Johnny Wilson gets his first TD – now he has to pay the price originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
As Johnny Wilson prepared to speak to a reporter in the visiting locker room at AT&T Stadium, a voice came from the corner of the locker room.
“Make sure you tell him about the cost of that touchdown.”
It was Jalen Hurts.
And Wilson, who caught his first career touchdown catch in the 34-6 win over the Cowboys, broke out into a sheepish grin.
“I think it’s time for me to get my hair cut,” said Wilson, who has long, bouncy hair. “Me and Jalen made a deal this summer. Throw me my first touchdown and I get a haircut.
The franchise quarterback and sixth-round pick came to terms this summer in Orlando while working out together ahead of training camp. It took 10 weeks, but Hurts finally found Wilson in the end zone during a scramble drill in the third quarter.
Wilson came back to the ball and grabbed it for a 5-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up 21-6.
How short is he going to cut his hair?
“I don’t know,” Wilson said. “Maybe I’ll get a little blur on the sides and keep this (on top).”
The Eagles released a video of Wilson’s touchdown to highlight Saquon Barkley, who made sure to collect the first touchdown ball for his teammate. But if you watch the end, you’ll see Hurts running up to Wilson and pretending to take an electric trimmer to the top of his helmet.
Wilson, 23, appreciates having such a close relationship with the franchise quarterback.
“Yes, certainly,” he said. “It just builds confidence on and off the field. Hurry, the relationships here mean everything. It just helps you play better. It helps you play for the guy next to you.
The Eagles drafted Wilson in the sixth round out of Florida State. The 6-foot-1, 228-pound receiver had some strong moments in training camp and got plenty of first-team reps before the team ultimately traded for Jahan Dotson in August.
This season he has played 159 offensive snaps and only 2 catches for 14 yards. But Wilson can use his frame as a blocker and does a lot of the dirty work that often goes unrecognized. The team was pretty happy to get his first touchdown on Sunday.
“Well, it means a lot because when you get into that part of the season I think sometimes guys, especially young guys, are trying to find their place on the team, what’s their role,” Hurts said. “You have to be diligent, you have to be patient.”
Wilson actually thought he caught his first touchdown against the Jaguars last week. He made a nine-yard run into the end zone in the second quarter, but Wilson was called for offensive pass interference.
Since that happened last week, it took some of the shine off his first touchdown that counted.
“It’s crazy because today didn’t feel like last week,” Wilson said. “That really felt like my first. It was a surreal moment of about 2 seconds. I was super excited, I didn’t know what to do and then I saw the flag. I thought, ‘Oh yeah, just don’t get too excited.'”
The only good thing about that failed touchdown against the Jaguars? Wilson was allowed to keep his hair a week longer.
Is Hurts really going to make Wilson pay?
Wilson slowly turned his head and peeked at Hurts’ locker before turning and shrugging.
We’ll see.
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