Eagles great lobbied for Jalen Hurts to replace Carson Wentz in 2020, then trashed Wentz (x2)
PHILADELPHIA − It was fitting that DeSean Jackson's final reception as an Eagle came near the end of a lost 2020 season, an 81-yard bomb from Jalen Hurts that Jackson celebrated by doing a flip in the end zone.
It was also fitting that Jackson re-injured his ankle on that flip and didn't play for the Eagles again.
But that's another story.
Jackson officially retired as an Eagle on Friday after a 15-year NFL career where he wowed teammates and opponents alike both with his unprecedented ability as a deep threat − only Jerry Rice had more touchdown catches of 50 or more yards than Jackson (36 to 34) in NFL history − and as a punt returner.
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The most memorable was his 65-yard game-ending punt return for a TD against the Giants in 2010, forever known as "Miracle at the Meadowlands II."
A decade later, Jackson's career was beset by injuries, but he was still as fast as ever.
And he remembers being awed by Hurts, the Eagles' controversial second-round pick, in the sense that the Eagles had committed to Carson Wentz as the franchise quarterback less than a year earlier with a record $128 million contract at the time.
"I was lobbying for Jalen Hurts back when we had Carson Wentz starting," Jackson said. "Everybody was like, ‘Why would we pick Jalen Hurts in the second round?’"
Heck, Jackson said he knew why that summer, long before Wentz was benched for Hurts in the second half against Green Bay on Dec. 6.
And he began telling Eagles general manager Howie Roseman that − constantly.
"I remember we were at practice, and Jalen, he was like the backup behind Wentz, and we were sitting back – me, Howie and Alshon Jeffery at the time − and Jalen was actually going versus the starting defense," Jackson said, explaining that the backups on offense would go against the starters on defense, and vice versa.
"So sitting there, watching (Hurts), I’m just seeing him slinging the ball and he’s making crazy plays, and I tapped Howie, and I said, 'Howie, I told you, that kid’s going to be special, man.'"
It wasn't clear to casual observers right away, however.
Hurts completed only 51% of his passes in those 4½ games replacing Wentz at the end of a miserable 4-11-1 season. After the season, the Eagles fired head coach Doug Pederson, traded Wentz, and made Hurts the starter for new coach Nick Sirianni.
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Even then, there were no guarantees as Hurts completed 61.3% of his passes in 2021, and the Eagles were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs amid rumors that the Eagles were looking into trading for Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson.
In 2022, Hurts blossomed. He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl and was the runner-up to Patrick Mahomes for the MVP award. This season, Hurts is again a front-runner for the MVP and the Eagles have the NFL's best record at 10-1 heading into their game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
But Jackson said he first got an inkling of Hurts' potential even before that first training camp, while also taking a shot at Wentz, who is on his third team since leaving the Eagles. Wentz, who wasn't signed by a team until last month, is the Rams' backup QB.
"(He and Hurts) actually trained in the offseason, and he came to Tampa," Jackson said. "And everyone was like, ‘Why is Jalen Hurts training with DeSean Jackson? And why isn’t Carson Wentz out there training?’"
Jackson said he and Hurts trained together for an entire week.
"I had just seen that his mentality was different then," Jackson said. "You can tell, coming from Alabama, his mentality and just how eager he was to win. He had like an older mentality. He was like an uncle or an old father.
"His persona, his demeanor, he’s walking around, he’s flicking the ball. I’m like, ‘There’s something special about him.’ The game is not too big for him. It’s like he had been here before.
"I definitely saw Jalen Hurts before what the world sees now."
Hurts had only that one season with Jackson, and that 81-yard bomb in the 37-17 loss to the Cowboys on Dec. 27, 2020, was Hurts' third NFL start. He missed out on Jackson's heyday from being a second-round pick of the Eagles in 2008 to thriving with Michael Vick, and having a career-high 1,332 yards receiving in 2013 with both Vick and Nick Foles at quarterback.
Hurts said Wednesday he was a big fan of Jackson's.
"I mean one of a kind in terms of his speed," Hurts said. "Watching him growing up, he was a great player, a great receiver, a great specialist with the ball in his hands in different situations. Just being able to be around him and experience playing with him, throwing to him, he was a different cat."
Jackson feels the same way about Hurts.
"I feel like he’s just starting," Jackson said. "I feel like he’s going to be here for a long time. He’s going to have some special moments in Philadelphia. As you can see, he’s QB1 for a reason."
Dallas Goedert returning to face 49ers?
The Eagles didn't need to talk trash this week to get ready for the 49ers on Sunday.
But they did take their own little dig at San Francisco in a more subtle way that could have a big impact on the outcome of the game.
That involved tight end Dallas Goedert, who has been out since Nov. 5, when he fractured his forearm in the second half against the Cowboys. Goedert had surgery, but the Eagles never placed him on injured reserve, a signal that Goedert would return before missing the required four games on IR.
It was expected that would happen against the Cowboys next Sunday. And it certainly seemed like it was heading that way when Goedert didn't practice either Wednesday or Thursday.
Yet there Goedert was on Friday, going through the final practice of the week before the game. Will he play? The Eagles listed him as doubtful on their status report.
But now the 49ers have to prepare for Goedert. The Eagles don't have to decide if he plays or not until 90 minutes before the 4:25 p.m. start on Sunday. In addition, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who hasn't practiced all week with a groin injury, was listed as questionable. Linebacker Zach Cunningham and safety Justin Evans were ruled out.
Of course, the 49ers saw plenty of Goedert and the Eagles' offense in the NFC championship game last Jan. 29, which the Eagles won 31-7.
The 49ers are still stewing from that game, when Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick sacked QB Brock Purdy in the first quarter, leading to offseason elbow surgery. But Purdy had to play in the second half, even though he couldn't throw, because Reddick also sacked Josh Johnson, who was ruled out with a concussion.
49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel said the outcome would have been different had Purdy played the entire game. After all, Purdy was 7-0 as a starter that season and is 8-3 this season.
That's good. But that's not Hurts good. He's 27-2 in his last 29 regular-season starts. He just finds a way to win. And there's no better proof than last week's win over Buffalo − or the week before against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
And that should be enough.
Score: Eagles 30, 49ers 26
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Eagles DeSean Jackson trashed Wentz, 'lobbied' for Jalen Hurts in 2020
