Eagles’ Ron Jaworski Celebrates Jalen Hurts with Flashback: ‘Turn Back the Clock!’

Jalen Hurts is now the highest-paid player for the Philadelphia Eagles and the highest-paid player in the history of the NFL after agreeing to an extension

The newspaper clipping looked to be in pretty good shape despite its age.

Not much yellowing or fading, and it obviously meant a lot to Ron Jaworski because the former quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles tweeted it out after news broke that Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have agreed to a five-year contract extension that is worth $255 million with $179 million in guarantees.

The deal makes Hurts the highest-paid player in Eagles history and NFL history.

The clipping is from the Reading Eagle and is dated July 16, 1981.

The headline: Jaworski Becomes Highest-Paid Eagle Ever

Jaworski’s tweet on Monday that accompanied the memento:

“Turn Back the Clock.

In 1981 I received $2 million over 5 years!

Congratulations Jalen!”

Turn back the clock.
In 1981 I received $2 million over 5 years!
Congratulations Jalen! pic.twitter.com/Tb6EFDXKtw

— Ron Jaworski (@JawsCEOQB) April 17, 2023

At the time, 42 years ago, Jaworski was entering the final year of his contract, like Hurts is.

Also at the time, Jaworski was coming off a Super Bowl loss, like Hurts is.

Another similarity is that Jaworski and Hurts were both second-round picks.

Jaws came as the 37th player taken overall in the 1973 draft. Forty-seven years later, Hurts came as the 53rd overall player in the 2020 draft.

Unlike Hurts, Jaworski was scheduled to make $165,000. before his new contract 

The final year of Hurts' rookie contract will pay him $4.2 million before the extension kicks in.

Jaws was 30 when he became the highest-paid Eagle player of all time.

Hurts is just 24.

“I didn’t want to leave here, and this situation shows the Eagles are interested in having me as their quarterback for the rest of my future as a player,” Jaworski said at the time. “My roots are in this area, and this is where I want to say.

“It wasn’t my main concern to become the highest-paid Eagle player. I didn’t come in asking for a billion dollars. But the only thing I wanted was a fair contract.”

Hurts isn’t expected to talk about his new deal until sometime next week, after the Eagles open phase one of their offseason conditioning and workout program.

Jaws spent a decade as the Eagles' quarterback.

Hurts will enter Year 4, but just his third as a full-time starter.

Jaws stayed in the area after retiring and owns a golf course in South Jersey and has many other business interests. He is a familiar figure, and a popular one, in around Philadelphia.

That same future could await Hurts.

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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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