Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Hurts officially signs extension on draft anniversary

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 4/24/23

Three years to the day after joining the Eagles as a second-round pick in 2020, Jalen Hurts officially signed his five-year, $255 million extension. He says, "Nothing’s changed but the weather," but a lot has changed in the past three years.

After signing Carson Wentz to a four-year, $128 million contract in 2019, nobody understood why the Eagles would spend second-round capital on a quarterback that was benched during the 2018 CFP National Championship Game. Hurts himself said the Eagles were never on his radar and he expected to be drafted by Pittsburgh or Minnesota.

The move raised quite a few eyebrows, from fans and media alike, prompting some of the coldest takes you'll ever see.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again... the most brutal thing I’ve ever seen was on draft day when we took Jalen Hurts.. Howies son ran up to him and high fives him while wearing a Carson Wentz jersey u can’t make this stuff up man.
— Grizzy Greg (@GregWestlie) February 6, 2021

Then again, what do fans know. NFL experts surely had a better read.

After all the draft day hype, Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts will probably be playing behind Tim Boyle and Nate Sudfeld.
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) August 18, 2020

Well, that didn't age well at all.

In the years since the Eagles selected Hurts, Wentz looks to have played himself out of the league while Hurts has gotten better every year. Since taking over as the starting quarterback, Hurts’ passer rating has gone from 77.6 in 2020 to 101.6 in 2022. He even had 374 total yards with four touchdowns in a Super Bowl LVII loss.

Hurts’ contract signing comes as the Eagles open their facilities for offseason training. While his take-home pay has changed substantially, members of the Eagles’ front office don’t expect their quarterback will act much differently. During his recent press conference, general manager Howie Roseman said, "I don’t have any doubt in my mind that giving Jalen this contract will not change the person that Jalen is."

In a lighter moment, Roseman took it a step further by saying, "He’ll come in in a Ferrari convertible on Monday. He’ll drive in." Finally, clearly amused at the thought of his franchise QB arriving in a $300,000 sports car, Roseman added, "Jalen, if you’re listening to this, rent (the Ferrari)."

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