuesday.
This phase is all about the Eagles “laying down the foundation” of the offense, according to Hurts. With each passing day, Mannion will install more of the playbook. Hurts is back in what he calls “sponge mode” as he learns the new offense from a new teacher.
“It’s been a really good process so far,” Hurts said. “[Mannion has] come in and he’s very clear. Giving good direction. You can definitely see the vision. Been able to answer all of my questions. Very instructive, very helpful. So it’s been a very enjoyable journey so far.”
The vision, Mannion explained last week, consists of a “blend” between his schematic background (which is rooted in the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay offense) and past Eagles offenses.
Hurts said the Eagles aren’t quite at that part of the meshing process just yet. Before they can start incorporating elements from previous schemes, they must focus on learning the new.
Part of the new will likely include an uptick in Hurts lining up under center. Last season, the Eagles offense ran 221 plays from under center, which was the sixth-fewest in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. They trailed far behind the league-leading Los Angeles Rams, who had 624.
Hurts has done it before, albeit infrequently. Still, the 27-year-old quarterback acknowledged the difference in executing a play from under center in Mannion’s scheme compared to previous Eagles offenses.
“I think you can throw anyone under center,” Hurts said. “I think the question you ask is why? Why are you doing what you’re doing? What are you doing? What are you complementing? What’s your MO behind what you do? And so philosophically, it’s different than what we’ve done in the past.”
An increase in under-center plays likely will come with a decrease in designed runs out of the shotgun, either on run-pass options or zone reads. Hurts had thrived on those designed runs in the past, especially in 2021 and 2022, when he averaged 465 designed rushing yards per season, per Pro Football Focus.
But he had just 174 designed rushing yards in 2025, a career low. The new offense under Mannion could bring more of the same. Hurts was indifferent about the prospective continuation of that trend.
“I don’t think that’s something that I can manage,” Hurts said. “It’s ultimately up to what we’re doing as an offense and how we put everything together. I think when you look back about 2020 and 2021 and those times, we were heavy gun team, ran a lot of inside zone, ran a lot of RPO, got to the edge a good bit, and defense was different, too. And the game has changed.”
The team is changing, too, just as it does every offseason. But this spring is notable, as A.J. Brown was absent from Wednesday’s optional practice amid trade speculation.
Speculation could turn to reality next week, as the Eagles could spread out the dead cap from a potential Brown trade over two seasons after June 1. Regardless, Hurts expressed that his attention is fixed on the task at hand, not on the absence of the star receiver.
“I think for us, we’re focused on learning the offense,” Hurts said. “It really doesn’t change in terms of our approach to improve. There’s an ‘if,’ obviously, [Brown’s uncertain future with the Eagles has] been lingering, a lingering thing. But nothing can replace all the greatness that we achieved together.”
Hurts also echoed his comments at the end of the 2025 season regarding the state of his relationship with Brown, which he said at the time was in a “good, great place.”
“We’re really good, and I saw how beautiful the pictures came out at his wedding,” Hurts said. “I’m very happy for him and his wife and his family. It’s a beautiful thing to step into covenant. So, I was very excited and congratulatory toward that.”
Brown’s potential departure could mark yet another change in a career full of them for Hurts, especially regarding offensive schemes. In the spring ahead of Moore’s stint as offensive coordinator, Hurts said he yearned for “sustainability” and “consistency” among his play-callers.
That consistency, however, remains out of his control. But with every Groundhog Day, Hurts expresses a determination to take the changes in stride.
“I do really want to become an expert at the position, and I want to grow within the position, and that’s obviously hard to do when it’s always changing, but that’s not going to stop me from trying to be the best that I can be,” Hurts said Wednesday.
“So I’m just trying to grow. Take in the coaching that I can, so I can be the best I can be for the team.”
By all accounts, Zach Ertz is one of the most beloved players in modern Eagles history. Not only does he rank statistically as the top tight end to ever play for the team, he caught the decisive touchdown to bring Philadelphia its first Super Bowl victory, earned multiple Pro Bowl selections, and was regarded as a locker room leader. But for as strong a mark as he left on the city, Ertz had a couple tough moments with the franchise, experiences that caused him to look inward and face his demons. During a recent visit with The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, the 35-year old Ertz reflected on how finding strength through faith helped him overcome an embarrassing mistake and bring greater balance to his life. Listen here.
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