The Quarterback-Coach Connection: Unveiling Jalen Hurts and Brian Johnson’s Synergy

TSN Photo/Dave Naylor

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PSF) - Jalen Hurts put the NFL world on notice in 2022. Hurts was an MVP frontrunner throughout the season until he suffered a sprained shoulder against the Chicago Bears in week 15. This injury caused Hurts to miss the new two weeks, making Patrick Mahomes the MVP frontrunner, ultimately leading to Mahomes winning the award. Though Hurts did not win the MVP, he still had a fantastic season. Philadelphia’s quarterback threw for six more touchdowns, three fewer interceptions, 557 more passing yards, and rushed for three more touchdowns than in his 2021 campaign. The main concern going into the 2023 NFL season is, whether Hurts can continue to improve while maintaining the level of play he has already established. The few doubters left of Hurts point out the loss of Offensive Coordinator Shane Steichen. Steichen was Philadelphia’s Offensive Coordinator for the last two seasons, he now is the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Though Steichen is out the door, newly promoted Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson seems to be ready for the job. 

Brian Johnson played quarterback at Utah University. Johnson was a three-year starter at Utah, he led the program to the most wins (26) in school history. Only two years later, Johnson would become the youngest offensive coordinator in all of college football at only 24 years old. Johnson would then leave to coach the quarterbacks at Mississippi State from 2014-16. Johnson’s greatest achievement at Mississippi State was mentoring now start quarterback, Dak Prescott. In 2017, Johnson had a one-year stint as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Houston. As time went on, Johnson continued to climb the college football ranks of coaching. From 2018-20, Johnson served as the offensive coordinator for Florida University. After continuously providing results on the field, he was finally offered a position in the NFL by the Philadelphia Eagles. Johnson helped coach Hurts and the other quarterbacks on the roster from 2021-22. Though he is not the full reason for Hurts improving in 2022, Johnson deserves a large amount of credit for helping the quarterback take his next step. 

Hurts and Johnson have known each other for years now. The duo have been in contact since Jalen was four years old. Johnson was coached by Hurts’ father while he played in high school. Hurts has stated numerous times that he has wanted to be coached by Johnson, however, this did not occur until 2021 due to the quarterback choosing to commit to Alabama over Mississippi State, and then transferring to Oklahoma instead of Florida. With this duo now going into their third year of working together, Philadelphia and the rest of the NFL world expect high results this upcoming season. Judging from their track record so far, Philadelphia will be in good hands.