The Eagles have now secured their future as they have signed Jalen Hurts to a massive 5-year deal. While Jalen Hurts will be the highest-paid player in NFL history, one has to look at this from the Eagles’ perspective to understand why this deal is a huge win.
Sure, you now have a franchise Quarterback on your roster that can win you a Super Bowl. Not many have that at their disposal. But there’s more to this deal than just locking in your franchise QB.
While we all know that Lamar Jackson continues to fight the good fight for his deal. Other teams are also preparing to pay a heavy amount of money to their QBs such as the Chargers and the Bengals. The Eagles wisely beat them all to the punch. They reset the market knowing that it will be changed once again after Burrow, Herbert, and Jackson are signed to historical deals.
This is Howie do it
While the Eagles paid a pretty penny to keep their franchise QB happy. They did so in a very strategic manner. We’ve all seen how teams have become cap-strapped due to these large QB deals. Some end up failing to build around their QB due to the crap restraints which ends up wasting the prime years of that player’s career.
Others have done well because of how the contract was structured. Tom Brady was underpaid for years because he valued winning more than money. Mahomes signed a huge deal just a couple of years ago but left enough room in his annual salary to help the Chiefs build.
It looks like Jalen Hurts and the Eagles did the same thing. Adam Schefter of ESPN tweeted out the cap numbers for the next four years and it looks like the Eagles made out like bandits. The Eagles will be paying Jalen Hurts in the following structure over the next four years:
- 2023: $6.15 million
- 2024: $13.56 million
- 2025: $21.77 million
- 2026: $31.77 million
The Forward-Thinking Eagles
Yes, you read that correctly. Philadelphia has positioned itself to be a contender for the prime years of Hurts’ career. This gives them the needed cap space to go out and trade for a player like Budda Baker then possibly extend him.
Now, I’m not saying that they are going to do that. I’m just giving an example of what this means for the franchise. This also means that DeVonta Smith can be extended without worry when the time comes. This is something that Philadelphia was never able to truly accomplish in the history of the organization.
With this new deal now in place and officially behind them. The Eagles are in a great position moving forward. They not only have secured their future with one of the top QBs in the league but they have also become a destination for players in the NFL.
People want to play in Philadelphia because of the culture. From the fans of the team to the coaching staff, the Eagles have re-established themselves as one of the better organizations in the league. Jalen Hurts has also amplified that by being the player he is. He wants to win and will do whatever it takes to do so.
His passion has helped re-ignite the franchise and especially Howie Roseman. He now has the needed puzzle pieces to put together a contender for the next 5 years.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
