On Monday morning, both Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles got what they wanted and deserved.
Hurts received a massive, NFL-history making, five-year, $255 million contract extension with $179 million guaranteed while the Eagles locked up their franchise quarterback and addressed their biggest concern heading into the season. Now both can turn their attention to next week’s NFL Draft and prepare for another Super Bowl run.
While the time it took for the Eagles to arrive at this point has been short, the journey for Hurts has been longer and littered with many more obstacles.
As a freshman at Alabama, Hurts’ impact was felt immediately.
The Houston native became the first true freshman to start for the Tide since Vince Sutton in 1984. That season he threw for 2,780 yards with 23 TDs and 9 INTs while also rushing for 954 yards and 13 TDs. He broke both the school’s single-season rushing record (791 yards) set by Steadman Shealy and Blake Sims’ school record for total TDs in a single season (35). He made history again on November 12th, 2016 against Mississippi State when he became the first player in Alabama history to pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in a single game.
Hurts guided the Tide to a 12-0 record, was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and the Conference Player of the Year and led the team to the National Championship Game, falling to the Clemson Tigers.
His sophomore year basically mirrored the year prior, but after making it back to the National Championship, Hurts was benched at halftime for Tua Tagovailoa. Tua rallied the Tide and they ended up beating Georgia, which effectively signaled the end of Hurts’ time in Tuscaloosa.
While he had one final moment of shine in the SEC title game as a junior, Hurts was relegated to the bench that season. Afterward, he transferred to Oklahoma and reignited his career by building a Heisman-worthy season for the Sooners and leading them to the College Football Playoff.
That season he amassed over 5,000 total yards (3,851 passing and 1,298 rushing) and 53 total TDs (32 passing, 20 rushing, 1 receiving). He was named 1st team All-Big 12, led the nation in passing yards/attempt, and was second in the nation in both passing efficiency (191.2) and total TDs. He also finished second to Joe Burrow in the Heisman race.
Then the 2020 NFL Draft arrived, which presented Jalen with a new moment of frustration and disappointment.
Despite having better stats than everyone but Burrow, Hurts wasn’t selected until the second round when the Eagles nabbed him with the 53rd overall pick.
In his rookie season with the team, Hurts was relegated to the bench once again in favor of Carson Wentz. But Wentz regressed and Hurts got his first starts during the last four games of the season. The team went 1-3 and Hurts had nothing to brag about.
But in his second season, Hurts led the team to the playoffs and while doubt for many still lingered, the Eagles did what many teams often fail to do, especially for young Black quarterbacks.
They invested in Hurts and surrounded him with talent including trading for star receiver AJ Brown on Draft Day.
Hurts responded by leading the team to a 13-1 start before getting injured. He was the MVP leader up to that point but the injury allowed Patrick Mahomes to surpass him.
Yet as he has done so many times in his career, Hurts overcame setbacks and disappointment and returned to the team, which boosted the team’s Super Bowl run.
While they ultimately came up short against Mahomes and the Chiefs, the Eagles did what most didn’t think was possible, especially with Jalen Hurts under center.
But Hurts has proven time and time again that despite the doubt and setbacks, he will recover and thrive. He did that in college and he did it last season in Philadelphia.
And that’s why the Eagles did right by their star quarterback and rewarded him with what he deserved.
