With Super Bowl LVII set for Sunday, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie that Jalen Hurts has “nothing left to prove” when asked by ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio about potential contract extension talks in the offseason.
An MVP finalist, Hurts will lead the NFC champion Eagles (16-3) against the AFC kingpin Kansas City Chiefs (16-3) and presumptive MVP Patrick Mahomes, in Glendale, Ariz. this weekend.
“I don’t think he has anything to prove,” Lurie admitted at the Super Bowl’s opening night on Monday. “He is an MVP-caliber quarterback, an incredible leader of the team on the field, off the field. He’s 24 years old, incredibly mature, and most importantly, driven to be even better.”
Hurts, a second-round pick of the Eagles in 2020 at No. 53 overall, has one year left on his rookie deal and is eligible for an extension for the first time. Former Eagles’ president Joe Banner has ballparked an eventual second draft with an average annual value of $47 million to $52 million for Hurts and noted the longer Philadelphia waits, extensions for other star QBs like Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert would likely push that to the higher number.
The most recent QB extensions for players like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, and Deshaun Watson reached AAVs of over $45M.
When asked specifically about when discussions with Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, would begin, Lurie said “certainly not this week” as the Eagles try to keep the eyes on the prize of a second Lombardi Trophy in six seasons.
Hurts is scheduled to make $4.2 million in 2023, up from his bargain-basement salary of $1.167M this season, according to Spotrac.
“We’ll kind of handle that later on. Get there when we get there,” Hurts responded when told about Lurie’s comments.
The Eagles are 16-1 in Hurts starts this season and he had a career year in the regular season, throwing for 3,701 yards and a 101.6 passer rating while adding another 760 on the ground, and accumulating 35 total touchdowns (22 passing and 13 throwing).
“What we’re seeing today I think is just the beginning for Jalen,” Lurie said. “This guy will attack every weakness as he has since high school, since college. The future is bright and very exciting for all of us.”
