Getty Eagles QB Jalen Hurts calls out the signals during Philadelphia's wild-card playoff loss to Tampa Bay in 2021.
The Philadelphia Eagles have a big decision to make on Jalen Hurts in 2023. He’ll be entering his fourth year and eligible for a new contract. Will the team extend him? If so, how much is Hurts worth?
The dual-threat quarterback’s future will likely come down to how well he plays this season. Hurts must show he can win games with his arm and improve as a pocket passer. More importantly, he has to be the reason the Eagles get back to the postseason. And advance beyond the wild-card round.
Adam Caplan of Inside the Birds recently detailed what an extension might look like for Hurts. His best comparison was something in line with what Derek Carr signed in Las Vegas. That deal – three years and $121.5 million – was essentially structured as a one-year, $25 million deal.
“I don’t care how well Hurts plays, over $40 million a year just isn’t going to happen,” Caplan said. “What you can do is load up one year. If you look at Carr’s deal, he got a $7.5 million signing bonus and his base salary is $17.4 million, so he’ll make $25 million in Year 1. Now what the Raiders did, what his agent did was smart.
“The base salary is ridiculous, $32.9 million, he’s not going to get that if he doesn’t play well. But what the agent did that was really smart: Carr’s base salary becomes fully guaranteed, $32.9 million, on the third day of the waiver period which is the third day after the Super Bowl.”
I just don’t get the Derek Carr contract; traditional team-friendly one year guaranteed and then all risk goes to the player.
Teams can and will try to explain away the Watson contract as an outlier (and the Raiders succeeded here), but it is real, and it is the new precedent.
The Eagles could sign Hurts to a similar contract and get something inked in January. They’ll have two full seasons of tape on him, plus (hopefully) back-to-back playoff appearances. According to Caplan, the Eagles want to see Hurts “play well.” A breakout season – maybe 30 passing touchdowns? – gets it done.
“If Hurts lights it up this season, you [already] love the kid, you love the character and the upbringing and all that,” Caplan said. “He’s got the intangibles, but he’s got to play well. He didn’t play well enough last year. If he plays really well, he’s getting his contract extended. There’s no question about it.”
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Hurts Not Getting $50 Million, No Way
Some have oddly speculated that Hurts might get a “massive contract” worth up to $40 million next offseason. Don’t bank on it. The Eagles want to be wowed by him in 2022, according to Caplan, and own all the leverage in contract negotiations.
“I just have a feeling if they do make the playoffs, it won’t be just because he’s their quarterback,” Caplan said. “It will be because he played well. That would be a big part of it.”
The #Eagles are likely going to give Jalen Hurts a massive QB contract next offseason ($35/40m+ per year). And that will be a good thing for the franchise.
So, how much should Hurts expect to get from Philly? It won’t be anywhere near the $50 million per year that Aaron Rodgers received.
“No matter how well he plays, he’s not going to get $50 million a year,” Caplan said.
early down accuracy from clean pockets:
1. Tua Tagovailoa
2. Kirk Cousins
3. Jimmy Garoppolo
4. Ryan Tannehill
5. Matt Ryan
6. Joe Burrow
7. Dak Prescott
8. Jalen Hurts
9. Aaron Rodgers
(2021, min 150 pass attempts)
Or the $45 million per year that Patrick Mahomes got. Or the $43 million per year that Josh Allen received. And it won’t approach Dak Prescott’s $40 million per year.
“Dak Prescott was good immediately,” Caplan said. “When he took over for Tony Romo – Tony Romo never got the job back – because he was so good when Romo broke his collarbone. Prescott was good from the very start.”
Gardner Minshew Making More Money
Gardner Minshew will earn $2.54 million in base salary for 2022, compared to $1.08 million for Hurts. That’s right. The backup quarterback is making more money than the starter.
Hurts might be the best value in all of football. Which is all the more reason why the Eagles are in no hurry to hand him a massive extension. He’s under team control until 2024 when his four-year rookie deal expires.