“I’d Put My Trust In Someone I Hire:” “Q&A With Quintin Mikell, Jason Avant”

Former Eagles safety Quintin Mikell and wide receiver Jason Avant both agree that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is a caring, charismatic, easy-to-respect organizational leader who only wants to win championships.

But they’re also concerned about Lurie’s level of involvement in football operations, including the draft.

On the latest “Q&A on Inside The Birds,” they spoke about recent reports of Eagles front office dysfunction and about NFL players collectively deciding to sit out of all voluntary OTAs as the pandemic continues into the 2021 season.

“When there’s not pressure on you, I don’t necessarily know that you can evaluate the game the way, where this dude needs to make this pick right because this is his family’s livelihood,” Avant said about Lurie’s reported involvement in draft picks.

“It’s a total different experience. I would tend to put my trust in someone I hire because this is what he does 9-to-5, every day. This is what his life is dependent on. That person is probably going to make a better decision than you are this situation.”

As for players deciding to skip all voluntary OTAs, Mikell isn’t sure that’s the best solution for rookies, younger players and fringe players. Mikell made the Eagles in 2003 as an undrafted rookie from Boise State.

“I understand fully that players should be kept safe,” he said. “They should be safe for their families. They should be socially distancing. At the same time … especially coming up as an undrafted guy, I don’t know if I would have been able to stay away, because I needed that extra work to get better. I needed that extra time with the coaches to get better and work on my game.”

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