Jalen Hurts

Eagles To Start Kenny Pickett In Week 17

December 27th, 2024 at 4:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:37pm: The Eagles have indeed ruled Hurts out for their matchup with the Cowboys, according to the team’s official injury report. Pickett is expected to start with McKee backing him up. Book could be a gameday elevation to serve as an emergency third quarterback.

11:00am: Jalen Hurts sustained a concussion last week, and it does not look like he will be ready to return Sunday. Nick Sirianni said Friday (via the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane) that Hurts looks unlikely to play in Week 17.

This would lead to Kenny Pickett making his first start since midway through last season. Benched and then traded by the Steelers, Pickett replaced Hurts in Week 16 — a shootout loss that ended the Eagles’ lengthy win streak — and picked up a rib injury in the process. This led to the Eagles adding a reinforcement (Ian Book) at QB, but Pickett logged a full practice Thursday and would be good to replace Hurts if/when that time comes this week.

As Hurts did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, Pickett moved from limited to full participation over the past two days. The Eagles appear set to avoid a scenario in which they would need to go to third-stringer Tanner McKee, but the Hurts-to-Pickett drop-off keyed the team’s loss to the Commanders. That defeat dropped the Eagles to 12-3, in a year in which three defeats might not be good enough to land the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The winner of Week 18’s Vikings-Lions rematch may well obtain that coveted perch, but the Eagles have a bigger concern in the short term.

As Hurts closes out his fourth season as Philly’s starter, he has done well to rebound from an inconsistent 2023 campaign — one marred by a leg injury the QB played through. Hurts has been available throughout this season, accounting for 32 touchdowns (an NFL-high 14 rushing) and just five interceptions. This came after the one-time 2022 MVP frontrunner — before a late-season shoulder injury — threw 15 INTs last season. Hurts left Sunday’s game in the first half, and the Eagles blew a 14-point lead.

Philly and Pittsburgh agreed to the Pickett trade not long after the Steelers signed Russell Wilson. Disappointed by both the way his 2023 season ended and the Steelers replacing him with Wilson, Pickett was eager for a fresh start. He could not live up to his No. 20 overall draft slot in Pittsburgh and finished his second season on the bench behind Mason Rudolph. A sprained ankle initially sidelined Pickett in Week 12 of last season; he did not play again for the Steelers.

Pickett went 14 of 24 for 143 yards last week, throwing a touchdown pass and an interception in Washington. A DeVonta Smith drop cost the Eagles dearly, preceding the Commanders’ game-winning drive. That sequence, in what has been a top-heavy NFL year, may plant the Eagles as the NFC’s No. 2 seed. With the current format no longer giving second-seeded squads a bye, Hurts would have two weeks to be ready for a wild-card game.

Recoveries from concussions obviously vary, but this timetable would make Hurts a fairly safe bet of being cleared in time for the Eagles’ playoff opener. Sunday’s Cowboys rematch, however, will give Pickett another opportunity. The Eagles have the 2022 first-rounder signed through next season.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Suffers Concussion

December 22nd, 2024 at 6:36pm CST by Ely Allen

The Eagles suffered their first loss since September today, falling for just the third time this season at the hands of the division-rival Commanders. While Washington finally earned a win over a team with a current winning record, many will likely put an asterisk on the result because Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts only played for one and a half drives.

Hurts exited the game early in the first quarter after Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner brought him down following a 13-yard run. As Hurts was taken to the ground, his helmet made solid contact with the turf, triggering the officials to pull him off the field before the next play. This forced Philadelphia to send in backup passer Kenny Pickett, and shortly after, Hurts was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a concussion.

Concussions aren’t usually reported on too heavily. This is partially due to the fact that the range of recovery times for concussions is a wide span. We’ve seen plenty of players go through the NFL’s concussion protocol in days and not miss any time. This year, though, we’ve frequently seen examples of concussions landing player on injured reserve. If the severity of Hurts’ injury is anywhere near the latter situation, that could prove detrimental for the Eagles.

This is just speculation, as we won’t know the full situation until further tests are run. Should the injury affect Hurts’ availability in the coming weeks, it could cost Philadelphia a chance at a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs. And if he’s forced to miss more than two weeks, he could miss time in the playoffs, as well. The team is one win (or one Commanders loss) away from securing a home playoff game, so they may not be able to afford to rest Hurts, despite their remaining two games being against the banged-up Cowboys and the lowly Giants.

A little rest could do Hurts some good, though, as a recent report from John Clark of NBC Philadelphia discloses that a broken finger on Hurts’ left hand has been affecting his play, mostly his ball security. The division-winners that currently hold the 3- and 4-seeds in the NFC won’t be able to catch up to the Eagles’ 12 wins, so if Philadelphia is willing to accept the 2-seed behind Detroit (the Lions only need one win in their final two games to secure home-field advantage for the playoffs) they may be able to allow Hurts some time for rest and recovery.

NFL Injury Updates: Hurts, Coleman, Barmore

November 8th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

An interesting situation played out today when Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni seemed to let something inadvertently slip during his press conference. Sirianni claimed that quarterback Jalen Hurts has been limited in practice as he has been “dealing with the ankle.” This would be of no consequence, if Hurts hadn’t been listed on the injury report with a “rest” designation, per ESPN’s Tim McManus.

Per McManus, two different sources claimed that “Hurts has been dealing with a mild ankle issue for a couple weeks” and that he is dealing with “lower leg soreness.” Hurts was reportedly limited in practice on Wednesday for “load management” purposes, requiring that he be on the injury report. When asked, Hurts told the media that he just does what he’s told and was told a rest day was in the cards this week.

After two days of full participation, Hurts’ availability shouldn’t really be in question this weekend. It will be interesting, though, to see if the league follows up with an investigation on a potential injury reporting violation by the Eagles.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL:

Bills rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman has already been ruled out for this week after sitting out the entire week of practice. When his status for the week was still up in the air, though, head coach Sean McDermott claimed that, while they were taking it “one day at a time,” there was potential that he could be out for “more than just this week,” according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg followed up with a report from McDermott this morning in which he speculated that Coleman would “probably miss multiple weeks with his wrist injury.” The good news is that McDermott clarified that Coleman would avoid injured reserve, accounting for the fact that the rookie should be back within four weeks.
The Patriots have yet to see defensive tackle Christian Barmore in the 2024 season after the 25-year-old was diagnosed with blood clots in late-July. When the regular season was approaching, the team began preparing for a full-season absence from their blossoming interior defender, but according to Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal, Barmore more may yet play in 2024. Head coach Jerod Mayo told the media that “we’re getting close” to a possible return to practice for Barmore earlier this week. While nothing is set in stone with that statement, it’s an encouraging sign for a young player dealing with one of the sport’s scarier diagnoses.

Nick Sirianni-Jalen Hurts Relationship ‘Fractured’ In 2023

August 7th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nick Sirianni will enter his fourth Eagles season in an interesting place. The Philadelphia HC narrowly missed winning a Super Bowl in his second season, doing so after the team made a surprise playoff appearance in 2021. Last season’s undoing, however, pushed the former OC into firing rumors. Though, those appear to have been slightly overblown.

Rumors connecting the Eagles and Bill Belichick have circulated for months, with the legendary HC — currently preparing for a few media gigs for the 2024 season — believed to be interested should the job open in 2025. As of now, Sirianni is not exactly on the NFL’s hottest seat. But the temperature of the former Colts coordinator’s chair is nevertheless interesting.

Sirianni’s relationship with Jalen Hurts will play a key part of his post-2024 future in Philly, and the sides look to have work to do to. During the 2023 season, the relationship fractured, a source informed ESPN.com’s Tim McManus. While both sides have attempted to mend fences this offseason, this cornerstone relationship’s status may be the top Eagles storyline following an ugly late-season collapse that involved a defensive coordinator demotion and eventually led Sirianni to clean house and hire a new OC-DC tandem. Vic Fangio will be in charge of repairing a broken Eagles defense, but Sirianni — as the team went through with an onslaught of paydays on offense — will obviously remain pivotal as a non-play-calling HC.

Giving up play-calling duties midway through his first Eagles season, Sirianni nevertheless prompted some of his players to wonder who exactly was calling the shots on offense last season. A disconnect surrounding Hurts wanting more authority on offense, in an attempt made by the quarterback and OC Brian Johnson to evolve the scheme Sirianni brought with him from Indianapolis, was one of the main reasons behind the disconnect between HC and QB, McManus reports. Sirianni overruled Johnson at points, and a coach Hurts knew since childhood became a one-and-done. Ownership, along with GM Howie Roseman, is believed to have played perhaps the lead role in Johnson’s firing.

After showing significant improvement in his second starter season and dueling with Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII, Hurts took a step backward during a season that involved a leg injury. While the recently extended QB did not miss any time, he saw his interception count balloon from six to 15 and his yards per attempt drop from 8.0 to 7.2. Accusations of Hurts tuning out Sirianni and the former second-round pick playing “hero ball” surfaced, per McManus, as the Eagles’ tailspin featured them tumbling from 10-1 to being on the wrong end of a wild-card blowout.

We heard before the Eagles’ loss in Tampa that Hurts was dissatisfied with the offense’s direction. This reached a strange point in which he reached out to Don Martindale before the wild-card matchup. Hurts confirmed (via PHLY’s Zach Berman) McManus’ account of a Martindale conversation, which occurred after the two-year Giants DC bolted from his New York gig. The effort did not exactly help, and the Eagles soon hired Kellen Moore — prior to signing Saquon Barkley — to fix the offense.

In an effort to keep his scheme in line with what had worked in the past, Sirianni became more hands-on compared to his role during Steichen’s time calling plays and went through with one-on-one meetings with his quarterback. Those appear to have been counterproductive, given the reported state of his relationship with Hurts by season’s end.

Hurts declined to answer a question about Sirianni’s openness to change the offense this offseason. Although it is early, McManus adds Moore is receiving more autonomy by comparison to Johnson, whom the Eagles promoted after two seasons as QBs coach. Moore has considerably more experience, having called plays in Dallas during Jason Garrett‘s tenure and from 2020-22 under Mike McCarthy. Moore’s one-and-done Chargers OC stay was less memorable. Johnson has since caught on with the Commanders, being hired as Dan Quinn‘s pass-game coordinator.

Considering Sirianni’s tenuous grip on the Philly HC job, his Hurts dealings will be a running talking point this year. Hurts’ performance in Moore’s offense will go a long way toward determining Sirianni’s 2025 status. The Eagles are highly unlikely to bail on Hurts the way they punted on the Carson Wentz setup less than two years after authorizing his extension, but the team — given its investments on offense — will certainly need to see a bounce-back effort from its high-priced passer. Otherwise, another firing involving an Eagles Super Bowl leader is likely on tap.

Eagles Not Expected To Fire Nick Sirianni

January 15th, 2024 at 11:50am CST by Sam Robinson

Given how the Eagles closed out the regular season, tonight’s Buccaneers matchup doubles as one of the more fascinating playoff openers in years. The defending NFC champions run the risk of becoming a central figure when the subject of Super Bowl-losing hangovers comes up.

Staff changes are believed to be on the table for the Eagles, and it should be considered likely they will have three defensive coordinators in three years soon. But the top domino in this equation still does not appear poised to fall. Nick Sirianni is not believed to be on the hot seat, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.

This would be the case even if the Eagles lose to the No. 4-seeded Bucs, who are 9-8 and only secured a home game due to the NFC South’s status as one of the worst divisions in NFL history over the past two years. The Eagles, however, are 11-6 after dropping five of their past six. Sirianni, who is closing out his third season on the job, has presided over one of the more memorable late-season swoons in recent NFL history.

