“He Was Never a Guy We Worried About” – Ex-Super Bowl Champion Throws Unnecessary Shade at Jalen Hurts

Former Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David revealed that his team never really devised any special plans to contain Jalen Hurts while facing the Eagles.

“He Was Never a Guy We Worried About” – Ex-Super Bowl Champion Throws Unnecessary Shade at Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts and Lavonte David inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

In Short
  • Lavonte David stated that his Buccaneers teams were never concerned about Jalen Hurts during their matchups.
  • Despite Hurts' Super Bowl win in 2025, he remains unrecognized as an elite quarterback by some in the NFL.
  • Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie praised Hurts, highlighting his dedication and performance, including his Super Bowl MVP status.

Jalen Hurts cannot catch a break. Despite winning a Super Bowl as recently as 2025, many across the NFL refuse to recognize him as an elite quarterback. Recently, retired All-Pro linebacker Lavonte David had a few things to say about Hurts, rubbing salt in the wound.

David, who spent his entire 13-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reminisced about past battles against the Eagles and Hurts during a recent appearance on the Arena Gridiron Show. Given that both the Buccaneers and the Eagles are part of the NFC, their meetings have taken place quite often.

According to David, his coaches rarely devised plans to contain Hurts. Since he seldom attempted a pass, it was easy for the Bucs to hang back and anticipate the run.

We played [Jalen Hurts] for the past however many years and really just, like, sitting back from a football point of view and just watching, and after playing them, Jalen Hurts was never a guy who we worried about when we played the Eagles. Our game plan was always, they have a great offensive line, [and] you gotta stop the run.

Lavonte David said

Considering that Saquon Barkley won the Offensive Player of the Year award during the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning campaign, David’s statement holds some depth. Following this success, the Eagles focused on maximizing their run game, even with a change in offensive coordinator ahead of the 2025 season.

However, Barkley experienced a steep decline in yardage. The Eagles won the NFC East but lost to the 49ers in the wild-card round. Hurts connected on 64.8% of his throws for 3,224 yards, racking up 25 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions, and added 8 rushing scores, most coming from the infamous tush push.

According to Pro Football Reference, Hurts attempted the third most RPOs (Run Play Option), 80, behind Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix. It shows that Hurts often chose to run with the ball when under pressure.

Kevin Patullo shouldered the majority of the blame for the lackluster plays. Wide receiver AJ Brown appeared alienated in the offense, creating tension in the locker room. Although DeVonta Smith never publicly badmouthed his quarterback, barely reaching 1000 yards and 4 touchdowns in 17 games painted a bleak picture.

Despite the apparent dig, David ended his comments by cutting Hurts some slack by noting that Sean Mannion will be his sixth OC since entering the league. Not only that, but the Super Bowl winner also recalled his teammate Devin White played with Hurts in Philly for a short time and had nothing bad to say about the 27-year-old.

Eagles owner defends Jalen Hurts

Hurts signed a five-year contract extension worth up to $255 million with $179.3 million guaranteed in the spring of 2023. With only two years remaining on the deal, the Eagles need to brace themselves for a big extension. As Hurts won a Super Bowl while playing on the aforementioned contract, the Eagles may have to pay him a generous amount of money.

"He Was Never a Guy We Worried About" - Ex-Super Bowl Champion Throws Unnecessary Shade at Jalen Hurts
#1 Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (Image via IMAGO)

Amidst the speculation about Hurts contract, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie heavily praised his starting QB.

There’s no bigger fan of Jalen than me. The guy, MVP of the Super Bowl [2025] 13 months ago. Should have been MVP of the Super Bowl (in the 2022 season). Exceptional and so dedicated.

Jeffrey Lurie said (H/T: The Athletic)

In six seasons since being drafted by the Eagles, Hurts has racked up 17,891 yards and 110 touchdowns. He was selected to play in three Pro Bowls.

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