The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has made the habit of breaking defenses through his elite play, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be one of the rare defensive units that refuse to be rattled by his versatility. The Bucs linebacker, Lavonte David, who had been the pillar of the defense for 14 seasons, recently made a bold admission about the Super Bowl MVP.

“Jalen Hurts was never a guy we were worried about,” said David on The Arena: Gridiron. “Our game plan, because they had a great offensive line, was to always stop the run. That may open up the passing game, but he was never asked to do so much in the passing game and stuff like that. You know he had AJ Brown, you got Devonta Smith, and you got Dallas Goedert.”

The Eagles play in the NFC East, alongside the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and Dallas Cowboys. On the other hand, the Buccaneers are in the NFC South with the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons. The NFC rivals don’t square off twice a year routinely, though they cross paths from time to time.

After Jalen Hurts was picked by the Birds in the 2020 NFL Draft, the franchise faced the Bucs six times, and their previous record indicates that Lavonte David could indeed be right. With the star quarterback in charge, the Eagles were able to secure victory in two of the six games, winning only 33.33% of their games.

The 27-year-old has a 59.5 passing completion percentage against the Red and Black, which is less than his career PCT of 64.4. The 2-4 overall record against David’s former team falls below his average season record of 12-5. Moreover, his touchdown percentage of 3.6 against the Bucs doesn’t match up to the standard of his average season TD percentage (4.6).

When the two teams faced off last time on Week 4 of the 2025 season, the Eagles prevailed by 31-25, which was their second victory against the Bucs with Hurts in charge. However, the QB’s performance failed to make much difference.

He recorded only 130 passing yards, whereas Bucs signal caller Baker Mayfield went on to manage more than double, finishing with 289 passing yards. The special team’s touchdown put the Birds in the driver’s seat, and the tight end Dallas Goedert had a spectacular night with 4 receptions and 2 receiving touchdowns.

The Buccaneers’ defensive unit, spearheaded by David and supported by the likes of Vita Vea, Antonio Winfield, and Calijah Kancey, successfully managed to contain Hurts’ impact. With the retirement of David, the 27-year-old would be noticeably relieved about travelling to Raymond James Stadium next time, but his long-term status with the Eagles remains unclear at the moment.

The 2026 season could define Jalen Hurts’ future in Philadelphia

Jalen Hurts led the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl glory in the 2024 season when he won the Super Bowl MVP honor. However, the team had miserably failed to defend the title last season, getting eliminated after the Wild Card Round against the San Francisco 49ers. As a result of last season’s struggles, the relationship between the Eagles’ management and the quarterback has reportedly been strained.

“The pass game wasn’t always properly tied to the run, and there’s a level of predictability that allows opposing defenses to get a bead on what’s coming,” wrote ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently, referring to reports coming from the internal sources of the Eagles. “Though there is plenty of blame to spread, Hurts has had a hand in the offense becoming calcified.”

Last year, Hurts reportedly deviated from the original game plan made by the offensive coordinator and the head coach, Nick Sirianni. Furthermore, he was resistant to the play calls in an attempt to modernize the offensive unit.

For example, he didn’t like taking snaps under the center. The refusal to implement the pre-snap motions and strategies given by the former OC, Kevin Patullo, reportedly led to internal conflict, and the latter was fired. Patullo was replaced by Sean Mannion.

Hurts’ massive deal of $255 million keeps him at the organization until the 2028 season. However, unlike franchise QBs like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson, his big cap hit wasn’t restructured to create cap space, which also raised eyebrows about his future.

After the 2026 season, his dead money will be $67 million, and the Eagles have shown no intention of extending his contract this offseason. If the reported internal tension remains unsolved, he is unable to adjust to the new offensive strategies, and the Eagles underperform again, his future could hang in the balance.

Despite the heavy financial burden, the Denver Broncos cut ties with Russell Wilson ahead of the 2024 season, and the Miami Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa. Hence, a similar move for Jalen Hurts wouldn’t be surprising at all.