Jalen Hurts contract perfect match for player, team
Everyone knew it was coming, yet it was still an eye-popping event. Eagles franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts reached new heights with the five-year, $255 million contract extension agreement Monday. The deal is the largest in NFL history in terms of AAV, and the amount of guaranteed money ($179 million) is second-most ever, behind Clevelands DeShaun Watson.
It may seem like the scope of the contract could prove problematic in a salary cap world. But this is a beneficial deal for both Hurts and the Eagles.
The deal cements Hurts as the teams franchise QB for the foreseeable future, and included a no-trade clause never before seen in an Eagles contract that further hammers home the message that Hurts will be the man the team has pinned its hopes to.
At 24 years old, Hurts is already a top-5 QB in the NFL. He went 14-1 in the regular season and took the Eagles to the Super Bowl in his second full year as a starter. He has proven he can excel in an NFL offense. All of the doubts that anyone had about his abilities have been soundly vanquished. He has the full blessing of the front office, the coaching staff, and unlike his predecessor, Carson Wentz he has the team fully behind him.
Even if Hurts remains at his present level of skill and production, he will earn every dollar of his contract. But the likelihood is that he is still on his ascent, and as he continues to get better, he will soon be a bargain for what he brings to the team.
Some may argue that Hurts could have helped the team, both in the near and not-so-distant future, by taking less money. A hometown discount.
You know what that would make Hurts? A team player? A man of the people?
Dumb.
If you went to your boss and asked for a raise, and they responded by asking you to take less of a raise, so other people could get a raise, how would you react? Would you take one for the team?
Zero chance.
The contract is among the richest in the sport. But that status is very temporary.
Three other top quarterbacks Baltimores Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert of the Chargers and the Bengals Joe Burrow are likely the next three quarterbacks in line to get paid top-tier contracts. For those three, Hurts deal will be a baseline. Because the Eagles agreed to a deal with Hurts now, the Eagles saved at least $20-25 million dollars.
If you think this is too much money to pay Hurts, it isnt. Hes one of the best in the game, and this is the going rate. Besides, its not your money. Consider this: in 2019, Bryce Harper signed a $330 million mega-deal with the Phillies. At the time, it was the largest contract in terms of total dollars in MLB history. Phillies fans were concerned that the deal was too much for one player, even of Harpers caliber.
Right now, Harpers $27.5M AAV ranks 19th in MLB. Just four years later.
If there is worry about what paying Hurts will mean with regard to the salary cap, chill out. Its Howie Roseman. The man works his way around the NFL salary cap rules like a prime-era Neo dodging bullets in The Matrix movies.
According to spotrac, Roseman fielded a team that was within a defensive stop of winning the Super Bowl with more than $64 million in dead cap money. About 29% of their cap space. You have to figure that by the time the bigger cap numbers in Hurts contract come around in a few years, Roseman will already have a plan.
And if Hurts brings the city a parade, not many will be paying much attention to his price tag anymore.
