Jeffrey Lurie skipped Browns game as frustration reportedly mounts

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The Eagles had high expectations for the 2020 season but have stumbled to a 3-6-1 start. So it would be logical to assume owner Jeffrey Lurie is frustrated.

Well, Lurie’s frustration level is growing, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, who reported on Saturday that Lurie skipped the Eagles’ game in Cleveland.

While an Eagles spokesperson told the Inquirer that Lurie didn’t attend the game in Cleveland because he was planning on visiting with his mother for Thanksgiving and wanted to be cautious during the coronavirus pandemic, McLane reports, according to two team sources, that Lurie’s absence “was widely believed by many at the NovaCare Complex to primarily be an extension of his feelings” about this Eagles team.

And that’s not the only time Lurie has reportedly shown frustration about this Eagles’ season.

Here’s another bit from the Inquirer story: “Lurie also has been at recent practices and has left various workouts early out of disgust, the sources said.”

This has been a miserable year for the Eagles. While they’re still in the hunt to win the NFC East, they could also fail to win or finish in last place in what might end up as the worst division in NFL history.

During this season, the offense has struggled mightily and we’ve all watched as franchise quarterback Carson Wentz has regressed to become one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. Meanwhile, Doug Pederson’s decision making has been suspect and he has failed to get much going offensively. The Eagles are 24th in the NFL in points scored this year.

And then there’s the lack of overall talent, especially homegrown talent, on this roster, which falls on general manager Howie Roseman. Roseman has been with the Eagles for two decades and has been back in power of football operations since 2016 after the ouster of Chip Kelly.

Pederson and Roseman helped the Eagles win their first Super Bowl back in the 2017 season but the Eagles were knocked out of the divisional round in 2018, knocked out of the wild card round in 2019 and this season are about to bottom out.

There were already questions about potentially major changes coming for the franchise during this offseason and a report about Lurie’s growing frustration will only add fuel to that fire.

Lurie, 69, bought the Eagles back in 1994 and has hired four coaches during his tenure as owner: Ray Rhodes, Andy Reid, Chip Kelly and Pederson. The last three coaches have been offensive coaches so if the Eagles were to make a change after this year, history would point that way again for the next hire.

In August of 2018, the Eagles signed Roseman and Pederson to contract extensions through the 2022 season but there’s no salary cap for coaches or front offices. If Lurie wants to make a change at either spot, he’s going to do it.

With six games left in the 2020 season, things could get interesting.

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