The Philadelphia Eagles are preparing to give Jalen Hurts a massive raise with a new contract at some point this offseason.
"Obviously we want to keep our best players here for the long term, and he's certainly one of our best players," general manager Howie Roseman said Thursday. "We'll keep all the contract talks internal, but we definitely want to keep Jalen Hurts here long term."
The last time Roseman shelled out big bucks for a young quarterback on a second contract, it bombed big time. In the summer of 2019, the Eagles signed Carson Wentz to a four-year, $128 million extension. Two seasons later, Roseman jettisoned the former No. 2 overall pick in favor of Hurts. Wentz, meanwhile, will be looking for his fourth team in four years.
The Eagles GM said the previous contract backfire won't cause the team any pause when considering a new Hurts contract.
"I think each example is on its own," Roseman said. "You've got to look at the individual player. That's not to be critical of anyone we've given a contract to that hasn't worked out, but I think, when we talk about Jalen, we're talking about a guy that we have tremendous confidence in, a guy that we want to be here for a long time. And so, it will be something that will be a priority for us."
The two situations are vastly different.
Wentz's best season saw him injure his knee and miss the Eagles' Super Bowl run. Hurts is coming off one of the best Super Bowl performances of all time, even if Philly came up short.
Wentz's negative tendencies were always evident, particularly after the knee injury, and he didn't progress enough in his final seasons in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Hurts has developed exponentially in the past two seasons, owns dual-threat ability and is raved about in the locker room.
Yes, Hurts still has parts of his game that need developing -- like his deep ball consistency. But there aren't the same glaring issues -- like boneheaded turnover troubles -- as there were with Wentz. Of course, there is always a gamble with every new contract -- it's a contact sport, after all. But a new Hurts deal is a much safer bet.
From Hurts to the Eagles' front office, there isn't a rush for a new deal, which could come in north of $47 million per year, the going rate for young QBs.
"I think we have a good sense of what we need to do here," Roseman said. "We have a little bit of time here, too, to kind of figure it out and get away and discuss that. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is keeping our best players here. And Jalen's certainly one of our best players."
