Jalen Hurts showed his admirers and critics that he is a legit quarterback in the National Football League in 2022.
He led the Philadelphia Eagles to an NFC Championship and a Super Bowl berth in his third season.
As a former second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Hurts grew immensely as a passer. He finished 10th in the league for passing yards (3,701) last year while posting 22 touchdown passes to six interceptions. Hurts ranked third in the league for yards per pass attempt (8.0), tenth for completion percentage (66.5), fourth for quarterback rating (66.4), and fourth for passer rating (101.6). His athleticism propelled him to 760 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season. In the postseason, Hurts recorded 579 passing yards, 143 rushing yards, and eight total touchdowns. The native Texan dominated Super Bowl LVII, tallying 304 passing yards, 70 rushing yards, and four touchdowns. He outplayed Patrick Mahomes despite a loss for the Eagles.
Several NFL insiders believe Hurts will receive a massive contract extension. The base of his deal could be north of $50 million, but the overall amount is what will be interesting. A.J. Brown, a star receiver for the Eagles, is putting pressure on Philadelphia to pay Hurts. Seth Joyner, a former Eagles linebacker, said on Jakib Sports that the team has to pay Hurts because of the market.
Joyner is in the Eagles’ Hall of Fame.
“There is a list of quarterbacks that they paid, and it blew up in their face,” Joyner said about the Eagles paying quarterbacks in the past. “The difference between those guys and Jalen Hurts is Hurts got his team to the Super Bowl. He might not have won and it was no fault of his own, but the guy played his ass off. You could not have asked him to do more. He outperformed Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. The defense let them down.”
Click here to follow the Bama Elite Podcast
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber-only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