Although Philadelphia’s defensive issues have come under fire, Jalen Hurts — Brotherly Shove touchdowns notwithstanding — has not followed up his breakthrough campaign with another step forward. Playing through injury this season, Hurts has seen his numbers drop across the board. Interceptions represent the figure that has skyrocketed, with the fourth-year QB’s 15 picks matching his past two seasons combined. The recently extended quarterback did not earn a Pro Bowl invite, and ESPN.com’s Tim McManus notes a disconnect between Hurts and the offensive staff has emerged.

The Eagles replaced two-year play-caller Shane Steichen with Hurts’ position coach, Brian Johnson, who has known the dual-threat QB for most of his life. While Johnson has received multiple requests for HC interviews, the Eagles are limping into the playoffs. Hurts has grown frustrated with an Eagles overreliance on vertical routes that require A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to win one-on-one matchups, per McManus, who adds just 5.2% of Hurts’ pass attempts came on between-the-hashes throws this season — lowest among qualified QBs. Brown is set to miss tonight’s game with the injury he sustained in Week 18, ratcheting up the pressure on Hurts.

Others, however, attribute this Hurts-staff disconnect to the Steichen-to-Johnson OC change, with McManus also indicating Johnson has attempted to fit his concepts into Sirianni’s scheme. That reminds of the Panthers’ situation, which crumbled in part because of the team attempting to pair OC Thomas Brown‘s philosophy with Frank Reich‘s scheme. While the Eagles are a few tiers north of what happened in Charlotte this year, their fall from 10-1 to the No. 5 seed has been puzzling.

Sirianni’s decision to demote Sean Desai and give much of his responsibilities to Matt Patricia has not produced an improvement, though McManus adds the switch initially provided relief to some defensive players. Locker-room tension helped produce the defensive switch, but McManus, citing finger-pointing on both sides of the ball, adds multiple players-only meetings have taken place.

This paints a grim picture for the Eagles’ chances of defending their NFC title, but Sirianni did both lead the Eagles on a surprise playoff journey in 2021 — after the final Doug Pederson–Carson Wentz season brought a freefall — and move the team to being within a disputed defensive holding penalty from having a chance to win Super Bowl LVII.

It would be shocking if the Eagles moved on so soon, even with the team having fired Pederson three years after his Super Bowl LII conquest and canning Andy Reid in the past. Should the Eagles follow the 2022 Cowboys’ lead and topple the Bucs in Round 1, Sirianni would seem safer. Barring a remarkable turnaround, though, the team’s December and January issues are likely to define the upcoming offseason.

Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Addresses Trey Lance Trade

August 26th, 2023 at 8:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys won a brief, Day 3 picks-laden bidding war last night for Trey Lance last night. The move gives Dallas a notable name on the QB depth chart behind Dak Prescott, and owner Jerry Jones elaborated on the thought process behind the move on Saturday.

The Cowboys acquired Lance for a 2024 fourth-round pick – a pittance of a return from San Francisco’s perspective considering the price they paid to move up in the 2021 draft to select him third overall. The deal sorts out the 49ers’ situation under center with Brock Purdy set to be backed up by Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen. Dallas, meanwhile, has Prescott and Cooper Rush in place, along with Lance as a developmental project.

“Quarterbacks are a precious commodity in the NFL,” Jones said when asked about the deal (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “We should have in the wings a quarterback on the come. When San Francisco called, I didn’t want them to hang up… We want to back Dak Prescott up as well as we can… You can’t have enough quarterbacks. We’ll see how it works out, but it’s worth any risk we’re taking here.”

Jones added that he does not foresee Lance playing during the regular season this year, but questions have been raised about how it could affect Prescott’s future. The latter is on the books through 2024, but he is due to carry a cap hit of $59.5MM that year. An extension for the 30-year-old aimed at lowering that figure has been on the team’s radar for several months now. The presence of Prescott for the short- and, in all likelihood, medium-term future did not play a role in the Lance deal.

Jones added (via ESPN’s Todd Archer) that Prescott’s financial situation was not a consideration when negotiating the Lance trade, and that the two-time Pro Bowler was not notified about the trade before it was official. The Cowboys have been eyeing a developmental passer in each of the past several drafts, with Jones saying the team was prepared to draft Jalen Hurts in 2020. They now have a 23-year-old to attempt to develop in Lance while relying on Prescott for at least the time being.

From a financial standpoint, Lance will not be a burdensome signal-caller until next year. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated tweets that the 49ers already paid out a $2.82MM roster bonus, leaving the Cowboys responsible for only his base salary ($940K) in 2023. Next season, on the other hand, Lance will be due a fully guaranteed $5.31MM. Where he stands in the Cowboys’ organizational plans by that point will be worth watching closely.

Eagles Were Split On Jalen Hurts’ Trajectory During 2020 Draft

July 12th, 2023 at 2:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles’ 2020 first-round decision generated some intrigue, especially as Justin Jefferson made a quick ascent to the All-Pro level and put together the most prolific three-year receiving stretch to start a career in NFL history. The Eagles were split on Jefferson and Jalen Reagor, going with the latter, who was preferred by Howie Roseman and the team’s coaching staff.

That call obviously proved incorrect, with Reagor now one of Jefferson’s sidekicks in Minnesota after an August 2022 trade. But the Eagles made a better choice, albeit an unexpected one, a round later. An extensive research effort into Jalen Hurts, which had begun during his senior year at Oklahoma, led Philly to pull the trigger on the ex-Sooners quarterback in Round 2. The move came despite the organization having extended Carson Wentz less than a year prior.

The Eagles decided on Hurts over safety Jeremy Chinn, with some in the organization preferring to add the Southern Illinois product — who later went to the Panthers at the end of Round 2 — instead of taking a quarterback so early. Again, the Roseman-Doug Pederson preference won out.

“Coach Pederson and myself liked Jeremy Chinn, but our job is to determine the vision and then make sure it’s executed,” Roseman said, via The Athletic’s Dan Pompei (subscription required). “So when we were on the clock and having those conversations, it really came down to the quarterback versus safety. The quarterback we like. The safety we like. We’re going with the quarterback.”

Hurts as a second-round option came about partially because the organization did not want a repeat of 2012, when it intended to take Russell Wilson in the third round before seeing the Seahawks swoop and taking the future Pro Bowl mainstay at No. 75. With no pro days in 2020 — due to the COVID-19 pandemic — the Eagles did not have a good idea how other teams valued Hurts, with Pompei adding the team believed it was possible the ex-Oklahoma and Alabama passer fell into Round 3. But the Wilson experience helped lead to the Eagles ruling out the prospect of waiting until Round 3 for Hurts.

Philly made that pivotal pick at No. 51 overall, leading to outside skepticism due to Wentz’s presence. Some inside the Eagles’ building were not entirely sold on Hurts as well.

“[Hurts] was a polarizing figure in the sense that some people liked him, some saw him as a developmental quarterback and some thought he was a backup,” former Eagles exec Ian Cunningham, now the Bears’ assistant GM, said (via Pompei). “I thought he was a developmental quarterback that had upside.”

At the time, the team based the move on wanting a better backup option behind Wentz. Teams do not exactly make a habit of choosing backup QBs in Round 2, but the Eagles have needed a number of QB2 contributions this century. Donovan McNabb went down with a broken ankle during the 2002 season, leading to A.J. Feeley and Koy Detmer seeing extensive time for an Eagles team that earned the NFC’s top seed. McNabb was lost for the year late in the 2006 season, moving UFA addition Jeff Garcia into the fray. The organization’s controversial decision to sign Michael Vick after his prison term in 2009 led to him replacing McNabb in 2010, and 2012 third-rounder Nick Foles eventually usurped Vick three years later. Foles delivered one of the NFL’s most famous fill-in performances in 2017, taking over for an injured Wentz to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl title. The Eagles, however, soon made bigger plans for Hurts.

