Eagles’ Jalen Hurts: Chance to Be Greatest Philly QB Ever?
Whether pundits or even the Philadelphia Eagles themselves believed that Jalen Hurts was going to prove to be a franchise quarterback entering the 2022 season, there's now no questions about the future in Philly at the most important position in sports.
Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network broke the news Monday morning that Hurts has agreed to a five-year, $225 million deal that will guarantee him $110 million at signing and can increase to $179.304 million in total guarantees as the contract progresses.
It continues what's been a stunning transformation in a calendar year for the franchise, as it felt like if Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson had been interested in coming to the Eagles last offseason, Howie Roseman may have been at the forefront of either trade sweepstakes.
Instead, the Eagles moved forward with Hurts and he rewarded them with one of the greatest individual seasons in franchise history, and a second Super Bowl appearance in six seasons.
Saying "the sky is the limit" is an overused cliche in sports talk, but now that Hurts' future with the Eagles is secured, you're left to wonder how high he can climb in franchise lore.
The Eagles don't have a quarterback history like the Green Bay Packers or San Francisco 49ers. Any of Bart Starr, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Montana or Steve Young would be the greatest quarterback in Eagles history if they had achieved what they did in Philadelphia.
There's plenty of good to very good in Eagles history, such as these names:
- Norm Van Brocklin: "The Dutchman" spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Rams, but was the NFL MVP and helped the Eagles win an NFL championship in 1960, his final of three seasons with the Birds.
- Ron Jaworski: "Jaws" was the quarterback in Philadelphia for a decade, peaking in 1980 when he finished third in NFL MVP voting and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance. He threw 175 touchdown passes to 151 interceptions in his 10 seasons with the Eagles.
- Randall Cunningham: Probably ahead of his time, "The Ultimate Weapon" threw for 207 touchdowns and ran for 4,482 yards in 11 seasons with the Eagles. In 1988 and 1990, Cunningham finished as the runner-up in NFL MVP voting.
- Donovan McNabb: No. 5 finished second in NFL MVP voting in 2000, and guided the Eagles to five NFC Championship Game appearances in 11 seasons as the team's starting quarterback. At the height of his powers, McNabb was one of the most exciting players in the NFL, and most view him as the greatest quarterback in Eagles history.
- Nick Foles: When you have a statue outside the stadium, you warrant being mentioned. Foles tossed 27 touchdowns to just two interceptions in 2013, and came out of the bullpen and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title in 2017. With that said, Foles started a grand total of just 32 regular season games for the Eagles. He's unquestionably the most beloved Eagles quarterback, but it's hard to seriously consider him in this discussion.
- Carson Wentz: Hey, regardless of how poorly things ended, Wentz had arguably the greatest individual season in team history in 2017, setting a franchise record with 33 touchdowns passes in just 13 games in his second NFL season. But while he once seemed destined to be the slam-dunk best QB in franchise history, there proved to be too many extenuating circumstances in his five years with the Eagles.
---
The Eagles, however, do not have a iconic quarterback that spent the bulk of their career with the franchise and is the unquestioned greatest player in franchise history, like Tom Brady with the New England Patriots, Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts, Drew Brees with the New Orleans Saints or Dan Marino with the Miami Dolphins.
And there's a real chance that they never will. What makes those four so special is how rare they are, and the fact that most franchises dream of having that type of stability at the quarterback position. Certainly, one elite year from Hurts isn't enough to begin envisioning a bust in Canton.
But there is something to be said for the possibility of Hurts developing into the top quarterback in Eagles history, even if that doesn't mean he's a Hall of Famer. As of now, McNabb and Cunningham would be our top two picks. Neither one of them, though, are uncatchable. Hurts is just 24-years-old, and now is the highest-paid players in NFL history. Perhaps this is just the beginning of him becoming the best quarterback that the franchise has ever employed.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.
Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
