Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Has ‘Incredible Passion for Being Phenomenal’
Jalen Hurts is just 24 and now the highest-paid player in the NFL after the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to pay their quarterback $255 million on a contract extension that will run through 2028.
The Eagles don’t begin their offseason program until April 24. That’s when Hurts is expected to be in town to sign his contract and likely speak with reporters at some point in the days leading up to the NFL Draft.
His annual average salary works out to $51M per year, surpassing Aaron Rodgers’ $49M per year.
The other QBs in the top five:
Kyler Murray: $46.1M
Deshaun Watson: $46M
Patrick Mahomes: $45M
Hurts’ stay at the top of the league’s all-time money list may not last long, not with quarterbacks Joe Burrow in Cincinnati and Justin Herbert in Los Angeles expected to be extending at some point very soon.
Those quarterbacks were top-10 draft picks and are entering the final year of their rookie contracts, though the fifth-year options will certainly be picked up by both teams.
Hurts came in the second round back in 2020.
The Eagles got their deal done with one more year on Hurts’ contract, which will expire at the end of the 2023 season at a cost of $4.2M before his extension kicks in.
Anyone thinking the money will change Hurts, think again.
The Eagles certainly aren’t concerned about that.
“The thing with Jalen I’m so optimistic about is, ...he has an incredible passion for being phenomenal,” said owner Jeffrey Lurie during the recent NFL owners’ meetings. “You see that in the great ones, and we all know in other sports, and with certain quarterbacks in this league, you define them with their attention to detail, with work ethic."
For now, the distinction of being the highest player ever in the NFL belongs to Hurts.
The Eagles’ level of commitment to him is more than just about money. For the first time in their history, they handed out a no-trade clause. That is next-level commitment.
“He is a great young leader,” said Lurie after Hurts beat the San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC championship. “He is a terrific young quarterback. When we drafted him, it was the upside we were banking on. We thought he had a huge upside.
“It takes a couple years. And somebody so dedicated as Jalen and such a great teammate. Inevitably he is going to maximize everything he has and that’s what he’s done.”
It took Hurts two years as a full-time starter to answer any doubters, and there were plenty of those after his first year as the starter.
In 2021, he went 8-7, and missed two games with an injured ankle, one that required surgery after a wildcard loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-15.
It wasn't long after that loss that the Eagles began exploring the possibilities of trading for Deshaun Watson and/or Russell Wilson.
There were many inside the team’s facility in South Philly who weren’t quite sure Hurts could be the franchise quarterback.
The Eagles stood pat, swayed by the unwavering belief head coach Nick Sirianni had in his quarterback.
Just in case, though, the Eagles collected a first-round pick in this year’s draft from the New Orleans Saints and had their own just in case they needed to find a way to move up and select another quarterback.
Now, the Eagles can look elsewhere in this year's draft., after what has been an amazing turnaround in only one year by Hurts.
He went 14-1 in the regular season and rushed for 18 touchdowns, including three in Super Bowl LVII and one each in playoff wins over the New York Giants and 49ers.
He became the first quarterback to run for 10-plus touchdowns in back-to-back seasons and the jersey and pants he wore when he ran for his 10th a season ago in Week 14 against the Giants are now on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He increased his completion percentage from 62 percent to 67 percent and lowered his interceptions from nine to six.
The best part is, nobody knows where his ceiling is, yet, not with his unquenchable thirst to continually get better.
“No one knows, but I know, God-willing, he can reach it because of all the factors that he has,” said Sirianni. “He’s not all of a sudden different because he’s still putting in the work like you’ve seen him put in the work the last couple of years.”
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.
Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.
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