Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts On Pace To Set Two Career Highs

The Philadelphia Eagles paid quarterback Jalen Hurts to lead the franchise, and the result is a career-high in one positive area, and one less positive.

The Philadelphia Eagles made quarterback Jalen Hurts the 18th highest-paid player in his position this season with a $255 million deal that figures to keep him running the offense through at least 2027.

If the Eagles and Hurts get their way, however, he'll be orchestrating game-winning performances for even more years to come as they look to recreate the championship-caliber run they got in 2022.

That 18th-highest-paid quarterback remark above may have struck you as odd, but that's where Hurts ranks this year in total cash compared to his peers in the NFL.

Like Philadelphia hopes his play will, Hurts' income will climb over the next few years, capping out at $51 million in both 2026 and 2027. 

The good news is the quarterback's production on the field is already starting to climb as Hurts is on pace to have a career-high 4,290 yards passing by the end of this season.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) throws a pass against the Washington Commanders in Week 4 of the 2023 NFL Regular Season / © Bill Streicher, USA TODAY

However, through five games last season Hurts had thrown for 1,359 yards, nearly 100 more than he has this year.

Like last season Hurts has two 300-yard passing performances this first five weeks, but in 2022 he didn't have another until Week 13 in a 35-10 win over the Tennessee Titans. 

That, coupled with the fact that he was forced to miss two games near the end of the 2022 regular season kept him from his first 4,000-yard passing season.

The Eagles kept winning, however, and that of course is the most important quarterback stat of all. 

One thing that allowed Hurts to keep stacking wins while his passing production waned was his ability to protect the football.

Through five games last season, the quarterback had only thrown two interceptions and would throw just three more for the rest of the year.

During the gap between 300-yard passing efforts, Hurts only threw one interception and Philadelphia was able to win games with as little as 153 yards through the air.

This season, Hurts has nearly matched his interception total (six) from last year and is on pace to set a career-high in that category as well.

This is perhaps one reason the Eagles haven't been able to win in the fashion many expected them to during the season, but it is certainly not the only one.

Having a 5-0 record is a good place to be, and nobody is complaining, but in order for the Eagles to stay atop the NFC and among the NFL's best they'll look to continue Hurts' career-high passing yards pace while winding down the same pace in turnovers. 

With three of their next six matchups coming up against teams many consider some of the best the AFC has to offer (Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills), the Eagles will again have to prove they can go blow-for-blow with elite competition.

And it all starts with the quarterback and how quickly he grows into being one of the highest-paid in league history.