After leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance, quarterback Jalen Hurts seemed to earn himself a big pay day, and it came in the form of the biggest in terms of money. The 24-year-old Hurts, who will be entering his fourth season in the NFL, recently signed a five-year contract extension worth $255 million, with $179 million guaranteed. With the deal, Hurts becomes the highest paid player in league history, and it makes sense given the year he previously had.
Star in the making
After finishing a phenomenal college, which started at the University of Alabama, playing for the Crimson Tide under Nick Saban, winning a national title in 2017, and finishing at the University of Oklahoma after a transfer, Hurts looked destined for greatness, but not to some scouts.
Entering the NFL draft, he was not expected to be a high pick, and it wouldn't happen until the second round when he was picked 53rd overall by the Eagles. Starting the season as the third stringer, Hurts would have to prove himself that he could be a starter in the NFL.
After several short appearances where he was mainly inserted for runs, Hurts would get his first real chance to show what he had in week 13's matchup against the Green Bay Packers after starter Carson Wentz was benched during the third quarter due to poor play. He would finish the game with five completed passes on 12 attempts, with one touchdown and one interception in a 30-16 loss. His performance in this game would earn him the starting spot in the teams' week 14 game against the New Orleans Saints, which they won 24-21 and cemented him as a reliable starter in the NFL.
Hurts would have an even better season next year, finishing with an 8-7 win-loss record, and throwing 3,144 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, and led the Eagles to the playoffs, where they lost 31-15 in the wildcard game against the Tom Brady led Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Super Bowl year
Going into the 2022 season, Hurts was looking to have a better year and take his team as far as possible into the playoffs.
In a season that would be described as MVP caliber, Hurts would finish his third pro season with 3,701 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, 760 rushing yards, and 13 rushing touchdowns in 15 starts, 14 of which he won, while leading the Eagles to a 14-3 record, finishing first in the NFC east. The Eagles would then proceed to beat the New York Giants 38-7 in the divisional round and win 31-7 against the San Francisco 49ers in the conference championship respectively, reaching the Super Bowl.
Playing against the heavily favored Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles would strike first on a one yard touchdown run by Hurts, and by the end of the first half, the Eagles were leading 24-14. However, things would change in the next half as the Chiefs started engineering a comeback, but it would be tied up with 5:15 left to go in the game. The Chiefs would eventually get to celebrate as they won a 27-yard field goal by Harrison Butker to claim the 38-35 Super Bowl LVII victory. Hurts would finish the game with 27 completed passes on 38 attempts, 304 passing yards, and four touchdowns, with three of them being rushing touchdowns. For his accomplishments during the regular season, Hurts was named a second team All-Pro, earned a pro bowl invite, and was awarded the Bert Bell award, which is awarded for the league's player of the year.
Positive future
The news of Hurts signing his big contract extension has given Eagles fans hope for the future of their team, and it makes him the richest player in the history of the NFL. He will certainly have to live up to the expectations and keep playing at the highest level. Overall, it seems that the Eagles made the best move possible for the organization as they have their quarterback for the near future.
