Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has agreed to sign a five-year, $255 million contract extension. The details include $179.3 million in guaranteed money and a no-trade clause. According to Adam Schefter, the contract marks the first no-trade clause in Eagles' franchise history.
ESPN states, "Hurts' salary-cap numbers for the next four seasons: $6.15 million in 2023, $13.56 million in 2024, $21.77 million in 2025 and $31.77 million in 2026." The deal will leave him in Philadelphia until 2028. His contract's annual value is the highest in NFL history, but Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes still holds the largest overall contract in the NFL with his ten-year, $503 million deal he signed in 2020.
Jalen Hurts put up 3,071 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions, as well as 760 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, in his breakout sophomore starting season. Hurts led the Eagles to a 14-3 season, as well as a Super Bowl appearance, despite losing 38-35 to the Chiefs. He put up a fantastic performance in the loss, with "304 passing yards and four total touchdowns (three rushing and one passing), on 27 completions." ESPN points out this growth, writing, "He showed tremendous growth as a passer in his second season... jumping from 19th (54.6) to fourth (66.4) in QBR and 26th (61.3%) to 11th (66.5%) in completion percentage while dropping his average time before throw from 3.12 seconds (31st) to 2.76 seconds (16th) on average." Hurts also got second-team All-Pro honors, as well as a Pro Bowl nod, and finished second in AP MVP voting.
Hurts has had an incredible story that stems from his resiliency and determination as a leader. In his sophomore year at Alabama, he was benched in the 2018 CFP National Championship for now-Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. This caused him to lose the starting job for Alabama in his junior year, and he would transfer to Oklahoma for his senior year in 2019. He would then be drafted in the second round by the Eagles, a very questionable decision since former Pro Bowl QB Carson Wentz had only just come off his first struggling year. Since taking over for the Eagles in the 2021 season, as Wentz would be traded to the Colts, Hurts has led to Eagles to a "23-11 record as a starter."
While Hurts lost the Super Bowl, he is only getting ready to have an even better season in 2023. He and Coach Nick Sirianni look to win the NFC again and get back to the big stage. Sirianni had high praise for Hurts all the way back in January: “It’s like having Michael Jordan out there,” Sirianni said of Hurts, as reported by the New York Post. “He’s your leader. He’s your guy.”
The extremely large contract will be a major "reset" for the quarterback market. The New York Post writes, "With the new deal on the books, the market is set for Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, fellow star quarterbacks from the 2020 draft class who are set for extensions this offseason. Additionally, the $179.3 million guaranteed could be a benchmark for Lamar Jackson as he, too, looks for a new deal." With the salary cap only increasing year-to-year, it's expected that quarterbacks will get larger contracts in the coming years. For the time being, Hurts will be the highest-valued player salary-wise in the NFL for years to come.
Comments