How Jalen Hurts' team-first mentality surprised his agent
How Jalen Hurts' team-first mentality surprised his agent Most NFL players want the most money possible in a new deal. Not Jalen Hurts
Every year, we hear stories about players involved in contract disputes with their respective organizations. The Philadelphia Eagles are rarely engaged in such fallouts, and quarterback Jalen Hurts is no exception.
After leading his team to a Super Bowl appearance in 2022, Hurts was handsomely rewarded with a five-year, $255 million contract the following offseason. The deal made Hurts the highest-paid player in NFL history at the time, but that was never his intention.
Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports, revealed that the Eagles signal-caller was adamant about getting a fair deal that allowed Philadelphia to maintain financial flexibility.
"Jalen is just such a selfless guy. He told me to do the deal. He didn't want any updates until it was done, which is very rare. A lot of clients are like, "give me every update. What's the counter?" He's like, "I don't want to hear anything. Just tell me when it's done." And he's like, don't screw the team. Make sure my team is around me. And so I actually remember coming back to him and the day that the deal was done, and saying, Hey, you're the highest paid player in NFL history. And his response was, "Well, I didn't ask you to do all that?"
But he was so concerned about his team. How am I gonna keep my team around? How are these guys still gonna be paid? And he wanted me to show him. How does it affect the cap? The option bonuses. It helped Jalen to have peace that, hey, don't worry that you're getting 51 million a year. We've done it this way, so it doesn't affect the cap. The cap hit is not that large. Like, he needed to be educated on that before he would let me accept the deal, because he cared so much about his teammates."
Hurts was the highest-paid player for approximately ten days before the Ravens inked Lamar Jackson to a five-year, $260 million deal. Fast forward to 2025, and Hurts' contract is now ranked 11th in the league in average annual value and has allowed the Eagles to keep their talented roster intact:
Notable Eagles' offensive players signed through at least 2027:
RT Lane Johnson (2027)
QB Jalen Hurts (2028)
RB Saquon Barkley (2028)
WR DeVonta Smith (2028)
LT Jordan Mailata (2028)
LG Landon Dickerson (2028)
WR A.J. Brown (2029)
C Cam Jurgens (2029)
Hurts has made the Eagles' investment worthwhile, bringing a second Super Bowl title to Philadelphia and winning MVP in the process.
'Money is nice, championships are better' wasn't just a smooth catchphrase; it was a manifestation.
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