The idea of an insane amount of money hitting Jalen Hurts’ bank account has been public information for many months. Coming off a Super Bowl appearance, and MVP-caliber regular season, the dual-threat quarterback was due a bag.
Well, Jalen Hurts officially got the keys to the vault on Monday after inking a five-year deal worth a reported $255 million. He’ll be draped in midnight green – and kelly green at times – through the 2028 season. That’s quite a haul for a 24-year-old quarterback with 34 career starts under his belt. Wait, there’s more.
How is Jalen Hurts’ new contract structured?
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Hurts can earn as much as $274.304 million when factoring in incentives and bonuses. He’ll make $64 million through the first new year of the contract in 2024, piggybacking off the final year of his cheap rookie deal in 2023. His average annual salary will be roughly $51 million per year, including $110 million fully guaranteed at signing.
Hurts is now the highest-paid player in the NFL on a per-year basis, topping fellow quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Kyler Murray. The deal, negotiated by Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports, is the second-largest contract overall behind Deshaun Watson’s $230 million fully guaranteed deal. Hurts turns 25 years old on August 7.
More importantly, Hurts has proven himself to be a leader on and off the field. The Eagles included a no-trade clause – the first in franchise history – in his record-setting contract to ensure he’s in Philly for the long haul. His teammates love him. His coaches respect him. And the front office wasn’t going to let him get away.
“The thing with Jalen that I’m so optimistic about is he’s just got this incredible – I’m not telling you anything you don’t know here, but seeing him virtually every day, he’s got an incredible passion for being phenomenal,” team owner Jeffrey Lurie told reporters on March 28. “I think the future is so great for him. We’ll be working with Jalen I’m sure for a long time.”
Market Set for NFL Franchise Quarterbacks
The Eagles wanted to stay ahead of the curve by inking Jalen Hurts to a long-term contract extension before the other dominoes started falling. Which they did. Now all eyes are on Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Justin Herbert. Things are extra complicated when it comes to Jackson who has requested a trade out of Baltimore. Either way, Hurts is locked up so the Eagles can casually munch on some popcorn and enjoy the show.
Jackson, who was named NFL MVP in 2019, reportedly turned down a 3-year deal worth $133 million fully guaranteed back in March. His price tag has suddenly sky-rocketed following Hurts’ mega-deal, with Burrow and Herbert also looking at a 5-year, $255 million as the floor on any negotiations moving forward. Whether or not Hurts is better than those three guys is irrelevant. The market has been set and it’s an expensive one.
Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts gets rewarded for his calm and steady leadership style as much as his MVP play on the field. He’s never been focused on counting stacks, instead preferring to stack Super Bowl trophies.
“You have to look yourself in the mirror and assess it for what it is and do the things that need to be done to grow from it,” Hurts said, via Dave Spadaro. “I think that’s my mentality going on and I think that will be this whole entire team’s mentality moving forward.”
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
