PHILADELPHIA — On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles made quarterback Jalen Hurts the highest paid player in NFL history, signing the fourth year signal caller to a five year, $255 million contract extension, including $179 million guaranteed.
After a breakout 2022 season that resulted in Hurts being second in MVP votes, and a Super Bowl appearance for the Eagles, he will now get paid, on average, $51 million a season.
This extension brings the incredible rise of Hurts full circle. While there are dozens of incredible angles to take on this story, here are five key takeaways now that Hurts and Philadelphia have put pen to paper on a long term marriage:
A movie-like career
What a roller coaster of a career Hurts has had since college.
An 18-year old freshman leading Alabama to a national championship game, only to get benched in the big game the following year, Then he transfers to Oklahoma and leads the Sooners to the college football playoff and is a runner-up for the Heisman.
He is drafted by a team who already has a franchise QB to be the long-term backup, but then is forced into the starting role after a historic regression from Carson Wentz. He plays well in 2021, but there are doubts about his ceiling from his team, fans, and the media, with rumors spreading for two offseasons about the Eagles making alternative QB plans long-term.
He then breaks out and nearly wins an MVP award and a Super Bowl which allows him to become the highest paid player in league history.
If that isn’t a script for a movie, then what is?
The amount of obstacles, pressure, and doubt that Hurts has overcome to turn into an elite QB is incredible.
Hurts is worth every penny
When one singular player on a 53-man, salary capped roster gets this kind of contract, of course it is more difficult to build the rest of the team with top-tier players. But this is a good problem to have.
The only way to really be a long term Super Bowl contender is by having a franchise QB that is worth paying this kind of money to. If you don’t have a QB that deserves to re-set the market, then he isn’t the guy. Hurts is that guy and with his work ethic, maturity, and leadership, it is hard to imagine he will regress.
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Hurts is set up better than Wentz was
General manager Howie Roseman struggled to support former franchise QB Carson Wentz with the right pieces after Wentz signed his historic second contract at the end of the 2018 season. This time around he has done much better by his QB1. Surrounding Hurts on both sides of the ball until at least 2025?
Take a look at this list:
WR A.J. Brown
WR DeVonta Smith
CB Darius Slay
CB James Bradberry
TE Dallas Goedert
LT Jordan Mailata
RT Lane Johnson
OLB Hasson Reddick
DE Josh Sweat
CB Avonte Maddox
LG Landon Dickerson
LB Nakobe Dean
C Cam Jurgens
DT Jordan Davis
S Reed Blankenship
That list is filled with young, star pieces to help Hurts compete for more Super Bowls.
Luck was on the Eagles side
Howie Roseman and the Eagles brass deserve a lot of credit for believing in Hurts more than most did. NFL draft analyst and former Eagles scout Daniel Jeremiah said back in 2020 that most teams had a fourth round grade on Hurts but Philadelphia took in him in the second. They saw the elite mobility and maturity but they also believed he could be a better passer than many thought.
With that being said, there was certainly luck involved with where they are today. After the 2020 season, Plan A was still to make things work with Wentz and convince him to return for the 2021 season.
Wentz wanted out.
Reports from the 2021 offseason also state the Eagles had at least some interest in potentially trading up for BYU QB Zach Wilson. The New York Jets wanted him with the second overall pick.
NFL insider Ian Rappaport stated just last week that at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, he was convinced that the Eagles would trade for Russell Wilson if he waived his no-trade clause with the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson only wanted to go to Denver.
The Eagles certainly believed in Hurts to a degree, but they also had their doubts and explored other ways to obtain a franchise QB. They had some luck with the way things played out. You need some luck in the NFL.
Hurts has a chance to be the GOAT Eagles QB
Donovan McNabb is the only Eagles QB with his jersey retired. Nick Foles is the only Eagles QB to win a Super Bowl. Jalen Hurts could end up trumping both as the greatest QB in franchise history.
At just 24 years old, Hurts has already led the Eagles to the playoffs in both seasons as a starter. He arguably had the best individual season in franchise history last year, leading Philadelphia to a division and conference championship. They fell just short in Super Bowl 57, but Hurts had the greatest individual performance in a Super Bowl loss the NFL has ever seen.
If Hurts can continue to improve and avoid the fate of other Eagles quarterbacks that burnt out after signing extensions, he has a chance to go down as the GOAT.