Eagles Today

Eagles Jalen Hurts' Four-Day Run Atop the NFL Salary Chart is Over

Lamar Jackson takes over as the game's highest-paid player, surpassing by $1 million the AVV the Philadelphia Eagles QB earned in his extension

Ed Kracz

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PHILADELPHIA – Four days.

That’s how long it took for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to abdicate the throne as the NFL’s highest-paid player. Lamar Jackson wears the crown now after agreeing to a five-year, $260 million contract just hours before the start of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Knowing Hurts, he couldn’t care less about handing off the headwear to Jackson.

It’s a race that may not be over, either, based on comments he made when he signed his contract earlier in the week.

“The journey’s not over,” said Hurts. “I know I’ve walked through the fire time and time again. And in the end, it’s always made me stronger. The only thing I’ve wanted to do, I’ve just been on this constant quest to try to be the best player I can be, with no limits.

“Just try to be the best version of myself, the best person, the best leader and man that I can be. That will never change. So, I think the hard work continues. And the fire continues to burn.”

And maybe it’s for the best that Hurts isn’t the league’s top earner now.

He admitted being uncomfortable in the spotlight of being in that spot. When asked by SI's Eagles Today how satisfying it was to be the highest-paid player in the league, Hurts’ answer was short and to the point.

“Money is nice, but championships are better,” he said.

So how do the numbers compare?

Jackson will make $1M more per year than Hurts, with the Ravens quarterback’s AVV coming in at $52M per year to Hurts’ $51. Jackson also gets more guaranteed money at $185M to Hurts’ $179.

Neither quarterback, however, has a Super Bowl championship on his résumé.

Hurts beats Jackson there, after taking the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII this past season. Jackson, though, has an MVP on his side. Hurts was the runner-up to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.

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Ed Kracz
ED KRACZ

Ed Kracz has been covering the Eagles full-time for over a decade and has written about Philadelphia sports since 1996. He wrote about the Phillies in the 2008 and 2009 World Series, the Flyers in their 2010 Stanely Cup playoff run to the finals, and was in Minnesota when the Eagles secured their first-ever Super Bowl win in 2017. Ed has received multiple writing awards as a sports journalist, including several top-five finishes in the Associated Press Sports Editors awards.

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