Getty Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Looking at the decision to let seven starters leave in free agency, it doesn’t take a high-powered microscope to know what the Philadelphia Eagles are prepping for. They intend to make Jalen Hurts one of the richest men in the NFL.
General manager Howie Roseman has been open and honest about his intentions about getting a long-term deal done for his franchise quarterback. He provided the latest update on where contract negotiations stand during his media availability at the annual NFL owners’ meetings in Phoenix, Arizona. They want to consummate something “relatively soon.”
“It’s no secret that at some time relatively soon we want to extend our quarterback,” Roseman told reporters on March 27, “so our whole roster building is going to kind of turn a little bit here from a quarterback on a rookie deal towards a quarterback hopefully on a long-term deal. Not that we have anything done, but obviously our goal is to keep Jalen here for a long time.”
Eagles GM Howie Roseman planning for QB Jalen Hurts’ new deal to be done “relatively soon”
No timeline. No announcement. Yet, the urgency to get something done soon could be heard in Roseman’s voice.
“We want him here long-term,” Roseman said. “Obviously, he’s going into the last year of his deal, and so that’s going to be a priority for us.”
Nick Sirianni: No One Knows Hurts’ Ceiling
Head coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t get involved in contract talks. That’s above his pay grade. However, he is the one that keeps everyone on task all year. Sirianni mentioned Hurts has been in the gym “working out like a maniac” and doing what he always does — that’s working hard and blocking out the noise.
When asked about setting a ceiling for Hurts, Sirianni predictably didn’t cap QB1’s roof.
“People have asked me how good can Jalen Hurts be? No one knows what Jalen’s ceiling can be but I know God willing he can reach it because of all the factors he has,” Sirianni told reporters. “So he’s not all of a sudden different because he’s still putting in the work like you’ve seen him put in the work like you’ve seen him put in the last couple of years.”
Nick Sirianni on Jalen Hurts, who has stuck around Philly and been spending time at the team facility following the Eagles’ run to Super Bowl LVII
“He’s working out like a maniac in the weight room and getting after it.”
What Happened to Bringing Back C.J. Gardner-Johnson?
The messiest storyline of the 2023 offseason has been the curious case of C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He appeared — depending on which report is true — to take less money in free agency and join the Detroit Lions despite receiving a multi-year offer from Philly.
Watch who you call your homies !
The real story — filled with “other question marks” — may never fully be told, although Roseman did lend credence to the rumors out there. The Eagles did offer Gardner-Johnson a contract, then reversed course after he turned it down. That money was reinvested in cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
“Those first couple of days, we tried [to sign Gardner-Johnson] and then we pivoted,” Roseman said. “I think that’s one of the most important things in free agency. You can go in with a plan but you have to be able to pivot and have other options and not get stuck with nothing. And so at some point, you run out of resources.”