Eagles Not Rushing New Deal for Jalen Hurts, But They Shouldn’t Rule It Out

Since he arrived in 2020 as Carson Wentz‘s backup, Jalen Hurts has faced no shortage of scrutiny against him, controversy around him, and winning on his behalf. The Super Bowl MVP and champion will enter his seventh season for the Eagles — an organization that has already given him an extension through 2028, which helped Howie Roseman manipulate the cap space prior to the Super Bowl-winning season.

And although his contract still has two seasons left in its tank, there are already talks that the Eagles have no plans to extend him this offseason. For almost any other sport, NFL organization, or player, this would be a non-issue, but for the Eagles, who famously extend and restructure contracts to create cap space, and Hurts, who is constantly under a microscope, it is an issue.

As reported by Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jeffrey Lurie has stated the Eagles are not currently discussing a new contract with their current quarterback. The front office feels comfortable with the current extension and is waiting on the future before making another long-term commitment to the 2024 Super Bowl MVP.

This news comes in the same offseason that leaks from the Eagles locker room and organization have shown distrust in Hurts’ ability to perform.

“[There’s] a sense inside the locker room that the Eagles’ powerbrokers (Sirianni, general manager Howie Roseman, and owner Jeffrey Lurie) are reluctant to criticize Hurts,” The Athletic’s reporter Michael Silver wrote.

Additionally, “he has been the source of much internal frustration, including from teammates other than [A.J. Brown,” Silver wrote.

The frustration is understandable, especially from Eagles’ executives who have built one of the most stacked offenses around Hurts with Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert, yet the Eagles have finished 24th and 30th in passing yards in the past two seasons, respectively.

Since Hurts inked the five-year, $255 million contract in 2023 that made him the highest-paid player in the NFL at the time, he hasn’t exactly lived up to that mark. Through three seasons, he’s thrown for 9,985 passing yards, which is notably less than Tua Tagovailoa, Brock Purdy, and Trevor Lawrence. His 96.1 passer rating in those three seasons ranks 14th among quarterbacks.

So is Hurts worth another extension? Well, that’s a complicated question.

If the front office extends him this offseason, it’s likely to navigate the cap space, again, rather than their desire to lock him up in midnight green for life. Their concern right now, however, should be with Jalen Carter.

But, it is very likely the Eagles will extend him after this upcoming season, and I don’t think it will be based on performance.

As mentioned above, the Eagles made Hurts the highest-paid player in 2023. But, since then, Hurts has dropped to the 11th-highest-paid quarterback. Tagovailoa, Lawrence, and Dak Prescott are three notable quarterbacks who have signed larger contracts. And they’re notable because they all fall in a similar middle-tier amongst their position.

The Eagles already know what they have with Hurts, and he knows how good he has it as part of the Eagles organization. So why would either party switch things up or ask for too much? It’s not like the quarterback market is cheap or accessible, considering almost every team with a franchise quarterback has them locked up.

He may not deserve an extension based on his past two seasons, and the Eagles may not be too keen on giving him one, but it’s in the best interest of both parties to have their vision for the future secure.

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