Jalen Hurts is now a $250M man, although you wouldn’t know it…
It’s common in the NFL for players to get massive contract extensions and then change how they act around players and coaches. Even quarterbacks fall prey to the changing expectations of massive contract responsibilities.
Those players aren’t like Eagles franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts though.
Jalen Hurts inspires confidence from his Eagles teammates
After signing a five-year contract extension that, along with contract incentives, is worth $255 million, Jalen Hurts is back with the team and focusing on improving for another chance at reaching the Super Bowl. And if anyone thought the second-highest-paid player in NFL history was going to change following his deal, just don’t know who they are dealing with.
“He seems like the same guy to me,” Jason Kelce said of the quarterback “I haven’t noticed anything different. He’s always trying to get better in the walkthrough in OTAs. All that stuff is still happening, he still has a hunger and desire to get better.”
Hurts is coming off a season where he was named a second-team All-Pro and was the runner-up to Patrick Mahomes for the MVP award. An offseason full of accolades also meant plenty of business for the quarterback when you consider he received his Master’s degree at Oklahoma as well.
“It’s extremely impressive and it’s not surprising when you know Jalen. There’s such a drive on his end to always get better and make his time useful. It doesn’t surprise me he got his Masters’ and when you see him and how hard he works but there’s not a lot of nonsense,” Kelce explained.
Kelce has always had a strong relationship with any quarterback he’s played with though whether it’s Jalen Hurts, Carson Wentz, or Nick Foles. The fact that even Hurts’ best friends aren’t seeing a major change in the quarterback says even more so.
“It’s everything you can imagine. He deserves it. He is a great guy,” AJ Brown said. “It didn’t change him. It motivated him.”
Can the Eagles keep the good times going?
It’ll now be up to Hurts, Brown, and the rest of the Eagles’ offense to show that last year’s run to Super Bowl LVII wasn’t a fluke. To do so, they’ll have to go through the toughest schedule in the NFL next year with several top defenses due up on their schedule.
But a tougher schedule changes nothing for an Eagles offense looking to set more records than last year which saw the team break franchise marks in points and wins.
And that all goes back to the demeanor of their quarterback.
“I’m excited he (Hurts) gets to keep leading this team and I’m excited to keep following him,” Dallas Goedert concluded.
It’s hard to bet against a group like that.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
