Jalen Hurts contract will reset the entire market for quarterbacks in the NFL, further increasing their value. But no one thought that it would be Hurts who would be the one to do it.

Jalen Hurts Contract Will Reset Quarterback Market

Everyone knows that the most important position in the NFL is the quarterback. The league has went as far as to amend rules and create new ones just to protect quarterbacks even more than they were just five years ago. The measure of the team is the productivity of their quarterback, therefore, team ownership is likely to shell out major contracts to keep a franchise quarterback; unless that team is the the Baltimore Ravens.

Just look at the New York Giants. Daniel Jones, who had his most productive year last season under new head coach Brian Daboll, received a four-year, $160 million contract extension. The Giants did not even want to franchise tag him, which would have given him a 2023 salary of $32.416 million. Is Jones worth that just after one productive season?

Again, it just proves how valuable quarterbacks are, why they are paid so highly, and sometimes, questionably overpaid.

Hurts contract is an eye opener, though. But it’s not as if he is not one of the better quarterbacks in the league currently. The surprise is because of who he was and his positioning within the league among his quarterback peers.

Jalen Hurts Contract Came Before Others

With all the Lamar Jackson back and forth between he and the Ravens, most were probably betting on the former MVP to strike some sort of a deal first. Nope. Currently, Jackson and the Ravens are at a stalemate, with no word on when or if there will be a new contract for him, or better yet, one that he will accept.

There’s also Justin Herbert, who has certainly wowed Los Angeles Chargers fans with his big arm, giving the team hope that there’s a future that involves a Super Bowl somewhere down the line. He’s talented, without question, and set to make big money, even if he’s yet to win a playoff game. But he still has not received a new deal as of yet.

Then there’s Joe Burrow, who’s already played in one Super Bowl, played in two AFC Championship games, and restored a mediocre franchise. If anyone, on paper that is, is set for a big payday, it’s Burrow. Out of the previous three mentioned, Burrow seems the most likely to get the biggest deal. Then again, it’s Cincinnati, who usually are not the biggest spenders.

Hurts sort of just inserted himself into this talented group of young quarterbacks — and then took over the whole thing by beating them to a contract extension. Remember, this is the same quarterback who was benched in the 2018 College Football Playoff Championship game for Tua Tagovailoa. The next year, he transferred from Alabama to Oklahoma. Most thought that his college football career would be the highlight of his days playing football. But he turned heads and made believers, seemingly like he always has.

The Philadelphia Eagles Are Full of Surprises

The Philadelphia Eagles as a whole right now are full of surprises. After being just five years removed from their one and only Super Bowl title, they fired Doug Pederson and traded Carson Wentz. The team seemed on the verge of a rebuild. But what about Hurts, who was drafted by Pederson in the 2020 NFL Draft in the second round?

Perhaps at the time, Pederson thought it was good competition for Wentz, who since tearing his ACL his rookie season, has not been the same. Pederson, after all, is known to develop quarterbacks. There was certainly room for belief that Hurts was a hopeful project with a potential into developing into a solid quarterback, maybe the backup. Nick Sirianni, who replaced Pederson as head coach, did not see it that way.

Hurts definitely had his skeptics from day one. He still does. That hopeful project, though, developed, and developed strongly over the past two seasons (all under Sirianni) into a franchise quarterback. And that’s really where Jalen Hurts earned his contract. But there’s one specific area he made great strides in.

Jalen Hurts Contract Was Earned Through The Playoffs

Hurts has earned himself the honor of the highest paid player in the NFL because he has proven to overcome playoff woes. Retrospectively, Hurts first playoff game as starting quarterback for the Eagles was awful.

In a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2021 Wild Card, Hurts had a passer rating of 60.0, throwing for 258 yards, 1 touchdown, and two interceptions. After that game, he left a lot of people on the fence about his future as the starting quarterback for the Eagles. Facing Tom Brady and a stout Buccaneers defense or not, he still had a lot to prove.

That was not the only time Hurts did not play well in the playoffs, though. That may have been his only NFL playoff game at the time, but Hurts had struggled in college during playoff games, too.

Let’s look at the numbers.

College Football Playoff Stats:

• • • 2016 College Football Playoff – Peach Bowl
      • Opponent: Washington
      • Result: Win
      • Stats:
        • 7-14
        • 57 yards
        • 5o% completion
        • 84.2 QB rating

• • • 2016 College Football Playoff Championship
      • Opponent: Clemson
      • Result: Loss
      • Stats:
        • 13-31
        • 131 yards
        • 41.9% completion
        • 88.1 QB rating

• • • 2017 College Football Playoff – Sugar Bowl
      • Opponent: Clemson
      • Result: Win
      • Stats:
        • 16-24
        • 120 yards
        • 66.7% completion
        • 136.2 QB rating

• • • 2017 College Football Playoff Championship
      • Opponent: Georgia
      • Result: Win
      • Stats:
        • 3-8
        • 24 yards
        • 37.5% completion
        • 59.6 QB rating

• • • 2018 College Football Playoff – Orange Bowl
      • Opponent: Oklahoma
      • Result: Win
      • Stats:
        • 1-1
        • 10 yards
        • 10o% completion
        • 184 QB rating

• • • 2018 College Football Playoff Championship
      • Opponent: Clemson
      • Result: Loss
      • Stats:
        • 0-2
        • 0 yards

• • • 2019 College Football Playoff – Peach Bowl
      • Opponent: LSU
      • Result: Loss
      • Stats:
        • 15-31
        • 217 yards
        • 48.4% completion
        • 100.7 QB rating

Hurts played in a total of seven College Football Playoff games during his career, which is impressive for a player of his caliber and that the playoff system itself is still fairly young. But if you look at his numbers, going 4-3 in the playoffs with a 49.2 completion percentage should not justify $255 million over five years. It certainly did not make him a first round pick. Also remember that the only National Championship he won was a game he was benched for Tagovailoa going into the second half.

This is what made Hurts not seem like a franchise quarterback. Poor numbers from often times poor play, especially in big games, never justified him to be an NFL star. Going 14-3 and making the Super Bowl changes things.

Record Setting Close Super Bowl Loss Makes Jalen Hurts A Star

Hurts completely redeemed himself during the 2022 NFL postseason, which ultimately led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. In three postseason games, these were his numbers:

• 58-87
• 579 yards
• 3 TD, 0 Int
• 66.7% completion
• 96.9 QB rating

The Super Bowl alone was crucial for Hurts new contract extension. He not only gave the Eagles a chance, putting them within three points of tying the Kansas City Chiefs, but he set unprecedented Eagles franchise and NFL records during that game. So, if you’re looking for reasons why Hurts is richer today, or why his peers — like Lamar Jackson or Justin Herbet — have yet to get their new contracts, Super Bowl LVII is the answer. Hurts played big in big time games, with none bigger than the Super Bowl, and nearly won it all. He’s now set the bar for the rest of the league.

Main Image: Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK