Jalen Hurts' rapid ascension to the elite tier of signal-callers landed him a lavish contract last week, yet he's not spending this week counting his dollars.
“Money is nice," Hurts told reporters on Monday. "Championships are better.”
Yes, Hurts' quote fits the ideal (and cliche) archetype for a franchise quarterback -- team-first, winning-oriented, not primarily concerned about his personal gain, etc. -- but we'd be remiss if we glossed over the fact he became the highest-paid player in the NFL on his new five-year, $255 million deal. He's certainly getting his fair share of the pie.
How he's getting his slice, though, is notable.
Hurts' deal made plenty of sense for a number of reasons, with timing chief among them. Hurts was coming off the best season of his career, in which he led the Eagles to division and conference titles and nearly won a Super Bowl. As a former second-round pick -- drafted three years ago Monday, in fact -- he had only one season left on his rookie deal, increasing the importance of securing his services beyond 2023.
But what was even more valuable was that the Eagles could get Hurts' new contract done before Lamar Jackson finally puts pen to paper in Baltimore. And the most important detail of all: Hurts didn't hold out for a massive guarantee number that would compete with the $230 million Deshaun Watson received from Cleveland a year ago.
While Jackson's lack of a contract is apparently centered on a disagreement on his guaranteed money, Hurts didn't hold out for a total that would be equal to or greater than Watson's. His logic was simple, and will undoubtedly earn him scores of fans in Philadelphia.
“Well, obviously, I think you look at all the great teams around here -- I won’t get too much into detail -- but you look at all the great teams and great players, it takes a village. It takes a village," Hurts said. "I know that after last year -- I mean, even my first three years -- but just playing around with different guys that I’ve been able to play around, we’ve got something special going on. We all want to do it for a long time, so that was a point to me, to take that approach with it.”
Hurts has already seen how a franchise can be somewhat hamstrung by a high-dollar quarterback who isn't living up to expectations. He replaced one (Carson Wentz) in Philadelphia, where general manager Howie Roseman was able to jump-start a rapid turnaround thanks in part to Hurts' affordability.
Now that he's earned a massive payday, Hurts wanted to ensure he wouldn't handcuff Roseman going forward -- especially not after the Eagles came so painfully close to winning a Lombardi Trophy last season.
“I truly love the game and I hate to lose," Hurts said. "It’s been a team sport; you get a certain type of thrill and gratification from doing that with someone else, from putting that work in with someone else, from everybody committing to one common goal and trying to achieve that goal in the end. I think that’s what made it so special, and I think that’s what’s kind of evolved in my three years of being here. And I think that’s the precedent that we want to set for the future in terms of what we want to achieve.
"It’s not a moment where I can reflect because the journey is not over. It’s really hard for me to do that, but I know I’ve walked through the fire time and time again, and in the end, it’s always made me stronger. The only thing that I’ve wanted to do, I’ve just been on this constant quest to be the best player that I can be. With no limits. Just trying to be the best version of myself -- the best player, leader and man I can be. And that will never change. So, I think the hard work continues, and the fire continues to burn.”
In three years, Hurts went from a surprising second-round selection to a surefire franchise quarterback at the helm of a club that is built to win now and is making every effort to remain competitive within the constraints of the salary cap. He’s gotten his money, but he’s also done his part. And he couldn’t be happier.
“It means a lot. It means everything,” Hurts said. “Three years ago today, (Eagles owner) Mr. (Jeffery) Lurie and Howie had the courage to draft me when no one really understood why. No one knew why. I think just to have the opportunity to grow into the young man I am today, I couldn’t do it in another place and I couldn’t imagine this being another way. It’s a hell of an opportunity for us all.”