Jeffrey Lurie has a special relationship with Jalen Hurts. He also knows it’s a critical year for his ‘exceptional’ quarterback.

PHOENIX — Jeffrey Lurie offered only a terse, one-word response when asked about Jalen Hurts’ performance last season:

“Good.”

In most cases, good would qualify as good enough. But for the normally expansive and sometimes hyperbolic Eagles owner — especially when it comes to the quarterback he once played a large role in drafting — the answer caused a brief shock at his annual news conference held at the NFL meetings.

Alas, a follow-up about Hurts sorted out the confusion. Lurie had thought he was being asked about defensive tackle Jalen Carter, because only a first name was used in the initial question about a possible contract extension.

Which made sense. Carter is eligible for a new deal, while Hurts has three years left on his five-year, $255 million extension. Lurie’s response spoke to where the Eagles are in relation to the former, and also how he viewed a third season for Carter that was marred by a spitting incident, shoulder injuries, and underwhelming play.

But a clarification that the question was about Jalen Hurts allowed the owner to revert to form when it came to talking about the 27-year-old as a dozen Philadelphia-area reporters, assembled in a small room at the Biltmore Hotel, slumped back into their chairs.

“I love Jalen. There’s no bigger fan of Jalen than me,” Lurie said on Tuesday. “Clutch gene, absolutely. MVP of the Super Bowl 13 months ago. Should have been MVP the Super Bowl right before that against Kansas City the first time. Exceptional and so dedicated.

“I … spend a lot of time with Jalen, as I do most quarterbacks, and [he’s] incredibly dedicated to the game, to winning and being a huge winner. And I love everything about him.”

» READ MORE: Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie calls the Linc ‘wonderful,’ but won’t rule out leaving South Philly amid stadium research

Lurie’s praise of Hurts was a reminder that, despite frustration expressed anonymously by various Eagles players, coaches and staffers — past and present — about the quarterback in this column and elsewhere, the voice that matters the most comes from the man signing all the checks.

Hurts likely knows that as well as anyone. But actions — or the lack thereof — can speak louder than words. The Eagles have no plans to extend Hurts this offseason, NFL sources said, even though teams with franchise quarterbacks often restructure contracts to create salary cap in return for more guaranteed years.

“We never would discuss [negotiations],” Lurie said when asked about Hurts’ deal. “He’s in the middle of the new contract now.”

While no other quarterback who signed a long-term contract during the 2023 offseason has received an extension, Hurts has only the upcoming season fully guaranteed, at $51.5 million. The remaining $22 million comes in 2027, and there would be significant dead money hits if the Eagles were to do anything that would trigger the charges.

Next offseason is eons away in NFL years. But it isn’t an overstatement to suggest that Hurts has reached another inflection point in his career. He seems to perform best when there is additional pressure, whether it’s in the Super Bowl, or when his status is threatened (see: the 2022 offseason when the Eagles explored obtaining Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson).

Team leaders believe Hurts has gotten the message once again.

“He knows this is the last year of his guaranteed money,” an Eagles source said. “He knows the cat’s out on some of his baggage. You got to be able to produce. You can’t be near the bottom of the league in passing two years in a row with the amount of talent that we have. It’s not acceptable.

“And it’s everybody saying it — from Jeffrey on down. Everybody is on the same page.”

But Lurie’s affinity for Hurts is understood by key members of the organization. The owner pushed for general manager Howie Roseman to select the former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback in the second round of the 2020 draft, despite already having starter Carson Wentz on the roster.

Lurie had watched Wilson slip through his team’s hands eight years prior and he wasn’t going to let another athletic quarterback the Eagles valued more than others escape his grasp. Hurts may not have run as much last season, but the owner’s preference for mobility was affirmed in the regular-season finale.

While some team sources continue to tout backup Tanner McKee’s ability to execute the passing game within structure, his inability to escape pressure against the Washington Commanders — even if he didn’t have the benefit of playing with the first-team offense — stood in sharp contrast to Hurts.

It remains to be seen how much Hurts’ legs will be a factor in new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s system. But Lurie doesn’t view the quarterback through a narrow lens. He’s seen up close all that Hurts has accomplished in his first six seasons, not to mention his staunch work ethic, and the positive force he brings as the face of the franchise.

But Lurie is also attuned to Hurts’ deficiencies, knowing how much the quarterback impacts everyone. Each season at the bye, the Eagles have certain staffers contact coaches on other teams to offer outside perspective in the self-scouting process.

