Jalen Hurts signs massive contract extension

Well, it finally happened. Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles have come to terms on a ridiculously massive contract extension to keep the franchise quarterback their long-term. Early reports indicate that the extension is for five years and is worth $255 million. This deal makes Hurts the highest-paid player annually in league history, which happens every season now with these new contracts being dished out.

The deal has $179 million fully guaranteed, something that Lamar Jackson still wishes he was offered. Hurts will be getting $110 million fully guaranteed at signing and $126.5 million fully guaranteed by March 2024. Not to mention that the Eagles were so confident in Hurts’ ability that they also threw in a no-trade clause to this extension. Philadelphia has never in their franchise history given a player a no-trade clause until now, and Hurts is just 24 years old.

While the extension is listed at $255 million, it can rocket up to $274 million if you throw in the incentives that were tacked on. It’s very safe to say Jalen got the contract he was looking for and completely upped the quarterback market again. It’ll be interesting to see where franchises go with their star quarterbacks moving forward in negotiations. In particular, Jackson and the Los Angeles Chargers signal caller Justin Herbert. 

It’s hard to say that Hurts didn’t deserve to be locked down immediately, though he still is relatively young. Last season, his third NFL year, we saw him complete 66.5 per cent of his passes for 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He also rushed for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns to earn a Pro Bowl selection and bring the Eagles to the Super Bowl, where they eventually lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. His first two years could have been better, as he only played four games in his rookie year and had a decent sophomore campaign. A few questions come out of this, though, if you aren’t an Eagles fan. Did the franchise jump the gun on this extension? Should they have waited at least one more year to gauge what they might get from him? What if this career year was simply a one-off, with teams being able to key in on him moving forward? There are so many what-ifs to be said that’ll undoubtedly come up in the future, but for now, it’s time to celebrate the deal he earned.

One final aspect of this contract that makes it extraordinary is that it was negotiated by his agent Nicole Lynn. The contract is currently estimated as being the most significant contract ever finalised by a female agent in sports. What’s even crazier is that Lynn initially linked up with Hurts to become his new agent by shooting him an Instagram direct message. Who would have thought she would help him lock down a deal like this?!