Consider the quarterback market reset.
The Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a massive contract extension for star quarterback Jalen Hurts on Monday morning, giving him a new deal for five years and a whopping $255 million, according to multiple reports, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history at an average of $51 million per year. The contract includes $179.3 million in guarantees and a no-trade clause.
Patrick Mahomes still holds the record for having the largest contract overall, signing a 10-year, $503 million deal with $141.4 million guaranteed.
Hurts, 24, had a dominant season for the Eagles in 2022, helping lead Philadelphia to the Super Bowl.
The NFC Pro Bowler passed for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions in the regular season, adding 760 yards rushing and 13 TDs on the ground.
The Alabama and Oklahoma product played well in the Super Bowl, completing 71 percent of his passes for 301 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, though he did have a lost fumble as the Chiefs rallied for a 38-35 victory.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts looks to throw against the Buccaneers during a playoff game in January 2022. Getty Images
Jalen Hurts with his girlfriend Bryonna Burrows after the NFC Championship Game. John Angelillo/UPI/ShutterstockGeneral manager Howie Roseman rewarded the fourth-year quarterback with a deal that will keep him in Philadelphia through 2028.
With the new deal on the books, the market is set for Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, fellow star quarterbacks from the 2020 draft class who are set for extensions this offseason.
Additionally, the $179.3 million guaranteed could be a benchmark for Lamar Jackson as he, too, looks for a new deal.
Jalen Hurts celebrates the Eagles’ Super Bowl berth after defeating the 49ers in the NFC Championship in January 2023. Getty ImagesJackson and the Ravens have been far apart on figures for a contract extension. The star quarterback reportedly wants much more guaranteed money than the team has offered him.
Jackson announced last month that he requested a trade from the Ravens.
Hurts’ $179.3 million guaranteed is the third-most given to a player in NFL history, behind Deshaun Watson (whose $230 million deal was fully guaranteed) and Kyler Murray, who got $189.5 million.
A contract extension was all but guaranteed at some point during the offseason for Hurts after the former second-round pick blossomed into a superstar during his third year in the league.
Jalen Hurts with his girlfriend Bryonna Burrows after the NFC Championship Game. John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts reacts before a playoff game against the Giants in January 2023. Getty ImagesEagles coaches and personnel have showered Hurts with praise throughout the offseason with head coach Nick Sirianni giving him particularly high praise in January.
“It’s like having Michael Jordan out there,” Sirianni said of Hurts, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “He’s your leader. He’s your guy.”
“The hardest part, for sure, is the scarcity of really good quarterbacks, and we got one, and we got a very special player,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in March.
Now that “special player” is going to be playing football in Philadelphia for a long time.
This is the second long-term contract extension the Eagles have given to a quarterback in the past four years.
In 2019, Philadelphia gave Carson Wentz a four-year, $128 million contract extension. He lasted less than two more seasons with the team before Hurts took over as the starter in 2020.
Philadelphia traded Wentz to the Colts before the 2021 season, clearing the way for Hurts.