The Eagles cleared the Hurts move with Wentz, with Pederson calling his then-starter to inform him of the pick. But the five-year Eagle struggled in 2020, leading to a late-season benching. The Eagles soon traded Wentz to the Colts, and Jeffrey Lurie angled for the organization not to bring in a starter-caliber QB in 2021. That led to Hurts being given a legitimate opportunity. Lurie was believed to be behind Hurts, even when Roseman had questions about his ceiling, and the Eagles — after showing interest in Wilson and Deshaun Watson — stuck with the former second-rounder last year.

Philly staying with Hurts turned out to be a seminal decision, as the team booked another Super Bowl berth. The Eagles went 16-1 in games Hurts started prior to the Chiefs matchup, with the third-year QB showing significant improvement as a passer. Hurts’ 2022 season earned him a then-record-setting five-year, $255MM extension from the Eagles in April. The Eagles also greenlit their Wentz extension shortly after he became extension-eligible; they will hope the Hurts Year 4 investment turns out better.

QB Notes: Ravens, Levis, Colts, Richardson, Rams, Bennett, Hurts, 49ers

May 16th, 2023 at 2:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens hosted Anthony Richardson on a pre-draft visit, and GM Eric DeCosta did not shoot down the idea of taking a first-round quarterback. Of course, the Ravens squashed any such contingency plan by agreeing to terms with Lamar Jackson on his record-setting extension. Had that not happened, the team is believed to have been intrigued by Will Levis. The Ravens would have considered Levis with their first-round pick had Jackson not signed, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. Baltimore had pursued Baker Mayfield as well and entered draft week with neither of its top QBs signed beyond 2023. Tyler Hunt ley is on an RFA tender.

Selecting a quarterback at No. 22 would have both been a leverage play and certainly would have cost the team its best opportunity to add weaponry around Jackson, thus weakening the 2023 Ravens edition. A number of teams were connected to Levis coming into the draft, and trade rumors — centered around teams eyeing a move up for the falling Kentucky prospect — emerged in the late first round and early second. The Ravens now loom as a Levis “what if?” Though, they will probably not be the first team mentioned as a near-miss regarding the strong-armed prospect. Considering Jackson’s contract, Levis may barely be a footnote for the team.

Here is the latest news from the quarterback position:

Seeing as the Colts and Titans are in the same division, Indianapolis will probably be the top Levis “what if?” team. The Colts were tied to Levis for weeks ahead of the draft, but they successfully masked their Richardson interest. Even though Richardson’s ceiling enamored Colts brass, Fowler adds Levis had a few fans in Indy’s building. The Penn State transfer might be readier to play compared to Richardson, a one-year Florida starter, though Ryan Tannehill‘s presence in Tennessee may ensure Richardson begins his QB1 run first. Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds was a Richardson skeptic at first, but fellow seventh-year Indy front office staffer Morocco Brown — who primarily scouted the Gators talent for the Colts — made near-weekly trips to Gainesville to chart the athletic prospect’s progress. Ex-Shane Steichen Eagles coworker Brian Johnson, Florida’s OC during Richardson’s freshman year (2020), also vouched for Richardson, per Fowler.
The Rams did not consider Levis, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, who notes they came into the draft with a goal of landing a Day 3 passer (subscription required). Despite Levis having played for 2022 Rams OC Liam Coen in 2021, team brass was split on the prospect. Los Angeles ended up with Stetson Bennett via the No. 128 overall pick. This came after the Rams hired one of their former QBs, Kellen Clemens, as a consultant to evaluate Bennett and other arms, Rodrigue adds. Clemens met with Bennett in Georgia before the draft, but even though Bennett is a 26-year-old rookie, ex-Broncos backup Brett Rypien may begin as Matthew Stafford‘s backup.
The Eagles‘ Jalen Hurts extension (five years, $255MM) laid the groundwork for Jackson’s, and the Ravens QB scored more fully guaranteed money ($135MM to $110MM). But Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes the Hurts deal jumps to $157.3MM fully guaranteed by 2025. This is because Hurts’ 2026 option bonus ($49.8MM) becomes guaranteed in stages. Hurts will see $16.5MM of that bonus become guaranteed in 2024, and $30MM of that payout locks in by 2025. These guarantees vest in March 2024 and ’25, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. The Eagles ditched Carson Wentz‘s contract less than two years after authorizing it, but they moved back into the QB-paying business with this megadeal.
Former Detroit and Washington practice squad QB Steven Montez spent the weekend in San Francisco auditioning at the 49ers‘ rookie minicamp, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The Colorado alum served as the Seattle Sea Dragons’ backup, behind Ben DiNucci, who has since signed with the Broncos. The 49ers have four QBs rostered and have not signed Montez.

