Now That Jalen Hurts Has Been Paid, It’s Your Turn

The Eagles quarterback is 12-to-1 to win MVP next season.

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles reportedly have agreed to terms on a 5-year, $255M contract extension on Monday.

Philadelphia got their man.

Hurts certainly earned his payday after leading his team to an NFC championship and a Super Bowl LVII appearance -- one in which he arguably should have won the MVP despite his team’s loss. Hurts’s 70 rushing yards and three scores were both Super Bowl records for a quarterback. Not only that, but 45 of those yards came after contact, and 10 of his 15 carries went for a first down or touchdown.

Hurts’s regular-season numbers were equally impressive. Hurts led all NFL quarterbacks in 2022 with a whopping 13 rushing TDs. The only NFL player with more was running back Jamaal Williams (17). Austin Ekeler and Derrick Henry also had 13 rushing TDs, but Ekeler and Henry both played more games than Hurts, who missed two starts last season due to a sprained sternoclavicular (SC) joint.

Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports

Not only that, but Hurts’ passer rating (101.5) was the fifth best in the league among starters with more than nine games played. Patrick Mahomes ranked third (105.2) and Joe Burrow ranked sixth (100.8). Hurts passed for 247 yards per game last year with 22 total passing TDs.

Now that Hurts has cashed in, let’s see if we can find our own payday…

Here are the current NFL MVP odds at SI Sportsbook:

Patrick Mahomes +700
Joe Burrow +700
Josh Allen +700
Justin Herbert +1000
Jalen Hurts +1200
Trevor Lawrence +1600
Aaron Rodgers +1600
Lamar Jackson +1600
Dak Prescott +1600
Tua Tagavailoa +1600

Those who back Hurts for MVP are getting 12-to-1 odds?

I’m interested.

Yes, it’s possible the loss of offensive coordinator Shane Steichen could affect the offensive style in Philadelphia, but how much? Hurts’s mobility is what makes him special, and Nick Sirianni is likely to continue to use a committee at running back, with Rashaad Penny taking the place of Miles Sanders alongside Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell. The Eagles averaged 147.6 ground yards per game last season, and it worked. They led the league with 32 rushing TDs. The next team in line was Dallas with 24. The difference-maker was Hurts.

But, let’s say his mobility does regress, which only makes sense. It would be hard to keep up that pace and surely Philadelphia will want to protect its star signal-caller.

Hurts supported two top wide receivers: A.J. Brown (1,496 yards, 11 TDs) and DeVonta Smith (1,196 yards, seven TDs). He will be entering his second season with Brown and his third with Smith, and the chemistry should only be growing.

I mentioned his excellent passer rating above, but here’s another interesting fact: Hurts threw only six interceptions across 15 games played last season. That 1.3% INT rate was the fifth-best in the league -- ahead of Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.

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Yes, Allen, Mahomes and Burrow are all good bets to win the MVP. I like Herbert at 10-to-1, too, but he and the Chargers have yet to win a postseason game, and he passed for fewer TDs than Geno Smith and Jared Goff last season while also having an inferior passer rating. With questions around the future of Austin Ekeler in Los Angeles, I’d rather back Hurts and get the better payout.

Futures bets are all about value and at 12-to-1, I’m all in on Hurts.

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