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To the outsider looking in, Jalen Hurts was mired in a sticky situation during his 2020 rookie campaign. It could have turned uncomfortable, like Superman walking in on Lois Lane and Lex Luthor. Except it didn’t. Hurts wouldn’t let it.
The Philadelphia Eagles benched Carson Wentz in favor of Hurts in Week 13 that year, a bold move that signaled a changing of the guard. Wentz would eventually get traded to Indianapolis and Hurts received the keys to the kingdom. Two years and 21 starts later, Hurts is on pace for an MVP season and Wentz is slinging it for the Washington Commanders.
On Wednesday, Hurts — in the middle of prepping to face Wentz this week in an NFC East showdown clouded by their complicated history — spoke on how he survived that crowded phone booth. And walked out better for it.
“I think anytime you have an opportunity to be on a team like that, with a player like him [Wentz], and coaches like we had, with the experience, it’s always a learning and teachable moment,” Hurts told reporters. “And that’s any opportunity I have. I always try to learn from everything I put myself into or every position I’m in.
“And I learned a lot. I learned a lot. And I think that’s something I preach to my teammates now, the younger guys now, take advantage of the opportunities you have when you’re not playing because it pays dividends in the end. You have to be patient, be a sponge, and soak it all in.”
Mentoring Under Wentz: ‘Crazy Plays in the Pocket’
Hurts fielded three straight questions about Wentz during his media availability before he decided to change the conversation. Those two quarterbacks will forever be linked, a controversy fueled by the media, but there is mutual respect there.
“It’s definitely mutual respect between the two of us,” Hurts said of Wentz. “When he went to Indy, and now here, definitely a mutual respect. And I wish him nothing but the best.”
Not much else needed to be said about the situation, according to Hurts. It’s over.
“I’m just going to say, we’re focused on the now,” Hurts said. “I’m focused on the now. I’m focused on the now.”
Washington QB Reflects on Years in Philadelphia
Wentz gave a 10-minute press conference to Washington reporters on Wednesday. Much like Hurts, the Commanders starter didn’t get down into the muck. He talked about how much he cherished his time in Philly, especially the 2017 Super Bowl run.
“In this league, my career has been a whirlwind, I’ll tell you that much,” Wentz told reporters, via ESPN’s John Keim. “A lot of really good memories from my time there, I’m not going to lie. Lot of great friends. Lot of great relationships that I made. So definitely have some mixed emotions in terms of those things. Nothing crazy jumps out, other than my time there was a whirlwind. It was wild.”
When asked what went wrong at the end, Wentz laughed but couldn’t provide a real answer: “I don’t know … excited to be here now.”
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