The Philadelphia Eagles’ offense should look drastically different in 2026. The Eagles already replaced Kevin Patullo with Sean Mannion at offensive coordinator, and more changes could be coming if they decide to trade A.J. Brown later this summer. But the one constant remains is Jalen Hurts at quarterback.
Hurts already lives in Eagles lore thanks to his Super Bowl win in 2024, but his play is wearing on the fan base after a disappointing 2025 campaign. Mannion’s arrival is designed to get the most out of the quarterback, but The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen suggests it could come with a change that pushes Hurts out of his comfort zone.
“Jalen Hurts has targeted the intermediate middle of the field at one of the lowest rates of any quarterback in the league, and this has been consistent among multiple different play callers,” Nguyen wrote in his analysis of the Eagles’ offseason. “[Mannion] might try to get him to throw it there more often on play-action concepts and move away from the iterations of the offense that Shane Steichen installed in 2021.”
Trying something different is a good idea for an Eagles offense that has looked out of sync. But it’s also a change that could determine Hurts’s future in Philadelphia as he looks ahead to his next contract.
Sean Mannion’s Offense Could Make Jalen Hurts’s Future Interesting After 2026
Looking at the difference between Hurts and the quarterbacks in Mannion’s previous stop as a quarterback coach with the Green Bay Packers, there is a slight change in what Hurts could be asked to do. According to Pro Football Focus, Hurts threw the ball in the middle of the field beyond the line of scrimmage 146 times last season, faring well, completing 73.2 percent of his passes for 1,308 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions for a 107.9 quarterback rating. But Mannion could lean into that success with Jordan Love and Malik Willis combining for 165 attempts in the middle of the field and beyond the line of scrimmage.
Another difference is the amount of play-action that Hurts could use. Hurts saw 22.8 percent of his dropbacks come off play action last season, but Love's rate was 25.1 percent. Willis’s percentage was even higher, with 40.4 percent of his dropbacks coming on play action. It could be something Hurts needs to master to thrive in Mannion’s offense.
The good news is that Hurts was solid on play-action attempts last year, completing 63.0 percent of his passes for 847 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions on 119 attempts. However, those attempts may not matter if he’s not consistent in the middle of the field.
That’s where his future comes into play. Hurts is in the final year of guaranteed money on the five-year, $255 million contract extension he signed in 2023. This is usually when teams go to the bargaining table to work out a new contract. While he is signed through 2028, Nguyen also cautioned Hurts's contract situation could play into whether his future is in Philadelphia or elsewhere.
“As accomplished as he is, he has to prove he can grow as a passer and age gracefully as his athleticism declines,” Nguyen wrote. “He’s won a lot of games and a Super Bowl, but that doesn’t mean the Eagles owe him a lucrative contract if they think his game could continue to decline.”
After failing to throw for over 3,000 yards in 2024 (2,903) and barely getting over that mark in 2025 (3,224), Hurts’s production has been a major concern in Philadelphia. If he can’t adapt to Mannion’s changes as the new offensive coordinator, it could turn into a full-blown crisis and lead him to a ticket out of town.
More Philadelphia Eagles News & Rumors:
Add us as a preferred source on Google