Jalen Hurts Has Surprise Brian Johnson Take After Eagles Firing

After a rough end to the 2023 season for the Philadelphia Eagles, they cleaned house by letting go of defensive coordinator Sean Desai, senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia, and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.

The decision to move on from Johnson, who ended up landing with Washington, caused a lot of conversation among fans as there were numerous reports about who was calling the plays at various points of the season. 

With the Eagles moving on from Johnson, it also means that Jalen Hurts, who had a chance to work with him over the last three years, will have to work with a new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.

The star quarterback spoke to the media on Wednesday and was asked about the coordinator change this offseason. Hurts spoke glowingly about Johnson and his future as a coach in the NFL.

“He’s more than capable of being a big-time head coach in this league,” Hurts said (h/t ESPN’s Tim McManus).

Many Eagles fans credit former offensive coordinator Shane Steichen for Hurts’ development, especially with his drastic improvement in 2022. However, Johnson, who was the quarterback coach for the 2021 and ‘22 seasons played a part too. 

In 2022, Hurts became an MVP candidate and almost had a historic performance in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 25-year-old quarterback completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Hurts also had 760 rushing yards and 13 scores on the ground.

Johnson didn’t land any head coaching gigs this offseason, but other teams across the league wanted to interview him for their vacancies, so the interest is there. The former Eagles offensive coordinator will see the Eagles twice this season as he’s the Commanders’ new assistant head coach/offensive pass game coordinator.

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