Prominent Media Pundit Dead Wrong About Hurts' Future

In the aftermath of Philadelphia’s heartbreaking 19-17 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the future of starting quarterback Jalen Hurts was among the topics media personality Howard Eskin spoke about with Dan Silo on the JAKIB Sports Youtube channel.

“I don’t think Jalen Hurts will be here next year,” Eskin said. “They’ve got to try and find a quarterback and I think they will try to trade for one in the offseason using draft picks. I don’t think you would be comfortable starting a rookie quarterback with this team.”

Granted, Hurts has not played particularly well through the first five games of the season. Pro Football Focus gives Hurts a grade of 62.6, good for 26th of 36th qualified quarterbacks. For the year, Hurts has completed a meager 57.6 percent of his passes for 933 yards with eight touchdowns against three interceptions. On the ground, Hurts has rushed for just 107 yards and one score.

In 2023, Hurts signed a five‑year, $255 million contract that expires after the 2028 season. It is unlikely Philadelphia will pull the plug on Hurts with two years remaining on his deal because the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. Since star quarterbacks are in such short supply, teams are willing to be extremely patient with any passer who shows even the slightest modicum of talent under center.

Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson is older, more injury prone, and has far more off-the-field baggage than Hurts. Nonetheless, Cleveland elected to keep Watson and his hefty five‑year, $230 million contract through the 2026 season. If Philadelphia’s season continues on a downward trajectory, it is far more likely they will sever ties with head coach Nick Sirianni. After all, a head coach is much more expendable than a Super Bowl winning quarterback. Though a contract extension seems unlikely due to Hurts’ recent struggles, it would be much more feasible to see if another regime can unlock the potential of the most accomplished quarterback in Eagles franchise history.