Jalen Hurts has built his reputation on breaking defenses with his all-around play, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have usually been a tough challenge. The Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback record against the Buccaneers is 2-4. Because of that, former Bucs linebacker Lavonte David downplayed Hurts’ elite status. That comment did not sit well with a former Eagles voice, as C.J. Gardner-Johnson quickly fired back with a strong Tom Brady angle.
“Let’s not forget Tom Brady saved the bucs….. we all know,” Gardner-Johnson wrote on X.
David and Brady were teammates in Tampa from 2020 to 2022, and during that time, they made an impressive Super Bowl run in their first season together. At that point, Brady really changed the game for the Bucs, especially during their Super Bowl journey in 2020.
He guided the team to a 31-9 victory against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, earning his seventh championship ring and taking home the MVP award. He threw 21 out of 29 passes for three touchdowns and, even more significantly, changed how the team thought about themselves.
So, Gardner-Johnson’s comment seems to give most of the credit to Brady, which somewhat overlooks David’s contributions.
However, David was really important to that defense. The longtime Bucs captain played in every playoff game during that Super Bowl run and was always on the field for defense. His guidance and reliability held together a group that stopped top offenses when it was crucial.
Still, Gardner-Johnson did not stop with one post.
Let’s not forget Tom Brady saved the bucs….. we all know
— C.J. Gardner-Johnson (@CGJXXIII) April 5, 2026
“Why do this …… like come on!” he added on X while reacting to David’s Hurts comments. “People will continue to bash this man for what reason??? Plenty of other QB news we can talk about.”
Meanwhile, Hurts’ resume speaks for itself. He has already taken the Eagles to two Super Bowl appearances, including a title run in the 2024 season. Still, you can’t ignore David’s criticism.
Lavonte David downplays Jalen Hurts
Just days ago, Lavonte David, a longtime leader for the Bucs defense, made a blunt statement about Jalen Hurts’ impact.
“Jalen Hurts was never a guy we were worried about,” he said, speaking on The Arena: Gridiron. “Our game plan, because they had a great offensive line, was to always stop the run. That may open up the passing game, but he was never asked to do so much in the passing game and stuff like that. You know he had AJ Brown, you got Devonta Smith, and you got Dallas Goedert.”
The rivalry between these NFC teams gives us some background. Since Hurts became the Eagles’ quarterback in 2020, they’ve played the Bucs six times. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, they’ve only won two of those games, which kind of backs up what David said.
Then, Hurts’ stats against the Buccaneers aren’t as strong. He’s completed 59.5 percent of his passes in those matchups, which is lower than his career average of 64.4.
His record of 2-4 isn’t up to his usual performance, and his touchdown rate of 3.6 against Tampa doesn’t reflect what he usually achieves.
At the same time, the Bucs defense has been a key factor in this situation. With David at the helm and support from players like Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Calijah Kancey, Tampa has regularly figured out how to slow down Hurts and disrupt his usual flow.
