What everyone expected is now reality. Jalen Hurts, the pick that everyone wrote-off during the 2020 NFL draft, is now the highest paid player in NFL history. The numbers on the contract read $255 million over 5 years, with $179.3 million guaranteed.
In terms of APY, the numbers are what everyone expected. Since contract talks started for Hurts, the public agreed his value was $50 million per year. Nicole Lynn and Howie Roseman clearly agreed. In my opinion, Hurts could’ve made $60 million per year just based on his remarkable performance in the Super Bowl, but that’s obviously not what both sides wanted for each other.
This contract does not change my perspective on how Eagles will build the team for years to come. Philadelphia has probably been operating this offseason knowing the contract would land between $45 and $55 million per year, and that’s how they’ll be operating for the next 5 years.
How the Contract will be Structured
Historically speaking, these massive QB contracts are typically structured to have their lowest cap hits in the first two years. I expect the same to be true for Hurts’ contract, which means that the Eagles will have more roster-building flexibility over the next two seasons than they will in the last three years of the contract. This is good news for the Eagles considering the fact that their best foreseeable Super Bowl window is over the next two years.
Contract Comparisons
$179.3 million is a lot of guaranteed money. But it’s nowhere near Deshaun Watson territory. Only 70.31% of Hurts contract is practically guaranteed. Watson’s was 100% guaranteed. In terms of guaranteed money, the Hurts’ contract is very similarly structured to Kyler Murray’s contract. Murray’ and Hurts’ guaranteed percentages at signing are almost identical at 44.82% and 43.14% respectively. Murray’ and Hurts’ practically guaranteed percentages are also very similar at 69.33% and 70.31% respectively.
In terms of average yearly value, the closest comparison to Hurts is Aaron Rodgers’ contract. Rodgers is making $50,271,667 per year, while Hurts is making $51,000,000 per year. So Hurts’ deal is essentially a hybrid between the Kyler Murray’ and Aaron Rodgers’ contracts.
Is Jalen Hurts worth it?
All things considered, Jalen Hurts is worth the contract he just earned. We’re talking about a player who has improved every year of his career since high school. He’s an elite leader on and off the field. He has an incredibly high floor of play with his rushing capability. And last season, he proved that he’s a complete passer.
He has an effective deep ball. He can throw with accuracy and anticipation to any spot on the field. And as time goes on, his ability to read coverage, throw with anticipation, move in the pocket, and complete full field reads will only improve.
But obviously Hurts is not being paid $255 million for his past performances. His play in future seasons will ultimately determine whether he was worth the contract or not. If he plays the same as he did in 2022 or better, he’s most certainly worth it. If his play slightly declines below what it was in 2022, he might be an overpaid player, but still is one of the best players on the team and worth the majority of his contract. And if somehow his play significantly declines below what it was in 2022 in Wentz-like fashion, we’ve already seen Howie Roseman build a superbowl team from a hole like that before.