INDIANAPOLIS -- Jalen Hurts is due for a massive contract extension following an MVP-caliber season that the Philadelphia Eagles rode to the Super Bowl.
Speaking Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman called Hurts an "elite talent" but wouldn't dive into specifics on negations.
"I wouldn't feel confident talking about contract situations with anyone," he said. "At the same time, we have tremendous respect for him as a player and as a person. Respect for the people that work with him to do this. And you go through it in a way that you want to find a win-win solution. 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. He's a smart guy. He understands that. That doesn't mean that it's not going to be a tremendous contract for him. Because he deserves that, too."
The Eagles benefited from having their quarterback on a cheap rookie deal, with the 2020 second-round pick counting just $1.64 million against the salary cap in 2022. Hurts is set to make just $4.2 million in base salary in 2023, pittance compared to his worth. The Eagles know they'll have to pay the piper soon.
Making matters more difficult for Roseman is the hoard of pending Eagles free agents set to hit the market. Javon Hargrave, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo, Miles Sanders, and Andre Dillard represent just a slice of the free agents to be Philly could lose this offseason.
Roseman admitted Tuesday he doesn't expect to bring everyone back.
"Are we going to get all our free agents back? We're not. We're just not," he said. "We're not capable of getting all those guys back, but we also understand that we're in a good situation in terms of picks going forward. We have a lot of guys under contract for this year and going forward and, so, we're not going to make excuses for the position that we're in."
Roseman noted that 2022 draft picks like Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean, who didn't play much as rookies, are "ready to contribute" more moving forward. Philly also has three draft picks in the first 62 selections in the 2023 NFL Draft, including No. 10 overall from New Orleans, to help replenish following potential free-agent losses.
Given the draft picks and untapped talent still on the roster, Roseman has set up Philly to withstand free-agent losses and the prospect of building a team around a quarterback who very soon won't be making peanuts.
