The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots got the trade done for A.J. Brown - it's official after months and months of speculation as to whether it would even happen. Through the ups and downs, it still always felt like the trade was going to happen, and on Monday afternoon, it did.
After four successful years with the Eagles, Brown gets traded for a second time, and heads to New England to reunite with Mike Vrabel, his former head coach during his first stop in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans.
It's clear that Vrabel probably didn't want the Titans to trade Brown in the first place, and now the two are reunited. For the Eagles, though, this does put a ton of players under a bit more pressure, and for quarterback Jalen Hurts, it's a perfect opportunity to silence the critics once and for all in the 2026 campaign.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has a great chance to silence the critics in 2026
It's not a secret that Jalen Hurts has been criticized time and time again throughout his Eagles career. However, Hurts has been a part of a ton of winning, including two trips to the Super Bowl and one victory, which came in blowout fashion in 2024 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sure, winning isn't a quarterback statistic, but winning has followed Hurts his entire career. He's made the playoffs five years in a row and has a 57-25 record in the regular season, following that up with a 6-4 playoff record.
The main criticism, though, is with Hurts as a quarterback - he isn't necessarily a high-end passer and has been surrounded by borderline superteams for years now. At one point, which was as recently as 2024, the Eagles sported the best running back, best offensive line, and a top-five playmaker group on offense.
There aren't many quarterbacks who couldn't perform well in that environment. With Brown now out of the picture, though, and even the potential for Saquon Barkley to regress, the time is now for Hurts to shut these doubters up.
Only set to enter his age-28 season, Hurts should realistically still be right in the middle of his prime, and he could also be up for a fresh contract extension in the near future. He's going to have to carry the load a bit more without Brown on the roster, and if he can do that, what would the critics be able to say then?
It's likely that Hurts will remain a limited quarterback, but that doesn't mean he can't elevate his game to some degree in 2026. He averaged nearly 250 passing yards per game back in 2022, so he's had the ability to toss the ball all over the place.
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And with the Eagles having gone through a clear transition this offseason, the one constant that has remained for years now is Hurts, and it's time for the team's leader to step up and take the reins in a big way in 2026.
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