Jalen Hurts New Contract: Eagles ‘Challenged’ in Roster-Building - Owner Jeffrey Lurie

A build around a big-money QB like Jalen Hurts? The Eagles are ready for it and have been through it before with previous franchise quarterbacks

The Philadelphia Eagles’ roster-building will look dramatically different over the next two years, once Jalen Hurts gets his contract extension.

That is one reason the Eagles have handed out so many one-year contracts during free agency. Seven of them to be exact.

It will become increasingly more difficult to pick up high-priced free agents as the decade of the 20s approaches its halfway point.

Inside the NFC East alone and you will see the Dallas Cowboys had to part ways with Amari Cooper after signing QB Dak Prescott to a four-year, $160 million contract with $126 million in guarantees two years ago. Prescott received $95 million fully guaranteed at signing, though Dallas has since restructured the deal to gain some salary cap relief.

That’s the nature of having a franchise quarterback.

The good news is the Eagles are no strangers to that.

PREVIOUS FRANCHISE QBS

The Eagles had one in Donovan McNabb for 11 years.

They gave Michael Vick $100M for six years after proving himself once he got out of United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth for his role in a dogfighting operation. He spent five seasons in Philly.

They thought they had one in Carson Wentz, who, like Vick, spent just five years with the Eagles.

All three were paid handsomely and all three impacted the salary cap.

McNabb took the Eagles to five NFC Championship Games. Wentz and Vick only played in one playoff game apiece for the Eagles and they each lost.

“Every quarterback’s different,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie told reporters at the NFL meetings last week. “Donovan’s different, Carson was a unique situation. He suffered a lot of serious injuries right after the contract. Jalen is very different from those two.”

That’s the hope, anyway, following a season where Hurts was the MVP runner-up and outplayed Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl despite losing to the Chiefs by a field goal.

Lurie is extremely confident Hurts will get back and finish the job. 

Maybe more than once, and he’s ready to pony up what it takes financially despite the hardships of a contract that could be as high as $50M per year for the next handful of seasons.

COACHES AND PICKS

The Eagles will have to rely on the coaching staff to develop talent, especially these next couple of years as the Eagles seek inexpensive labor via the draft to offset Hurts’ cap charge.

“We’ve seen teams do it,” said Lurie. “We’re challenged to be one of those teams. I think the most important aspect of that is to have the right quarterback. Assuming you have the right coach, the right staff, the right general manager, the right culture, all that goes into all the resources necessary.

“But then, I think it’s so helpful to have a dynamic quarterback who’s a great leader, a special person, and someone who is so hungry, and not just to win it once, but to win it multiple times, and obsessed.”

The Eagles at the moment have just six picks in at the end of April, but are expected to have a dozen or so in 2024, with two second-round selections (their own and the Saints') and at least four compensatory picks.

“You have to manage the resources in terms of the salary cap differently, so you’ve gotta try to have a higher volume of draft choices, you have to be able to have a great development program, and I think we’re pretty awesome in how we prioritize player development – it’s huge for us,” said Lurie.

“Jalen is a great, great example of that; (left tackle and former seventh-round pick) Jordan Mailata. That’s key because you’re not going to be able to outduel on cap resources teams that have rookie contracts for their quarterbacks.

“But the hardest part, for sure, is the scarcity of really good quarterbacks. We’ve got one and we have a very special player and individual in that position.”

Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. please follow him on Twitter: @kracze. 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