Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts reportedly struggled to handle the pressure that came with signing a five-year, $255 million extension ahead of last season, according to NFL reporter Derrick Gunn.

Per that report, Hurts was “pulled in numerous directions” on and off the field after inking the extension, which came in the wake of an excellent 2022 season that saw him finish as the MVP runner-up to Patrick Mahomes and lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl.

There’s little doubt that Hurts wasn’t as good in 2023 than he was in 2022. While he finished with slightly more passing yards (3,858 to 3,701) and passing touchdowns (23 to 22), he also threw nine more interceptions (15 to 6), finished with a slightly worse completion percentage (65.4 to 66.5) and rushed for 155 fewer yards (605 to 760, though he did have two more rushing scores than 2022, 15 to 13).

More importantly, the Eagles went from being 14-1 in Hurts’ starts in 2022 with a berth in the Super Bowl to just 11-6 in his starts in 2023, a season that included an exit in the Wild Card Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Hurts also looked visibly frustrated in the second half of the season, as the Eagles lost six of their final seven contests, including the playoffs. There were reports that he didn’t align with offensive coordinator Brian Johnson’s philosophical approach to the offense, and the Eagles replaced him with Kellen Moore this offseason.

Perhaps a new voice leading the offense will help. Hurts will also have an offseason to address some of the looks defenses were throwing at him and work on potential weaknesses, including his struggles against the blitz.

And it’s not as though he was awful in 2023. But he undeniably took a step back.

It’s a big season in Philadelphia, and head coach Nick Sirianni is surely on the hot seat after the team’s absolute meltdown to finish the year following a 10-1 start. He responded by replacing both of his coordinators, as Vic Fangio will take over on the defensive side after the Eagles tried out both Sean Desai and Matt Patricia in the role last year.

The Eagles had obvious roster deficiencies as well, though that was primarily on the defensive side of the ball, where the secondary and linebackers were downright awful. That falls to general manager Howie Roseman this offseason.

There’s plenty of soul-searching to go around in Philadelphia, but for the team to return to contender status, Hurts needs to be closer to the player he was in 2022 than 2023.