Eagles’ Jalen Hurts explains why his eagerness to learn with Jason Kelce stopped: ‘Times are different now’

The Philadelphia Eagles are entering a new era of offensive play. Not only has offensive coordinator Brian Johnson been replaced by Kellen Moore, but Philly’s longtime prospect, future Pro Football Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce, has also retired.

Kelce was not only a primary leader in the locker room and a constant presence up front, but also a guy who handled duties on offense. In fact, he handled some of the things that quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t have to do. That all changes in 2024. Recently, Hurts said his “eagerness to learn” “stopped” because of Kelce’s expertise.

“We had a great player in Jason Kelce who took on a lot of the responsibilities, and as a result I was told not to worry about a lot of things,” Hurts said on 94WIP. “And so over the years my eagerness to learn was somewhat curbed…but times are different now.”

So, it can be assumed that Hurts is not only learning a new offensive scheme, but also dealing with more calls at the line of scrimmage.

The Eagles are looking to bounce back after their late-season collapse in 2023. Hurts has lost six of his last seven games while going 29-4 in his previous 33 games, including the playoffs. As Philly was on the rise, Hurts averaged just 1.4 total touchdowns and 230.1 total yards per game in his last seven contests.

Hurts still has an incredible supporting cast with AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and now Saquon Barkley, but it’s clear from Hurts’ statement that there will be some things he’ll have to focus on that he didn’t have to worry about before. And that’s notable.