Contract Details: Hurts, Robinson, Ward, Perryman, Anderson

April 19th, 2023 at 10:06pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on deals signed recently around the NFL:

Jalen Hurts, QB (Eagles): Five years, $255MM. We had received some broad numbers from the deal, and some details still elude us, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided some cap numbers recently. Hurts will represent a $6.15MM cap hit in 2023, $13.56MM in 2024, $21.77MM in 2025, and $31.77MM in 2026.
Allen Robinson, WR (Steelers): Three years, $46.5MM. We covered some details, like how the Rams will pay most of Robinson’s 2023 salary in a nearly two-to-one split. According to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, the Rams will additionally take on $21.45MM of dead money for Robinson moving forward, pushing them up to about $74MM of dead cap in 2023.
Jimmie Ward, S (Texans): Two years, $13MM. The deal, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, has a guaranteed amount of $8.5MM consisting of a $4MM signing bonus, Ward’s 2023 base salary of $2.5MM, and $2MM of his 2024 base salary (worth $5.5MM total). Ward will receive a per game active roster bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500,000. The contract also includes an annual playing time incentive. If Ward plays 60% of the team’s defensive snaps, he’ll receive an additional $250,000. He’ll get two more $250,000 bonuses for reaching both the 70% and 80% snap share totals, as well.
Denzel Perryman, LB (Texans): One year, $2.6MM. We were aware that Perryman could push the value of his deal to $3.5MM with incentives, but thanks to Wilson, we now know how he can do that. The additional $900,000 is based on playing time. Perryman can earn $300,000 bonuses for reaching each of the 60%, 70% and 80% thresholds of defensive snap shares for the Texans.
Eric Rowe, S (Panthers): One year, $1.32MM. The deal, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $852,500 consisting of a $152,500 signing bonus and $700,000 of Rowe’s base salary (worth a total of $1.17MM).
Kris Boyd, CB (Cardinals): One year, $1.23MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a signing bonus of $152,500 and a base salary of $1.08MM.
Dante Pettis, WR (Bears): One year, $1.23MM. The deal, according to Wilson, includes a signing bonus of $152,500 and a base salary of $1.08MM.
Troy Reeder, LB (Vikings): One year, $1.23MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $100,000 consisting partially of a $25,000 signing bonus. Reeder’s base salary will be $1.08MM, and he can receive an additional workout bonus $25,000 and a roster bonus of $102,500 if he’s active Week 1. The deal includes a per game active roster bonus of $6,029 for a potential season total of $102,500.
Drew Sample, TE (Bengals): One year, $1.23MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a signing bonus of $52,500 and a base salary of $1.08MM. Sample will also receive a roster bonus of $75,000 and a workout bonus of $25,000.
Armon Watts, DT (Steelers): One year, $1.23MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a signing bonus of $152,500 and a base salary of $1.08MM.
Elijah Wilkinson, OL (Cardinals): One year, $1.23MM. The deal, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $1.09MM consisting of a $152,500 signing bonus and $940,000 of Wilkinson’s base salary (worth a total of $1.08MM).
Khadarel Hodge, WR (Falcons): One year, $1.2MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a base salary of $1.08 and a roster bonus of $120,000 if he is active for Atlanta’s first game of the season. The deal also includes a per game active roster bonus of $7,500 for a potential season total of $127,500.
Chosen Anderson, WR (Dolphins): One year, $1.17MM. The deal, according to Wilson, includes a signing bonus of $152,500.
John Penisini, DL (Panthers): One year, $940,000, according to Wilson.
Kevin Jarvis, OL (Bills): One year, $750,000, according to Wilson.

