Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro linebacker Lavonte David recently announced his NFL retirement after 14 seasons.
David is still in his trash-talking prime.
On Friday, David appeared on Underdog’s “The Arena: Gridiron” and unleashed on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“You do get a lot of drama out of Philly,” David said. “Honestly, for the first time, I think this year has been the most drama involved, from my point of view, with Jalen Hurts and the wide receiver situation with him and A.J. Brown. Granted, obviously, you’re gonna blame Jalen Hurts because he’s the quarterback, and he gotta get [Brown] the ball.”
David continued, “But, we played him 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.”
David added that Hurts was “never asked to do so much in their passing game,” but after that, David actually sort of came to Hurts’ defense. In David’s eyes, Hurts shouldn’t be subjected to an avalanche of criticism if he doesn’t carry most of the weight on offense.
David cited the fact that Hurts has had five offensive coordinators since entering the NFL as the Eagles’ second-round pick in 2020. Sean Mannion will be his sixth in 2026. David also said his former Bucs teammate Devin White, who was briefly on the Eagles in 2024, “never said nothing negative about Jalen Hurts.”
David’s comments came after ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Tim McManus published a bombshell report about Hurts on Wednesday.
In it, Fowler and McManus describe Hurts as the primary source of frustration for Brown and wide receiver DeVonta Smith last season.
The Eagles’ offense was the shakiest unit in the league — clicking for one half, and then stalling completely for one half — and led the league in 3-and-outs into December. Philly fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo after the team lost to San Francisco in the NFC Wild Card.
“Though there is plenty of blame to spread, Hurts has had a hand in the offense becoming calcified, according to several team sources who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity,” Fowler and McManus reported.
The report continues, “He has pushed back on changes that would diversify the scheme, sources said, including when it comes to him going under center more. He has shown a reluctance to let it rip at times, particularly against zone coverage. He diverts from the game plan and changes playcalls to what some feel is an excessive degree.”
Brown has been at the center of red-hot trade rumors all offseason. The star wide receiver has repeatedly publicly expressed his frustrations for two seasons, even though the Eagles capped the 2024 season by winning Super Bowl LIX. Hurts was named Super Bowl LIX MVP.
Last October, The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini reported that Brown and Hurts’ longstanding friendship had deteriorated, and “they’re not that close these days.”
Throughout last season, Hurts and Browns posted well above-average counting stats, but their chemistry and the Eagles’ offense as a whole never passed the eye test. Now, they don’t pass the vibe check, either.
