Jalen Hurts Got Paid
The elephant in the room leading up to the draft has been taken care of for the Philadelphia Eagles, as franchise cornerstone Jalen Hurts is officially locked up through the 2028 season. Hurts signed a historical contract extension on Monday worth $255 million in new money over five years. At $51 million per year, he is the new highest-paid player in NFL history.
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The #Eagles and Jalen Hurts agreed to terms on a 5-year, $255M contract extension that makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history, sources tell me, and @TomPelissero.@AgentNicoleLynn did the deal, which includes $179.304M in guarantees and a no-trade clause. pic.twitter.com/UNzVumGgoA
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 17, 2023
After his tumultuous first full season as the starting quarterback in 2021, not even the Eagles themselves were fully convinced that Hurts could be the franchise guy long-term, as they attempted to acquire either of Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson via trade during the ensuing offseason. Thankfully, they struck out on both, not only because of their current standings with their new teams but because Hurts would go on to break out and become one of the best players in the NFL. He likely would have won MVP this season had he not been injured late in the year.
Obviously, $51 million per season is a lot of money. Will the Eagles be handicapped long-term regarding assets to improve the roster? Unlikely, as Howie Roseman structured the contract so that the initial cap hits are very low. In fact, they appear to be more than manageable all the way through 2026:
Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts’ salary-cap numbers for the next four seasons after today’s $255 million extension:
?2023: $6.15 million
?2024: $13.56 million
?2025: $21.77 million
?2026: $31.77 million— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 17, 2023
Even if this (possibly?) means that the cap numbers during the back end of the contract are monstrous (forgive me for not being a salary cap aficionado), the Eagles have ways to counter this, whether it be by converting the cap hit to a signing bonus and pushing it to later years, or simply just signing him to another extension when he is in his late 20’s. The money looks daunting on paper, but as is the case with all major extensions, this deal will probably look like a bargain in a few years time. Given how quickly the salary cap increases, plus the other future extensions signed by young star quarterbacks that will inevitably top this one, Hurts’ extension has to be viewed as a win for the Eagles (and Hurts himself, of course).
The last time the Eagles gave their presumed franchise quarterback a huge deal, it backfired in disastrous fashion. Why will this be different? Simply put, it is because of the players signing the deals. As great as Carson Wentz was at his best, he was mentally weak and could not handle adversity or the threat of competition. Wentz’s case was much more an exception rather than the norm, in my opinion, and should not be a cause of concern when discussing this extension. Hurts is one of the most thick-skinned individuals I have ever seen, and he is never too high or low after a win or loss, respectively. Assuming his physical abilities do not just suddenly fall off of a cliff; I truly feel that the Eagles are going to be perennial Super Bowl contenders every year that Hurts is healthy and under center.
Photo: Cooper Neil/Getty Images
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