Some of the evaluations of Hurts last season were candid, a team source said. One coach said he gave the following assessment: “Until something changes, we’re going to play him the same pressure defense. One out of 10 games he’s going to play the way he did in the Super Bowl. The other nine it’s going to be a mixed bag and the occasional bad [Buccaneers] games.”

» READ MORE: The Eagles’ biggest bet isn’t on a new OC or an A.J. Brown trade. It’s that returning guys will play better.

Some of Hurts’ worst outings have come against Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles.

The Eagles had a myriad of issues on offense last season. They had a first-time play-caller in Kevin Patullo. They had multiple injuries on the offensive line. They had below-average blocking tight ends. And they struggled to run the ball with defenses predicated on stopping running back Saquon Barkley after a historic 2024 season.

And coach Nick Sirianni and Co. were often unable to adjust.

“There’s a human tendency probably to keep at what you’re doing as opposed to understanding that maybe other teams will catch on, will do a better job,” Lurie said. “Maybe you’re a little stale, but in Nick’s and really the team’s defense, we’d just broken all records in the history of the NFL in the championship game and winning the Super Bowl.”

But the Eagles’ pass offense has declined over the last four seasons, going from ninth and 16th in passing yards per game in 2022 and 2023 to 29th and 23rd in 2024 and 2025, despite having elite wide receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, not to mention one of the best pass-protecting O-lines.

Brown’s future remains in question. The Eagles have engaged in trade talks with teams, league sources said. Rams general manager Les Snead confirmed he had discussions with the Eagles about the receiver. The Patriots, meanwhile, remain the most likely suitors for Brown.

“Anything we can do to strengthen the roster, we’re going to try to do,” New England coach Mike Vrabel said on Tuesday when asked about acquiring his former player.

Lurie, for his part, steered clear of injecting more momentum into the subject of Brown’s departure.

“He’s an Eagle,” Lurie said. “We’ll see what happens down the road. So is DeVonta, so is Jalen Hurts, so is Saquon.”

» READ MORE: Mike Vrabel on A.J. Brown trade possibility: ‘Anything that we can continue to do to strengthen the roster’

The latter three, however, are guaranteed to return. As is Sirianni. But Hurts isn’t the only one potentially facing the gauntlet after 2026. The same could be said for many on the Eagles, including the coach, even if he just signed a contract extension last May.

The length of the deal remains shrouded in secrecy, even though many other teams make public the terms of their coaches’ contracts. But Sirianni’s seat may not be as hot as some have speculated, at least based on Lurie’s glowing review of his coach.

“His performance has been nothing short of outstanding,” Lurie said. “One of the best first … what, five years in the history of the NFL? Two Super Bowls in the last three years, one of which we won, one of which we [had] taken away from us. Still bitter. Incredible leadership.

“But authenticity is huge in my world and in the players’ world. Nobody’s perfect.”

As imperfect as Sirianni and Hurts may be, no coach-quarterback pairing has won as many games over the last five seasons. Roseman, especially, and others are also responsible for all the winning.

But Lurie didn’t agree with the perception, paraphrased within a question, that the Eagles’ elongated coordinator search meant the role was less desirable because Sirianni’s job was viewed as in jeopardy and Hurts was seen as a coordinator killer.

“Just the opposite,” he said.

» READ MORE: ‘A.J. Brown is a member of the Eagles’: Howie Roseman’s mantra on star wideout unlikely to quiet speculation

The Eagles have a history of thorough processes that led to finding budding offensive minds, and Lurie mentioned several: Andy Reid, Sean Payton, and Jon Gruden. He heaped praise on the 33-year-old Mannion, but the former Packers quarterbacks coach is a relative unknown.

Mannion is expected to integrate schemes from the Shanahan offense, but as Lurie pointed out, the changes that are coming aren’t solely designed to maximize Hurts’ abilities, or to improve the areas in which he struggles.

“It was designed to have us be a championship offense,” the owner said.

Those are the expectations when your team has its longest sustained period of success. And those expectations aren’t just coming from outside the Jefferson Health Training Complex. They come from inside, and from the top.

“The way I manage it is … it’s like our fans. I’m hell-bent on getting another championship,” Lurie said. “Expectations. It’s not going to happen every year. It’s damn tough to repeat. But why not try to do everything possible? … My expectations [have] always been [to] be world class, at least try to be world class at everything. And where you’re not at all, be self-critical at all times where you’re not able to do what you hope to do.

“So we didn’t win the Super Bowl this past February. We won it the year before. What did we do? Be self-critical.”

Hurts and Sirianni, likely more than anyone, will be held to that standard next offseason.