PHOENIX — A stained glass ceiling decoration tucked away in a Biltmore Hotel conference room provided a pop of color as Jeffrey Lurie effectively closed down the NFL owners meetings Tuesday evening with his annual “State of the Eagles” address.
Lurie’s 35-minute news conference ended a 48-hour stretch in which we heard from the trio of Nick Sirianni, Howie Roseman, and Lurie on where things stand going into the next phase of the offseason, a stretch of time that revealed plenty about what’s to come in the short and long term.
Here are five things I heard after buzzing around the Biltmore:
1. A tonal shift on A.J. Brown
For as weary as many Eagles fans have grown over the droning conversation surrounding A.J. Brown’s future with the team, the appetite for those conversations among the other 31 teams sit on the opposite side of the spectrum.
There’s plenty of belief around the league that Brown’s eventual move from Philadelphia to the New England Patriots is a foregone conclusion with only the timing of the deal left to be determined. The expected price for the 28-year-old has also seemingly caught up to the Eagles’ reported valuation to some degree thanks to haul the Miami Dolphins got for Jaylen Waddle and the return the Chicago Bears got for D.J. Moore.
For as rampant as the conversation was in Phoenix, the main characters mostly tried to limit pouring gasoline on the fire when given the opportunity.
Roseman, Sirianni, and Lurie each echoed variations of the answer Roseman first gave on Sunday evening to a group of reporters: “A.J. is a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.” Sirianni said nothing’s changed since the last time he addressed Brown rumors and Lurie pointed to Roseman’s comments on Tuesday evening before pointing out both Brown and DeVonta Smith were “great receivers and great teammates.”
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel didn’t close the door either. When asked where things stand with trade talks surrounding Brown, Vrabel said the organization would keep its options open.
“We’ve talked about this since last January,” Vrabel said. “We’re going to try to do everything we can to strengthen our roster, through the draft, through free agency, multiple ways of player acquisition. So anything that we can continue to do to strengthen the roster, we’re going to try to do.”
Open-ended answers aside, the fire is very much still burning around the Brown situation. And the frustrating part for Eagles fans hoping this conversation will die down: If the Eagles are asking for New England’s 2027 first-round pick (they should), true clarity on these trade negotiations will likely come after June 1 at this point.
2. Stadium scuttlebutt
As it pertains to the Eagles’ early efforts to decide on future stadium plans, what Jeffrey Lurie wouldn’t say was about as noteworthy as what he would.
The Eagles’ lease at Lincoln Financial Field is up in 2032, although Lurie did note there are extensions as part of the deal, and the team sent a survey to season-ticket holders last summer about updates to The Linc or the construction of new stadium.
On Tuesday, Lurie said they are still in the “exploratory” phase of stadium planning without much direction to make note of.
“When we researched Lincoln Financial Field, it probably took us, two, three years of exploratory research,” Lurie said. “Now our exploratory research is looking at stadiums around the world and domestically. … So it’s really exploratory. I wish I could give you a more permanent answer, but we’re going to take our time and I would hope in the next year or two that we will have a more definitive approach in where we’re going.”
Lurie also notably did not commit to staying in the sports complex in South Philadelphia when asked if he’d consider crossing state lines or changing locations elsewhere in Philadelphia.
“We don’t really go on a geographical basis, it’s whatever is best for the fans,” Lurie said. “I can’t tell you where Cleveland’s is, Barcelona’s is. It’s whatever is best for the fans.”
Reading between the lines here, there isn’t much for Lurie to gain by dismissing the option to build somewhere else this early in the process. It’s also worth mentioning Lurie steered a question about the practice facility back to the stadium, which suggests a renovation for the more-outdated Jefferson Health Complex that didn’t get pristine marks in this year’s NFLPA player survey may need to wait until the organization progresses its stadium planning.
3. Lurie’s votes of confidence
Since I’ve already established my tendency to listen out for “tonal shifts” earlier in the discussion about Brown, it’s only right to point out a lack of a shift from the way Lurie talks about Jalen Hurts.
“There’s no bigger fan of Jalen than me,” Lurie said. “Clutch gene, absolutely. The guy was the MVP 13 months ago, should have been the MVP of the Super Bowl right before that against Kansas City the first time. He’s so dedicated. I think you probably know, I’ spend a lot of time with Jalen as I do with most quarterbacks and he’s incredibly dedicated to the game, to winning, and being a huge winner. I love everything about him.”
You’ll often hear that Lurie is Hurts’ biggest fan in the building, which is an important, now reinforced sentiment to keep in mind whenever sizing up the disparity in how he’s viewed by those internally.
Lurie also gave Sirianni a weighty vote of confidence, making it clear that he’s looking at the full picture the coach and quarterback have painted over the last several years rather than the latter part of last season when things fell apart.
“His performance has been nothing short of outstanding,” Lurie said. “One of the best first five years in the history of the NFL. Two Super Bowls in the last three years, one of which we won, one of which was taken away from us — still bitter.”
“We were the only team to repeat as division champions,” he added. “No one else was even able to do it. It was disappointing not to win the Super Bowl again? Hell yeah. Nobody was more hurt by it than myself and our group. But, be realistic, the guy has done a great job.”
4. The Eagles aren’t done at safety or edge rusher
I thought it was telling that both Roseman and Sirianni answered questions about the safety position by pointing to the time left in the offseason to add to the group.
“There are guys on our roster that you’re excited about, and there are opportunities to add different pieces,” Sirianni said. “The offseason is incomplete right now. There are so many more steps to go. You see how many times we’ve added guys [late.]”
My guess? The Eagles will add at least one more legitimate contender to the safety depth chart to compete with Marcus Epps and Michael Carter II for the starting spot opposite Drew Mukuba. I’d expect them to be equally interested in adding an edge rusher that can top the rotation, although adding either will likely require a trade given the needs the team has on offense and the limited options remaining in free agency.
5. Don’t expect to see Jeff Stoutland around the facility
Sirianni and Lurie’s comments about Jeff Stoutland possibly remaining around the team in some capacity summed up what’s been apparent for some time:
1. Stoutland still has plenty of appreciation from the team internally
2. Both sides seem ready to move on
When asked about Lane Johnson suggesting Stoutland may help the team behind the scenes, Sirianni said he’s focusing on the staff him and Sean Mannion have built.
“Obviously we moved on with our staff and really enjoying working with these guys,” Sirianni said. “Obviously loved the guys that are no longer part of our staff and always will have a relationship with those guys with everything they’ve done for our football team. But right now we’re just focused on the upcoming year with this staff.”
Lurie added, “I think you guys know he’s like family to us, literally. And so we still talk all the time. It’s been a wonderful relationship that will continue. He’s just a wonderful person and has a wonderful family, and we all maintain very, very close ties with Stout. It’s Sean offense that Nick and he put together. I’m so impressed with the people that they’ve put together, as well.”
