Jalen Hurts finished runner-up to Patrick Mahomes in AP NFL MVP voting and lost again to him when Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs beat Hurts' Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
But no QB is atop Hurts now — Philadelphia's franchise player is about to become the highest-paid player in average annual value in NFL history.
Hurts and the Eagles are set to sign one of the richest deals in NFL history, agreeing to a five-year, $255 million extension, including $179.3 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because the deal was not yet final.
The Eagles announced later Monday on social media that “QB1 is here to stay."
“Keeping the main thing in Philly,” they tweeted, referencing one of Hurts' mottos. “We’ve agreed to terms with Jalen Hurts on a 5-year extension through the 2028 season.”
The 24-year-old Hurts was expected to receive $51 million per season — topping Mahomes and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers — and only Cleveland's Deshaun Watson ($230M) and Arizona's Kyler Murray ($189.5M) received more in a single contract.
“Our job in this league is go out there and win football games and make money while doing it, and I'm glad the guys dong it the right way are getting the job security they deserve,” Mahomes said Monday.
Those numbers could be topped soon depending on how the contract situation between the Baltimore Ravens and QB Lamar Jackson plays out. In a series of tweets, the star quarterback said he requested a trade as of March 2. On March 7, the Ravens put the nonexclusive franchise tag on Jackson and said they were still hopeful they could reach a long-term deal with him.
If Jackson does come back without a new deal, he could play this season on Baltimore’s $32.4 million franchise tag.
Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow could each look to Hurts' deal as a framework for their looming extensions.
The Eagles know where Hurts will be this season.
Hurts delivered a record performance in the Super Bowl, throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown, running for 70 yards and three scores, and adding a game-tying 2-point conversion. Hurts and Mahomes were the first Black QBs to face off in a Super Bowl.
“He's someone that plays the position the right way, he goes about his business the right way,” Mahomes said. “That's why they were in the Super Bowl, and he played a great game in the Super Bowl, and proved a lot of people wrong that were still doubting him. It's great for the quarterback position, the Black quarterbacks coming up behind us. We know about Lamar and the situation there, getting these guys the deals they deserve.”
Philadelphia went 14-1 in Hurts' starts and he had 3,701 yards passing, 760 yards rushing and 35 touchdowns combined in the regular season. He led the Eagles to the top seed in the NFC and a playoff victory over the New York Giants and over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game.
The Eagles went 0-2 when Hurts sat out two late-season games because of a sprained right shoulder.
The Eagles stunned fans when they drafted Hurts out of Oklahoma in the second round in 2020. They seemingly had Carson Wentz entrenched at QB and had more pressing needs. Hurt was expected to serve as insurance for Wentz. Instead, he supplanted him and became one of the top young quarterbacks in the NFL.
Hurts' teammates were thrilled to have him back in Philly for years to come.
“Dinner on @JalenHurts!" right tackle Lane Johnson tweeted, along with money-bag emojis.
“my birthday is coming up at the right time!!!” tweeted wide receiver A.J Brown.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and agent Nicole Lynn negotiated the deal with Hurts, who was set to enter the 2023 season on the final year of his rookie contract. He didn't become the full-time starter until 2021.
Now, the Eagles can't imagine any other player taking the snaps.
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Florida and AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Missouri contributed to this report.
