Jalen Hurts is the highest-paid player in NFL history: The $255M contract by the numbers

PHILADELPHIA — Quarterback Jalen Hurts‘ rapid ascent hit a record high Monday.

He and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a $255 million, five-year contract extension that, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, includes $179.304 million guaranteed. The $51 million average annual value is the largest in league history, putting him ahead of the likes of Aaron Rodgers ($50.3 million), Russell Wilson ($49 million) Kyler Murray ($46.1 million), Deshaun Watson ($46 million) and Patrick Mahomes ($45 million).

It’s dizzying to think about how quickly things accelerated: Hurts was taken in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft to be Carson Wentz‘s backup and took over as full-time starter in 2021 after Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts. Hurts led the Eagles to a 9-7 record and a playoff bid that season with mixed individual results, totaling 26 touchdowns (16 passing, 10 rushing) to nine interceptions while finishing 26th in completion percentage (61.3). But he showed dramatic improvement this past season, putting together an MVP-level campaign en route to an appearance in Super Bowl LVII.

The total value of his new deal is nearly double what the team gave Wentz in 2019 (four years, $129 million). Despite how poorly things shook out with that one, the organization showed no hesitation in giving Hurts a massive payday — even agreeing to include the first no-trade clause in Philadelphia’s history.

“You’ve got to look at the individual player, and that’s not to be critical to anyone we’ve given a contract to that hasn’t worked out,” general manager Howie Roseman said in February. “But I think when we talk about Jalen, we’re talking about a guy we have tremendous confidence in, a guy that we want to be here for a long time.”

Here are the key numbers that help explain the Eagles’ decision and how the deal will impact the franchise going forward:

$224.8 million: The NFL salary cap in 2023, up nearly $17 million from last year.

Player salaries will once again be on the rise, and that’s particularly true for quarterbacks. The going rate for high-end quarterbacks was right around $40 million per year when the Buffalo Bills‘ Josh Allen and Dallas Cowboys‘ Dak Prescott received extensions in 2021 and has since ballooned to about $50 million per season.

Hurts represents the high-water mark, but that won’t last long, especially with Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow eligible for new deals. As tempting as it might have looked to let Hurts play out the final year of his rookie deal, in which he was scheduled to make a base salary of $4.2 million, the Eagles will end up saving themselves money by getting an extension done before the other QBs do.

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$64 million: The amount Hurts will make through the 2024 season, according to NFL Network, including a $23 million signing bonus.

That’s an indication that the cap numbers will be manageable over the first couple of years in particular, allowing Philadelphia to keep talent around its franchise quarterback.

“You want to find something that he feels really good about, and at the same time that we feel good about and surround him with good players. He knows that,” Roseman said at the scouting combine in February. “… That doesn’t mean that it’s not going to be a tremendous contract for him, because he deserves that, too.”

With receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert under contract through at least 2024, the nucleus of playmakers will remain in place in the near term.

Still, having a quarterback on a megadeal alters how a team must roster-build. The Eagles likely plan to lean more heavily on draft picks to fill out the roster moving forward. They have six picks overall, including a pair of first-rounders, in the 2023 draft.

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72.7: Hurts’ completion percentage inside the pocket in 2022.

That was tops in the NFL after ranking 32nd in that category in 2021, per ESPN Stats & Information research. It illustrates the dramatic improvement he made as a passer in his second season as the full-time starter. Hurts jumped to 11th (66.5%) in overall completion percentage while dropping his average time before throw from 3.12 seconds (31st) to 2.76 seconds (16th).

He joined Joe Montana, Drew Brees and Phil Simms as the only quarterbacks to complete at least 80% of their passes from the pocket in a Super Bowl.

18: Hurts’ total rushing touchdowns last season, including playoffs, the most by a QB in NFL history ahead of Cam Newton in 2011 (14) and Kordell Stewart in 1997 (13).

His ability to slice defenses up both on the ground and through the air puts the opposition in a bind on every play.

“It’s so helpful to have a dynamic quarterback who is a great leader, a special person and someone that is so hungry, and not just to win it once but to win it multiple times,” said Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie, “and obsessed.”

His 15 rushes, 70 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the Super Bowl are all records for a quarterback.

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24: Hurts’ age.

He has quickly grown into a leadership position while earning the trust of coaches, players and management alike. Coach Nick Sirianni has mentioned on multiple occasions that no one knows exactly what Hurts’ ceiling is, but he’s confident the quarterback will reach it because of his dedication to the craft.

“The future is so great for him. He’s 24 years old. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever met somebody that mature at age 24,” Lurie said. “I like to think I have — my son’s 27; he’s very mature — no, Jalen is the most mature 24-year-old I’ve ever come across.

“The thing with Jalen that I’m so optimistic about is he’s just got this incredible … passion for being phenomenal. You see that in the great ones.”