Eagles, QB Jalen Hurts Agree To Extension

April 17th, 2023 at 10:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

The first major domino in terms of 2023 quarterback deals has fallen, and in historic fashion. The Eagles announced on Monday that they have agreed to terms on an extension with Jalen Hurts. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that the contract is five years in length and has a base value of $255MM.

That figure makes Hurts the highest-paid player in NFL history with respect to annual compensation, and brings his new-money average to $51MM per season. Pelissero adds that the extension includes $179.3MM in guarantees, as well as a no-trade clause, something which is a first in Eagles history. Another $15MM in incentives exists, which could push Hurts’ earnings to $54MM per season, per Pelissero (Twitter link).

The 24-year-old had one season remaining on his rookie contract, meaning he will be on the books in Philadelphia through 2028. This offseason marked the first in which Hurts was eligible for an extension, something which was quickly named as a priority for the NFC champions. The Eagles have, as expected, seen a number of notable defensive departures recently, but the foundation of their offense will be in place for the foreseeable future with this deal.

Hurts will earn the second-highest in total guarantees in league history, behind only the $230MM given to Deshaun Watson by the Browns last offseason. Pelissero and colleague Ian Rapoport detail that Hurts will receive $110MM fully guaranteed at signing, the third-highest such total in the NFL behind only Watson and Russell Wilson. The Eagles will pay out a signing bonus of $23.3MM in 2023, and give Hurts $64MM over the course of the first year of the pact. Needless to say, this news marks a massive development for all parties involved.

Hurts entered the 2022 season with questions about his ability to develop into a legitimate franchise quarterback. He put those to rest with his performance during the year, which helped Philadelphia earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC and put the former second-rounder in the MVP conversation. Hurts was named a Pro Bowler and earned second-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career, guiding one of the league’s best rushing and passing offenses. His development in the latter category convinced the team that such a massive investment would be a safe one.

The Alabama product took a massive step forward as a passer in 2022, totaling 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns through the air. He added 760 yards and 13 yards on the ground, remaining the focal point of the team’s ground attack. Aside from one hugely costly fumble, his Super Bowl performance garnered widespread praise and put an extension at the top of the Eagles’ to-do list this spring. With that now taken care of, the effect the deal will have on the rest of the QB market will be worth monitoring closely.

Hurts’ deal comes at the same time that Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert are all eligible for massive second contracts of their own. The Ravens, Bengals and Chargers remain in negotiations with their respective passers, though Baltimore’s talks with Jackson have been the most public and tenuous. This Hurts pact represents the latest non-Watson one to feature less than 100% in guarantees, though its AAV will no doubt help young QBs up for their own extensions establish a floor for negotiations.

The Eagles enjoyed one of the best seasons in franchise history in 2022, given the success of general manager Howie Roseman had in acquiring short- and long-term additions on the trade, free agent and draft fronts. With Hurts in place for the long-term, the team’s most important piece is on the books during what could be a lengthy Super Bowl window. Whether this sets off a chain reaction of other mega-deals at the QB position in the coming weeks, meanwhile, will have significant effects on several other teams around the league.

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