“The thing with Jalen that I’m so optimistic about is he’s just got this incredible – I’m not telling you anything you don’t know here, but seeing him virtually every day, he’s got an incredible passion for being phenomenal,” Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said recently at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix. “You see that in the great ones. We all know in other sports and with certain quarterbacks in this league, you can define them by their obsession with detail and work ethic.
“We always knew Jalen was talented, had a very live arm that we thought was discounted in college because he was such a great runner, and his character was always considered great, but maybe the advantage we had was we really respected his ability to throw the football and that that would improve based on tremendous work ethic.
“I think the future is so great for him. He’s 24 years old. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever met somebody that mature at age 24. I’d like to think I have – my son (Julian) is 27, he’s very mature – no, Jalen is the most mature 24-year-old I’ve ever come across.
“It’s different. Each franchise quarterback is different. But I’ve always said to you guys, quarterback, GM, coach, facilities, stadium, scouting, those kind of things, those are the keys. Once you can find it, that’s when you’re really excited. We’ll be working with Jalen I’m sure for a long time.”
That’s now a certainty. Hurts has become one of the league’s top quarterbacks through, as Lurie said, his devotion to the game and his obsession for being “phenomenal,” and there is no doubt he has been just that in his seasons here. After starting four games late in his 2020 rookie season and gaining a taste of the NFL, Hurts accelerated his development in 2021 under new Head Coach Nick Sirianni and the offensive system in place, along with an upward-trajectory offensive supporting cast.
Hurts led the Eagles to the playoffs that season, throwing 16 touchdown passes against only nine interceptions, completing 61.3 percent of his passes for 3,144 yards. He also showed what a devastating dual-threat weapon he was, rushing for 784 yards (5.6 yards per attempt) and 10 touchdowns.
That was a stepping-stone season for what was next: A Most Valuable Player-level year in 2022 when Hurts was magnificent in every way taking the Eagles to the Super Bowl and, perhaps, one offensive possession away from winning. Hurts was brilliant in the regular season, tossing 22 touchdowns with only six interceptions,…
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