PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 14: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Financial Field on October 14, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Philadelphia Eagles owner has stated that quarterback Jalen Hurts has nothing to prove and deserves a new contract soon.
It is anticipated that the Philadelphia Eagles will begin contract extension discussions with quarterback Jalen Hurts very soon, regardless of the outcome of Super Bowl LVII. Hurts is “just what we’re looking for,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said on Opening Night of Super Bowl LVII on Monday night, referring to the team’s pursuit of a new quarterback.
In response to a question about when negotiations with Hurts and his agent, Nicole Lynn, might start in earnest, Lurie joked, “Certainly not this week.” Lurie is correct; there will be a significant game this coming Sunday. He said, “I don’t think he has anything to prove (as the quarterback of the future), He is an MVP-caliber quarterback, an incredible leader of the team on the field (and) off the field. He’s 24 years old, incredibly mature and, most importantly, driven to be even better.“
He added, “What we’re seeing today, I think, is just the beginning for Jalen. This guy will attack every weakness, as he has since high school (and) since college. The future is bright and very exciting for all of us.”
However, it was clear from what Lurie had to say about the Eagles’ 24-year-old quarterback that the team has no reservations about making Hurts the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future — if he isn’t already — and likely rewarding him with a contract that places him among the highest-paid players at his position.
Hurts, who was selected in the second round of the NFL Draft in 2020, will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in the year 2023. Because of this, he is now eligible for a contract extension and is projected to earn slightly more than $4.4 million in total cash value during the following season. This number puts Hurts, who is in the running for the MVP award, below other backup quarterbacks like Tyrod Taylor of the Giants. For the upcoming season, fourteen quarterbacks are projected to earn more than $25 million.
If the Eagles defeat the Chiefs on Sunday, Jalen Hurts will become only the third quarterback in the history of the sport to start for a college team that went on to win the national championship and then go on to win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback.
The path that the Eagles quarterback took to possibly accomplishing both of these accomplishments was certainly unique, if not downright incredible. Despite having led Alabama to a 12-1 record that season, he was taken out of the game at halftime of the championship game in 2017. After the conclusion of the 2018 season, Hurts made the decision to transfer to Oklahoma, and Tua Tagovailoa went on to lead Alabama to a comeback victory and the national championship.
After a 2019 campaign in which he was recognized as one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy, Hurts was selected by the Eagles in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Because Carson Wentz was already on the team, it was not anticipated that he would become the Eagles’ franchise quarterback.
Even after Wentz was dealt at the end of the 2020 season and even into the 2021 season, when Hurts was the starting quarterback for the Eagles and led them to the playoffs, fans continued to hold onto this belief.
Ahead of the big game on Super Bowl Sunday, those on Hurts’ side as well as those on the opposing side respected him. Nick Sirianni, the head coach of the Eagles, has said that he draws inspiration from people like Michael Jordan and that he believes Hurts possesses qualities that are comparable to those of the NBA great.
The beginning of the Hurts era in Philadelphia has just begun. With the former Alabama star now serving as the Eagles’ quarterback, the team’s future appears to be bright, and it is hoped that they will soon sign him to a significant extension.
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