If there was an NFL award equivalent to the NBA's Most Improved Player of the Year, the 2022-23 recipient of that honor would be Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. In 2021, Hurts completed only 61% of his passes, threw nine interceptions to 16 touchdowns, and finished with an 87.2 rating. Fast forward to this season, and Hurts saw an improvement in his completion percentage (66.5%), passing yards (3,701 yards), touchdown passes (22) and his rating (101.6), all while decreasing his interception count to six. And Hurts went 14-1 this year and led the Eagles to a division title, the NFC No. 1 seed and, now, Super Bowl LVII. The only thing that doesn't match his fantastic 2022 resume? Jalen Hurts' contract.
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After all, when a Super Bowl commercial costs six times what the Eagles are paying Hurts in 2022, you begin to understand just how underpaid the Philly signal-caller is.
Jalen Hurts Should be the Eagles' QB of the Future
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Hurts has always had an ability to run the ball. Over the last two seasons, Hurts has run for nearly 1,900 yards and has run for 10 or more touchdowns in both 2021 and 2022. Add his passing game improvement to his ability to run the ball, and you have one of the top quarterbacks in the league. And that has been awarded appropriately, as Hurts earned Second-Team All-Pro honors, was voted to the Pro Bowl and is a finalist for the NFL MVP Award.
So what does this huge leap in Year Three from project quarterback to franchise quarterback do for Hurts and the Eagles and the talks surrounding his contract extension?
Given the recent contracts awarded to quarterbacks such as the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and the Bills' Josh Allen, just to name a couple, the price for a franchise quarterback is going up — and rightfully so. And Mahomes and Allen's teams took care of business and got their QB1 taken care of right away. But then you have teams such as the Baltimore Ravens, which are reportedly $100 million apart from Lamar Jackson's number for his new contract.
So, should the Eagles go the same route as the Bills and the Chiefs? Or do they wait another year like the Ravens and potentially gamble away Hurts and the relationship they have with him? The answer is simple: Re-sign him this year. Pay him what he wants and know that you have your franchise quarterback locked in for the next four to five seasons. And it has been reported that talks will happen soon with the hope that a contract extension takes place before the 2023 season starts.
Hurts is only 24 years old, and the rest of that offense is young as well. The Eagles have a real chance to build a Super Bowl contender for the next half-decade or so, and it all starts with securing Hurts as their franchise quarterback for years to come. Howie Roseman, you are one of the best general managers in the league — and as an Eagles fan, I ask you to please do what you do best and get this Hurts contract extension done sooner rather than later.
