The path for Jalen Hurts to remain as the Eagles’ starting quarterback going into next season has gotten much clearer.
Two quarterbacks often mentioned in trade rumors solidified their 2022 plans Tuesday, with Aaron Rodgers approving a contract extension with the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos agreeing to trade for Russell Wilson a few hours later.
The Broncos are sending the Seattle Seahawks two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, two starter-quality players, and backup quarterback Drew Lock, who has started 21 games in his three-year career.
In exchange, the Broncos made themselves Super Bowl contenders with Wilson, 33, joining an offense that ranked 12th in efficiency last season by Football Outsiders with Teddy Bridgewater as starting quarterback.
Wilson is coming off a down year, but he still completed 65% of his passes last season, throwing for 3,113 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions. In 10 years in the NFL, he has gone 104-53-1 as a starter and has nine playoff wins including one Super Bowl championship.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni were effusive in their confidence in Hurts at last week’s NFL scouting combine, but actions speak louder than words.
“We have Jalen Hurts,” Roseman said last Wednesday, “who’s a 23-year-old quarterback, who led his team to the playoffs, and he’s going to get better and better and better. He’s going to do everything possible to get better, and we have to do our part in that.”
With three first-round picks in this year’s draft, the Eagles could have beaten the Broncos’ trade package relatively easily, either with picks this year or a mixture of a first-rounder this year and one in the future.
The fact that the Eagles didn’t successfully pursue Wilson could be indicative of the confidence they’ve expressed in Hurts. It also could mean Wilson was not willing to waive his no-trade clause for the Eagles; he said last week he didn’t want to play on the East Coast when asked about possibly going to the Washington Commanders. It was also reported Tuesday that the Seahawks preferred trading Wilson to an AFC team, although they’ll still have to host Wilson’s Broncos next season.
Denver was linked to Rodgers, especially after the team hired former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as its head coach earlier this offseason. Rodgers agreed to a four-year deal worth up to $200 million with Green Bay on Tuesday, according to the NFL Network, and the Broncos seemingly didn’t waste time securing Wilson in the aftermath.
Regarding Hurts’ prospects on remaining the Eagles’ starter, there are significantly fewer hurdles, but at least one remains. The Eagles have been linked to Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson at various points in the last year, but the 26-year-old sat out last season in a holdout amid allegations from almost two dozen women of sexual assault and/or misconduct.
The NFL Network reported that Watson was eligible to play last season, but his future in the league will be determined by the outcomes of the various civil lawsuits and criminal investigations he is facing.
When asked about Watson last week, Roseman pivoted back to Hurts before saying he gathers information on players across all positions.
“I think you kind of come here and you kind of start hearing some things about what’s going on at each position,” Roseman said. “And you just try to gather information. I’m not talking about the quarterback position, I’m talking about in general. You try to gather information about what’s going on and what opportunities there are to improve our football team.”
Aside from the possibility of taking a quarterback in an iffy class of prospects, the Eagles’ other options outside of Hurts are thin. The San Francisco 49ers are taking offers on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but it’s fair to question whether his upside is much higher than Hurts, who flashed potential while completing 61.3% of his passes and throwing for 3,144 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season.
Hurts was also at the center of the Eagles’ No. 1-ranked running game, leading the team with 784 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
“He just continues to get better,” Sirianni said. “Whether that’s from Alabama to Oklahoma or Oklahoma to his first year in the NFL or first year to second year, we just know that progression is going to continue. It’s not just because we’ve seen the progression go like that, it’s because of the person that he is. He loves football. This guy loves football and he’s just willing to do the things that he needs to do to get better and that’s why he does continue to get better.”
