In Roob’s Observations: A Look at Jalen Hurts’ Intense Competitiveness

Sheil Kapadia of The Ringer and Dave Zangaro discuss what kind of market offers Milton Williams and Josh Sweat could receive when NFL free agency begins next week.

A look into Jalen Hurts’ incredible competitiveness, thoughts on Isaiah Rodgers’ future, and the Eagles’ impressive record against playoff teams.

With free agency only a day away, it’s astonishing how quickly offseason roster building takes shape after a Super Bowl appearance.

The parade was just 23 days ago, and now we’re already starting to think about constructing the 2025 Eagles.

As we approach the start of free agency, here’s this week’s edition of 10 Random Eagles Offseason Observations.

1. One of my favorite moments from the Super Bowl Mic’d Up video is the brief clip of Jalen Hurts showing his frustration at being pulled from the game with the Eagles leading 40-6 midway through the fourth quarter. That moment perfectly captures Hurts’ fierce competitive spirit. Despite the score being 40-6, Hurts didn’t want to leave. While his teammates celebrated the imminent victory, Hurts was still focused on dominating the Chiefs. He wanted to run up the score, avenge the loss from two years ago, and put up fifty points. Coach Nick Sirianni, however, valued respect and didn’t want to embarrass Andy Reid and the Chiefs, though they scored two touchdowns in the final minutes to narrow the gap. Hurts’ desire to keep piling on the points shows a level of competitiveness that goes beyond just winning—he wanted to crush them. That brief video is a perfect glimpse into Hurts’ unrelenting drive. It’s impossible not to admire that mentality.

2. I’m intrigued to see where Isaiah Rodgers ends up, especially after he stepped up admirably in the past season, frequently filling in for Darius Slay. After missing all of 2023, Rodgers played 328 defensive snaps, was targeted 28 times, and allowed only 13 completions for 118 yards. His 4.2 yards per target was tied for the lowest in the NFL among 125 corners who faced at least 20 targets. He also ranked 4th in opposing completion percentage (46.4%), 12th in opposing yards per completion (9.1), and 34th with an 82.1 defensive passer rating. Based on those statistics, some teams might view Rodgers as a potential starter, especially considering his size and speed. However, the Eagles aren’t in a position to enter a bidding war for Rodgers or any other player. Kelee Ringo, five years younger and still on his rookie deal, offers much more upside at a much lower cost. The only way Rodgers returns is if the market for him doesn’t materialize, and the Eagles are able to re-sign him cheaply, but that doesn’t seem likely.

3. In the past, wild-card teams—especially those forced to play in the wild-card round—were considered long shots for winning the Super Bowl. The NFL introduced the wild-card system in 1970 after the AFL-NFL merger, with one wild-card team per conference. A second wild-card team per conference was added in 1978, followed by a third in 1990. The league expanded to four divisions per conference in 2002, with two wild-card teams per conference, but still only four teams from each conference participated in the wild-card round. This system remained until 2020 when the NFL eliminated the first-round bye for the No. 2 seed and expanded to three wild-card games per conference, with three division winners and three wild-card teams. From 1970 to 1996, only two teams that played in the wild-card round—1978 Raiders and 1982 Washington—won the Super Bowl, with the 1982 season featuring an expanded postseason format due to a strike-shortened season. Up until 2004, only four out of 35 Super Bowl winners came from the wild-card round, including just two teams—1997 Broncos and 2000 Ravens—that had to play four games. However, since 2004, 10 of the 20 Super Bowl winners have emerged from the wild-card round, with four of the last five champions, including the 2024 Eagles, falling into that category. You might think…