Pittsburgh Steelers star linebacker T.J. Watt wasn’t the only high-profile contributor involved in trade rumors on Thursday.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl MVP quarterback could soon find himself on the trade block if he doesn’t deliver the goods in 2026-27.
“Polarizing player (Jalen Hurts), and as his running ability starts to decline, his value will decline, too,” Fowler stated. “And (Eagles general manager Howie Roseman) will always be proactive with finding solutions.”
A day before Fowler’s report, the Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia stated that he believes that another down season with the Eagles could lead to a shocking deal with the Houston Texans.
“Think of it this way, (Texans general manager) Nick Caserio and (Texans head coach) DeMeco Ryans finally come to the realization that C.J. Stroud is not the right guy for them,” Kapadia said Thursday.
“And they start looking at Hurts and thinking ‘steady, doesn’t make mistakes, just what we need’ and a deal starts to get in the works. They look at Hurts and think, hey, he’s a Houston guy, he’s a Houston native, he’s tough-minded like Ryans, he’s perfect for us.”
Kapadia’s hypothetical trade idea hinges on both Hurts and Stroud continuing to regress with their respective franchises.
While completing 294 passes for 3,224 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only six interceptions doesn’t constitute a terrible season, there’s no question that Hurts’ inability to read the field and survey all of his options before tucking and running made the Eagles’ offense more predictable than ever (the Eagles averaged 22.3 points per game last year, which ranked 19th in the league).
Stroud’s 2025-26 struggles had more to do with his tendency to crumble under pressure and failure to complete routine throws with his feet set.
The Ohio State product finished the year with 273 completions for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions on a Texans squad that could have pulled off an AFC Divisional round win over the New England Patriots with cleaner quarterback play (Stroud tossed four interceptions and missed 27 throws in Houston’s season-ending 28-16 loss).
A blockbuster Hurts-Stroud swap isn’t in the cards right now, but things could get interesting next offseason depending on how the former first-round picks perform going forward.
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