PHILADELPHIA − The Eagles are still five days away from their first spring practice even though 30 of the other 31 teams began them this week.
Don’t mistake that for a Super Bowl hangover. In reality, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni went with this plan last spring after the Eagles were eliminated in the first round. That worked out pretty well as the Eagles went to the Super Bowl.
So the Eagles will have five spring practices, otherwise known as organized team activities, over the next two weeks − no contact, and only 7-on-7 or 9-on-7 team drills − and no mandatory minicamp. Just about every other team will have as many as 10 practices over three weeks, plus a three-day mandatory minicamp.
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Yet the Eagles aren’t worried about falling behind the rest of their NFL brethren or being perceived as complacent. That’s because of quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Sure, he signed a contract in April worth as much as $255 million, with $179 million of that guaranteed, over five seasons beginning in 2024.
But it certainly seems like Hurts hasn’t taken as much as a long weekend − and that included going back to Oklahoma University to receive his master’s degree at graduation before returning to the NovaCare Complex that Monday for conditioning work.
So perish the thought of Hurts skipping the voluntary strength and conditioning drills that began in late April, or the phase two period of on-field work that the Eagles have been conducting for the past few weeks.
If anything, the only difference in Hurts is “probably just more commas” in his nine-figure contract, as center Jason Kelce put it.
It’s why Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith was among a group of wide receivers who attended Hurts’ contract signing press conference on April 24, feeling as happy for Hurts as they would be for themselves.
“It’s amazing,” Smith said Wednesday about Hurts’ contract. “He’s a guy that comes in every day, puts the work in, and you see it pay off. He leads the right way. You have a lot of people looking up to him and following him. He’s part of the reason that guys love coming to work.
“To see a guy and what he does every day to make himself better. Maybe he’s doing something that you could probably (emulate) to make yourself better.”
And really, that’s what Hurts’ main offensive weapons in Smith, fellow wide receiver A.J. Brown and tight end Dallas Goedert have been doing during the offseason.
Smith is coming off a career-high 1,196 yards receiving, while Brown set a franchise record with 1,496 yards. Goedert had 702 yards but missed five games with a shoulder injury.
Hurts, meanwhile, orchestrated all of it, both with his arm and with his legs. Hurts was the MVP runner-up, throwing for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns and running for 760 yards and 13 TDs. Hurts threw only six interceptions and was fourth in passer rating at 101.5.
Yet Smith, who won’t turn 25 years old until November, said he already considers himself a top-10 wide receiver in the NFL. But he’s not satisfied with that.
“That’s just being confident in myself and my abilities,” he said. “I’m pretty sure you won’t have many guys come up here and say they don’t think they’re not (top 10 at their positions). Just being confident in my abilities and just raising my play.”
Smith was then asked if there was a point last season when he felt like he proved he belonged among the top receivers: “I kind of always felt like that to myself, humbly.”
Hurts would give a similar response. The contract doesn’t change anything about his approach and his leadership. It’s a major reason why Sirianni has lightened the offseason load for his players. It’s also why the Eagles feel like they can still get better than they were last year, when they fell three points short in the Super Bowl.
“He’s still out here every day, working out,” Kelce said about Hurts. “He’s always trying to get better. Even in the walkthroughs and OTAs, we’re talking through, ‘Why do we go to the (weakside linebacker) and not push it to the (middle)?’ Or ‘Do we want to do that out of that formation?’
“All that stuff is still happening, and it seems like Jalen has the hunger to improve and get better, which is a necessity in this league.”
Brown, who has been best friends with Hurts since college, knows this, too.
“Just to be sitting beside him is a blessing, talking to him about it, working with him on the side, and last season actually helping him achieve some of his goals,” Brown said. “From a friend standpoint, it’s everything you can imagine. I’m so ecstatic for him. He deserves it. I’m excited for what the future holds for him.
“He’s still that hard worker. He’s still determined to be great, so it definitely didn’t change him. It definitely motivated him, if anything. That’s what you want.”
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
