Former GM voices doubts over Jalen Hurts hype

Jalen Hurts nearly hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in his second full season as a starter. Still, while many believe the sky is the limit for the Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller, one former general manager isn't necessarily buying the hype. 

Mike Sando of The Athletic recently ranked Hurts in the second tier of quarterbacks in the 2023 rankings, which the former GM believes is too high, much like an NFC East foe. 

"I feel with Hurts like I once did with Dak (Prescott)," the former GM told Sando. "Dak probably was a high 2 somewhere along the way, but overall, his career is a 3 to me." 

In the Athletic's rankings, tier three quarterbacks are viewed as "legitimate starters," but can't be depended on to pull the team's weight alone. Whether or not this proves to be the case for Hurts as his career progresses remains to be seen, but while some have made up their minds over what they have seen, others have issues with what they haven't witnessed from the 24-year-old. One current NFL head coach lamented that Hurts didn't get a chance with the ball in Super Bowl LVII with under two minutes following the game-changing pass interference call late.

"The last time he was in one, and people forget this, they lost at home on Monday night," the head coach said. "Washington didn't let him out of the tackle box, and Philly did not win that game." 

A true dual-threat quarterback, Hurts had the fourth-highest passer rating (101.5) in the NFL in 2022, adding 760 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. Despite his numbers, Hurts seemingly still has doubters, even if they have to nitpick about Philly's only loss in his 15 starts. The Eagles, however, are a believer, having inked Hurts to a five-year, $255 million contract with $179.3 million guaranteed during the offseason.