There might not be anyone in more of a legacy year in 206 than Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has seen every part of his game picked apart this offseason.
ESPN’s annual position rankings reflect how the rest of the NFL now sees Hurts, with league executives, coaches, and scouts placing him in the honorable mentions.
That it comes just 18 months after he was named Super Bowl MVP only deepens the disrespect.
While Hurts has made the playoffs in each of his 1st 5 seasons as a starter, 4 quarterbacks who didn’t even make the playoffs last season were ranked in the Top 10 with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (No. 2), Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (No. 4), Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (No. 5), and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 6).
“I know it has been up-and-down, but I’m still betting on the Super Bowl credentials, the intangibles and the toughness,” one anonymous AFC coach told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Jalen Hurts No Stranger to Silencing Doubters
After over a decade as a high-profile college and NFL starting quarterback, Hurts has continually defied the odds and proven doubters wrong. It’s kind of become what he’s most known for.
After a lackluster 2025, the 2026 season will give Hurts a chance to do what he’s done best.
NFL.com’s Nick Shook put out his NFL starting quarterback rankings with a high dose of disrespect to Hurts and his game, putting last year’s Super Bowl MVP at No. 19 out of 65 starting quarterbacks — and putting him at the bottom of the “Tier Three” of NFL quarterbacks.
Out of the 65 quarterbacks, only Hurts and New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (No. 45) were Super Bowl winners outside the Top 16 — ostensibly the upper half of NFL quarterbacks.
The difference? Wilson won his Super Bowl following the 2013 season and was benched less than a month into the 2025 regular season.
Hurts was Super Bowl MVP in February 2025 and has played arguably the best 2 games of his career in the 2 Super Bowls he’s played in, which have both been in the last 4 seasons.
Hurts dropped 10 spots from last year’s postseason rankings. He was No. 14 in 2023 and reached No. 2 following the 2022 season and his first Super Bowl appearance.
Head-Shaking List of QBs Above Jalen Hurts
While some of the quarterbacks who landed above Hurts should come as no surprise — think NFL MVP winners like Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, there are a few names that should leave us collectively shaking our heads.
NFL.com put some egregious names in front of Hurts, a 3-time Pro Bowler and 2022 NFL All-Pro — names like Dak Prescott (No. 3), Trevor Lawrence (No. 6), Caleb Williams (No. 8), Jared Goff (No. 9), Daniel Jones (No. 12) and Aaron Rodgers (No. 16).
“Jalen Hurts was at his best when the Eagles went up-tempo, an admission that made me wonder whether removing the thought process from playing quarterback might be best for him,” Shook wrote. “The scheme certainly didn’t help him, and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was promptly fired after the Eagles’ season ended in a first-round postseason exit. But I truly believe Hurts would benefit from shedding his focus on making the perfect play, an outcome that could be expedited by new OC Sean Mannion.”
‘Up and Down’ Eagles Star Jalen Hurts Left Off List of NFL’s Elite QB