Peter King has two-word message for Jalen Hurts in retirement column

NFL insider Peter King of NBC Sports used a portion of Monday's "Football Morning in America" column regarding his retirement to send a direct message to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. 

"I don’t have a good feeling about Philadelphia in 2024," King wrote. "But if the Eagles return to goodness, it’s got to be on the wings of Jalen Hurts. Lead, man." 

According to Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported during a podcast episode released on Dec. 21 that some within the Eagles wanted Hurts "to not isolate himself as much when a more outward leadership style is necessary, especially when the going gets tough." At that point, Philadelphia had fallen from 10-1 to 10-4 on the season. 

The Eagles ultimately finished with a record of 11-6 before they suffered a 32-9 wild-card playoff loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 15. Following that defeat, Joseph Santoliquito of Bleeding Green Nation wrote that "sources within and around the team say Jalen Hurts 'changed'" after he signed a five-year contract extension reportedly worth up to $255M with $179.3M guaranteed last spring. More recently, FS1 and WFAN personality Craig Carton said last week he'd heard that the 2023 Eagles dealt with "a problem that would splinter any group of men" and that "cannot be fixed." 

After Carton offered those comments, Eagles insider Derrick Gunn shared via social media that Hurts was "pulled in numerous directions on/off field" after he inked the deal that "put him under a lot of pressure he didn’t handle well." Eagles sideline reporter and local sports radio host Howard Eskin later suggested that Philadelphia defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and "other players" were "not happy with" Hurts during the club's collapse because they felt the signal-caller needed "to be more a part of us." 

While it was reported in January that the Eagles technically could afford to trade Hurts this offseason, there's no sign the club will consider going down that road with head coach Nick Sirianni potentially entering September on the hot seat. The Philadelphia futures of both Hurts and Sirianni beyond next season could ultimately be determined by how the 2020 second-round draft pick responds to leadership comments offered by King and others within the NFL community.