Getty Eagles QB Jalen Hurts stretches before practice during the week prior to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is getting fitted for a big bag of money. The franchise is going to pay him top dollar soon enough, maybe in the range of $260 million in total value. The MVP runner-up proved all his doubters wrong while leading his team to the Super Bowl.
Hurts did it with a smile on his face, never taking shots at his enemies or complaining about being underpaid. He has earned first dibs on the Brinks truck about to pull up to his front door. But, one question remains unanswered: where does the 24-year-old rank among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks?
He’s definitely in the top-10, perhaps the top-5. Retired NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall moved him even higher up the list. He has Hurts penciled in at No. 2 on his dance card, one spot behind two-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes.
Jalen Hurts backed up finishing 2nd in MVP with one of the best Super Bowl performances of my lifetime. What a boss.
Marshall, a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, put on a fiery defense of Hurts during his popular “I Am Athlete” podcast. Here is how he broke it down to co-host Ashley Nicole Moss the other day:
It’s foolish. He’s not top-10. He’s top-5. Jalen Hurts is … and that’s even foolish, he’s top-2. You know why? Ashley, what do we always say? We even say this around Aaron Rodgers … it’s all about winning, right? Right now. It’s about winning. Quarterbacks, wins and losses. Aaron Rodgers, oh my goodness, he’s underachieved. They didn’t take enough meat off the bone because they only got one Super Bowl, right?
We’re talking about winning, wins and losses. Right now, he [Hurts] was just in the Super Bowl, so the only quarterback better than Jalen Hurts right now is Patrick Mahomes. That’s it. Add Joe Burrow. Add Lamar Jackson. Add Russell Wilson. Add Justin Herbert. All these other quarterbacks. It’s foolish. He’s a top-2 quarterback.
Is #Eagles QB Jalen Hurts a Top 10 QB in the #NFL?
“Foolish. He’s Top 2!” – @BMarshall
Agree or disagree?
Via @IAMATHLETEpod
‘Initial Conversations’ Underway on Extension
There hasn’t been much reported in terms of how contract talks have been progressing between Hurts and the Eagles in recent weeks. It’s widely assumed a deal will be reached prior to training camp but, other than guesses at a framework for financials, the updates have been few and far between. Until now.
Jalen Hurts’ latest market value calculation for a contract extension from Spotrac is 6 years, $265.3M. ($44.2M per season) 💰
ESPN’s Dan Graziano revealed on SportsCenter that “initial conversations” are underway and Hurts remains a top priority since the Eagles don’t hold a fifth-year option on him for 2024.
“There’s a little more urgency with his negotiations than there is with some of these other guys,” Graziano said, via Bleacher Report. “I’m told there have been initial conversations, and I would expect the Eagles and Jalen Hurts to find a path to a contract extension at some point this offseason.”
‘Tush Push’ Goes Unchallenged at NFL Meetings
The NFL’s Competition Committee will not be voting on the so-called “Tush Push” made famous by Hurts and the Eagles’ offensive line, according to The Athletic.
There had been talk of the controversial quarterback sneak play – one where players literally line up behind Hurts and push him forward, specifically on 4th-and-1 situations or at the goal line – being voted on and possibly outlawed.
Nope, the play will continue to be allowed in 2023. It wasn’t included in a list of 17 rule changes and 5 bylaw changes set to be discussed.
The Eagles’ controversial QB sneak play, in which two, and sometimes even three players line up behind Jalen Hurts to push, was unchallenged by NFL competition committee.
It’s here to stay for at least 2023.
🎥 @NFL