The Philadelphia Eagles almost missed out on Jalen Hurts becoming a top quarterback in the NFL, as they were pursuing a disastrous trade.
The Philadelphia Eagles were oh so close to winning their second Super Bowl title last year, they just so happened to be facing Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Even with their departures this offseason, the Eagles are in good shape to contend in the NFC, as they have a legitimate top quarterback in the NFL in Jalen Hurts. Had he not gotten hurt and missed two games, Hurts may very well have been voted NFL MVP.
But, the Eagles did almost miss out on the opportunity to see Hurts’ leap into superstardom.
During an appearance on The 33rd Team’s Joey Mulinaro’s “For Those About to Mock” podcast, NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport was asked about “the juiciest rumor he’s heard” at the Scouting Combine. Rapoport mentioned last year that he was convinced that the Eagles or Washington Commanders were going to trade for Russell Wilson. Rapoport described that rumor as something that “shook my brain.”
Ian Rapoport recalls being ‘convinced’ Eagles were trading for Russell Wilson
“That was one where you kind of stopped everything and you’re like ‘hang on,’” said Rapoport. “Now it turned out that that was not something he was into, and he was only into going to the Broncos and I think we know the story.”
That certainly would have been a decision for the Eagles to make. But, luckily for them, Wilson only wanted to play for the Broncos. As it turns out, they avoided disaster in the process.
After failing to land the right quarterback after Peyton Manning’s retirement, the Broncos went all in and traded a bunch of high draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Wilson. Not only did they acquire Wilson, but they also gave him a five-year, $242.6 million contract extension before the season started. And then, Wilson played, and the performances weren’t great.
While Wilson’s struggles can be attributed to the lack of help on the offensive line, losing their top running back in Javonte Williams early in the year due to a torn ACL, and an ill-prepared head coach in Nathaniel Hackett, he didn’t exactly help his case.
In 15 games played, Wilson threw for 3,524 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while completing 60.5-percent of his passes.
Meanwhile, Hurts threw for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 66.5-percent of his passes, while also running for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns on 165 carries. Let’s not forget his historic showing in Super Bowl 57, where he became the first player to run for two or more touchdowns and throw for a touchdown in the game’s history, while also breaking Steve McNair’s rushing yards by a quarterback record with 70.
The Eagles now have a chance to build off of an impressive season, while also trying to secure Hurts to a long-term contract. Meanwhile, the Broncos brought in former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton to fix Wilson.
