Although the Eagles seemed to be interested in Deshaun Watson for over a year, it seems like they were doomed from the start. Watson had a no-trade clause and chose his destination, going to the Cleveland Browns on a five-year, $230 million deal.

According to John McMullen, Watson and Hurts were close, which led to the star quarterback swiftly shutting down going to Philadelphia.

“The interesting part is why Watson was so steadfast in his refusal to come to Philadelphia from start to finish in this entire saga. The principles aren’t going on record anytime soon, but the strongly held belief around the league is that Watson’s aversion to the Eagles had to do with his loyalty to Jalen Hurts.

Sources familiar with Watson’s sentiments pointed to the relationship built between the two players in the offseason through the connection of working with the same QB trainer, Quincy Avery.”

Many were confused why the former Texans QB immediately shut down going to the Eagles while keeping places like Atlanta and Carolina as options. With this info, that denial makes a whole lot more sense.

If Watson built a close relationship with Hurts, it’s easy to see why he wouldn’t want to backstab his friend when he could go to another talented team. 

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Philly is probably better off with this decision as well. Watson would be a poison pill to the locker room, and the Eagles would be stripped of all their draft capital and cap space.

With the QB market coming to a close with names like Jimmy Garoppolo and Matt Ryan remaining, Hurts is in line to get another shot at winning over the Eagles’ front office this season

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