Getty Jalen Hurts is hoping to follow in Kyler Murray's footsteps of improving his NFL draft stock at Oklahoma.
Kyler Murray just got the Brinks truck backed up into his backyard. Who cares, right? The Philadelphia Eagles should.
They should be paying very close attention to the $230 million commitment the Arizona Cardinals made to Murray. Hurts could be next in line for a similar payday if he balls out this season. There is no set benchmark for the Eagles quarterback to hit, although 30 passing touchdowns seems to be a good barometer. If Hurts does that, he might be looking at his own Brinks truck.
In fact, one agent familiar with the quarterback market told Heavy’s Matt Lombardo that Hurts should be fighting for Murray money right now. That’s an annual average salary of roughly $46.1 million.
“If I were representing Jalen Hurts, I would be fighting tooth and nail for Kyler Murray money,” the agent told Lombardo. “But, I’m not sure they are anywhere near the same class of quarterback.”
“I think the #Eagles have done right by Jalen Hurts. I am a believer in Jalen Hurts, and I would go all-in on Jalen Hurts.”
– Former #NFL Exec of The Year @RandyMueller_ to me on how Kyler Murray’s contract impacts Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, more:
To get into that class Hurts must show improvement. The Eagles rode a run-heavy offense in 2021 – the No. 1 rushing attack in the NFL – to sneak into the playoffs as a wild card. Hurts threw for 3,144 yards with 16 touchdowns against 9 interceptions last season.
“He needs to lead them to the playoffs rather than ride them to the playoffs,” an AFC offensive coordinator told Lombardo. “For him to make that leap, it starts with staying healthy. But, he’s going to have to prove he can make a throw on third down, and especially in the red zone.”
So last year the #Eagles open up with offense in side the red zone!!
Jalen Hurts
Last year – 5 of 14, 2 tds and 1 int
Today – 12 of 15, 4 tds and 1 int
Per EliotShorrParks
It’s only practice I know but I’m ready to see where he takes his game ‼️
Ironically, the Eagles spent Day 1 of training camp working on red zone drills. Hurts reportedly went 12-of-15 with four touchdowns and one interception. It clearly has been and will continue to be a point of emphasis.
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Ex-NFL GM Thinks Eagles Should Go ‘All In’
Randy Mueller has worked as an NFL executive for almost four decades. He started in Seattle’s personnel department in 1983, then enjoyed successful stints in New Orleans, Miami, and Los Angeles. Mueller believes the Eagles should go “all-in” on Hurts.
“I think the Eagles have done right by Jalen Hurts,” Mueller told Lombardo. “I am a believer in Jalen Hurts, and I would go all-in on Jalen Hurts, at some point.”
The fact that we’re talking about Kyler Murray studying film for four hours a week, is comical on so many levels.
At some point? OK. Mueller was brutally honest about his feelings on Hurts. He loves him. And he thinks he’s on a far better progression than Murray.
“The difference between [Murray] and Hurts,” Mueller explained. “Is Jalen has gotten progressively better. If you study him at Oklahoma to his first year with the Eagles, to where he is at this moment today, you can see progression along the way. He has all the intangibles. He has all the leadership. He has everything I would line up behind. I just haven’t seen Kyler with the same progression.”
Mueller sees a scenario where the Eagles cough up Derek Carr money for Hurts. He makes around $41.5 million per year but – as Inside the Birds’ Adam Caplan pointed out – the Raiders structured Carr’s contract in a very unique way. It’s essentially a one-year, $25 million deal that allows for a ridiculous raise if Carr plays well. Or the two sides can part ways.
Hurts Saying All the Right Things
Hurts hasn’t said a word to anyone about his contract, not that he’s been asked. The 23-year-old – Hurts is exactly one year younger than Murray; both quarterbacks were born on August 7 – is too focused on winning and bringing a championship to Philly. He keeps toeing the company line, too.
“We all have the same goal and we all on the same team,” Hurts told reporters. “We all eager to go to work. We all hungry to climb and get better every day, and that’s just the approach we have. And I truly love that about Coach Sirianni and I love that about my teammates. We’re hungry – so much external factors that could influence the team and buy into the hype – but we’re hungry, we take it day by day, and just get better.”
It’s great to be back out here!” –@JalenHurts