PHOENIX — Philadelphia Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie said Monday that Jalen Hurts is “just what we’re looking for” when asked about the prospects of initiating contract extension talks with the quarterback’s agent at some point.
“I don’t think he has anything to prove [to be the long-term answer at quarterback],” Lurie told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio at the Super Bowl’s opening night. “He is an MVP-caliber quarterback, an incredible leader of the team on the field, off the field. He’s 24 years old, incredibly mature and, most importantly, driven to be even better. What we’re seeing today I think is just the beginning for Jalen. This guy will attack every weakness as he has since high school, since college. The future is bright and very exciting for all of us.”
Hurts, a second-round pick of the Eagles in 2020, has one year left on his rookie deal and is now eligible for an extension.
Asked when dialogue with Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, will start, Lurie said “certainly not this week,” with the team focused on Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hurts is scheduled to make a base salary of $4.2 million next season, per Spotrac. Recent contracts handed out to a group of quarterbacks that includes Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers averaged over $45 million per season.
“We’ll kind of handle that later on,” Hurts said when asked about Lurie’s comments. “Get there when we get there.”