Jalen Hurts Blows Away Eagles At The Negotiating Table In Landing New Contract
Jalen Hurts on Monday became the NFL's highest paid quarterback and, well, that feels kind of stunning.
Because he's not the NFL's best quarterback.
The Eagles and Hurts on Monday completed negotiations on a five-year, $255 million extension. The $51 million per season annual average is the highest of any quarterback in the league. And the $179.3 million in guaranteed money is the third-highest guarantee for any player behind only Deshaun Watson and Kyler Murray.
So great job by Hurts. Great job by his agent Nicole Lynn.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 29: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up prior to the NFC Championship NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on January 29, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Why Eagles Lost Jalen Hurts Negotiation
They won this negotiation.
And it was interesting work done by the Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman.
By interesting I don't mean great. I mean, they kind of did what they felt necessary without putting up much of a fight. They've obviously decided Hurts is their guy and are now paying the freight for that opinion even though, you know, Hurts is good.
Not great.
This is not meant to be a downer. But anyone asked to name the NFL's top three quarterbacks would find it hard to include Hurts in the conversation.
Patrick Mahomes? Check.
Josh Allen. Check.
Joe Burrow. Check.
Maybe Justin Herbert.
Maybe Aaron Rodgers.
Where does Hurts slide in?
Does Jalen Hurts compare with Patrick Mahomes?
Is Jalen Hurts Elite?
Well, he slides in as the highest paid of that group. But raise your hand if you are picking him over those other guys. Paying him over those other guys. He's not necessarily the most accomplished, most explosive or most feared by defenses of the group.
Again: He's good.
But not elite.
So what you saw Roseman and the Eagles just do is be driven by the market to meet a need. They needed to sign Hurts to an extension because he was going into the final year of his contract in 2023.
The market for quarterbacks dictates the next elite guy gets a little more than the last one did. That's why Herbert is going to get more than Hurts just did in his extension. And Burrow will get way more than either of those two in his extension, regardless of the fact the Cincinnati Bengals are a family-owned franchise that doesn't typically swim in big contracts.
So one understands the negotiation from the Hurts point of view. He was next. He helped the Eagles go to the Super Bowl. He deserved a big pay day.
But where was the pushback from the Eagles? Where was their negotiation counter-point?
This should have been it: Hurts was very good for one year.
One.
And one year does not typically lead to the NFL's highest-paid contract for a QB.
But Hurts got it anyway.
Hurts wins!
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 16: Philadelphia Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman gestures prior to the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on October 16, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Howie Roseman, Eagles Are Gambling
Perspective is important here:
One year ago the Eagles didn't know if Hurts was their guy. Roseman openly told multiple people around the NFL that if Hurts didn't perform up to a certain level, he was gone after the season.
Obviously Hurts met the challenge. He threw 22 touchdown passes with 6 interceptions and rushed for another 13 touchdowns. The Eagles, with the best roster in the NFL, went to the Super Bowl as the NFC champions.
They lost to the Chiefs as Mahomes easily outdueled Hurts.
And based on that, the Eagles are now fully convinced they have their forever quarterback. Or their five-year extension quarterback.
This is a gamble, folks.
This feels like a deal done in the Murray fashion or the Watson fashion where players are getting mega-deals based on market rather than years of production. How are those working out so far?
Hurts has been on the ascent for a couple of years. Last year was better than the year before, which was better than the year before. So the Eagles are gambling next season will be his best and great things loom after that.
The problem is defenses and defensive coordinator usually figure stuff out. And they find flaws in opponents. And guys that burst onto the scene one year often find the opposition adjusts the following year.
Hurts and the Eagles will undoubtedly face this challenge.
The interesting part is they'll face this challenge weighed down by the expectation of success after 2022. And the new contract the QB just got.
It's not going to be easy.
Hurts may find this challenge a lot harder than negotiating a contract with the Eagles.