Jalen Hurts’ Path to the Hall of Fame
It’s been five seasons since the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts.
With how much he’s done in that span, and with what he’s poised to do in the future, there’s a path to the Hall of Fame.
What must he accomplish from here on out?
Hurts’ Numbers and Accolades Thus Far
PHOTO: Caean Couto/Imagn Images
In his young career, Hurts has the following regular-season accolades: one-time MVP finalist, two-time Pro Bowler, 69.70% winning percentage, 64.36% completion percentage, 17,803 total yards (14,667 passing, 3,133 rushing, three receiving), 140 total touchdowns (85 passing, 55 rushing), 39 interceptions, 151 sacks taken.
And, for his playoff accolades: one-time Super Bowl winner, one-time Super Bowl MVP, two-time NFC Champion, 66.67% winning percentage, 66.80% completion percentage, 2,194 total yards (1,831 passing, 381 rushing), 20 total touchdowns (10 passing, 10 rushing), three interceptions, 22 sacks taken.
As a bonus, Hurts finds himself in the top five for composite expected points added (EPA) and completion percentage over expected (CPOE) among quarterbacks with 1,000 snaps since 2022. Those who join him are Brock Purdy, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson. The only quarterbacks with 25o snaps and at least a 50% success rate on third and fourth downs are Allen, Hurts, Purdy, and Mahomes.
Still focusing on that three-year span, no team has scored more points than the Eagles. They’re averaging 27.64 points per game and are allowing 20.95, which is a point differential of plus-6.69 per game.
Hurts Compared to Hall of Fame Quarterbacks
Pro Football Reference’s “Hall of Fame Monitor” has Hurts ranked 73rd all-time with a rating of 41.35, one spot ahead of Ron Jaworski. It’s a cumulative monitor, mind you, so Hurts will only go up from here—he’s already on Dak Prescott’s tail (45.60 rating), who had a four-year head start.
The average quarterback who makes the Hall of Fame has a grade of 103.58 in this system, while modern-era quarterbacks are around 100.0. Since they come from vastly different eras, however, not every passer is created equal. That aside, Hurts’ trajectory is promising.
He should have another decade-plus to pile up the numbers. Everything from regular-season yardage to playoff wins, they will keep on coming. But Hurts is already halfway there when it comes to playoff success, as the average Hall of Fame quarterback has two Super Bowl wins.
To that point, he may not even need another Super Bowl. With continued success in the regular season and enough times on the postseason stage, he could have enough. Many argue that Philip Rivers has a case, and he was an infamous playoff quarterback (fewer wins than Hurts). He never won an MVP, either. Could you imagine what a championship would’ve done for his legacy?
Hurts Has Early-Age Russell Wilson Numbers
The best comparison that I could find for Hurts is, ironically, the man he was almost traded for way back when: Russell Wilson.
Wilson had a pretty harsh drop-off after his first four seasons as a starter, yet he still ranks 18th among quarterbacks for the Hall of Fame Monitor (93.65 rating), which makes this comparison interesting. Both won a lot of games, put up similar passing and rushing numbers, had a Super Bowl win and loss, and didn’t take home an MVP.
Wilson’s issue is that he was unable to keep up the momentum following his 2012-2015 stretch, whether it was his fault or not. He hasn’t had a memorable postseason run since 2014, winning just three playoff games in the past decade. He’s a 10-time Pro Bowler, which should count for something, but playoff success matters.
Without ever having an MVP-caliber regular season, too, a once likely Hall of Fame career may fall short. Still, there’s at least an argument that Wilson deserves to wear the golden jacket. If not, though, would another Super Bowl appearance have done it for him? What about an MVP finalist in the regular season? These are important questions to ask, as they could apply to Hurts one day.
Hurts’ career is just getting started. It’s possible that, with another dominant postseason and continued success for the next decade, he could be in the Hall of Fame.
Does he have the means to reach those heights and more? We’ll just have to see.
PHOTO: Caean Couto/Imagn Images
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