The latest rumblings around Jalen Hurts and his contract situation with the Philadelphia Eagles are enough to make your head spin. Reports suggest some in Hurts’ circle felt he could have been traded after last season, and there are whispers in NFL circles that the quarterback could be gone after the upcoming season if he doesn’t perform. Let me just say this plainly: that is insane. The Eagles need to pay Jalen Hurts. Simple as that.

Contract circumstances for Hurts

Hurts has a couple of years left on his deal with Philadelphia, and the team has an out after next season. The Eagles have not budged on an extension yet, and that alone is raising eyebrows. But here’s the thing: unless this organization is planning to tank, climb into the top 10 of next year’s draft, and grab a quarterback, they need to lock Hurts up long-term, there is no viable alternative sitting out there that gives you what Jalen Hurts gives you.

Look at the resume. This is a guy who has won at an elite clip throughout his career, been to multiple Super Bowls, won one, and earned a Super Bowl MVP. He has done all of that despite an absurd amount of coaching and coordinator turnover that would have derailed most quarterbacks in this league. Do you want to nitpick his ability to throw the ball 50 yards downfield? Fine. You want to question whether he can hit tight windows over the middle consistently? Go ahead. But we have seen multiple times that when Jalen Hurts is in the right offensive system with the right philosophy around him, he gets the job done.

The “traded” talk is ridiculous

The notion that people around Hurts felt he may have been traded after last season is wild to me. I don’t care who’s whispering it or where it’s coming from. You’re telling me the Eagles, after everything this quarterback has accomplished for this franchise, were supposedly considering moving on from him? That kind of speculation is reckless when you consider the full picture.

Every time this organization has paired Hurts with a competent, experienced play-caller, they’ve gone on deep playoff runs. Every time they’ve handed the offense to a first-time coordinator without the proper support structure, things have fallen apart. That pattern has nothing to do with Jalen Hurts’s ability as a quarterback. That is an organizational issue. And if people want to pin the collapses on the guy who kept winning despite the chaos around him, they need to go back and actually watch the tape.

Sean Mannion and the path forward

Now, I do think there’s reason for optimism. Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is already starting to put the blueprint down for the kind of system that maximizes what Hurts does best. We’ve talked about this before: when the Eagles commit to a coherent offensive identity, lean into the run game, use play-action effectively, and let Jalen operate within a structure that plays to his strengths, this team is as dangerous as anybody in the NFC.

The Eagles don’t need Hurts to be something he’s not. They need him to be exactly what he’s been when the coaching staff gives him the tools to succeed. And based on what we’ve seen so far from Mannion’s approach, it feels like Philadelphia is heading in the right direction. The continuity piece is massive. This franchise has put Hurts through a revolving door of coordinators, and he’s still produced at a high level. Imagine what happens when they finally let him settle into a system for more than one season.

Hurts deserves a contract extension

The Eagles need to stop dragging their feet on this. Jalen Hurts is the franchise quarterback. He’s earned that. The resume speaks for itself, and the idea that he could somehow be on his way out of Philadelphia is not grounded in reality. Pay the man, build around him, and let Sean Mannion cook. If the Eagles do that, they’re going to be right back in the thick of it. But if they let this drag out and create unnecessary uncertainty around the most important position on the roster, that’s a self-inflicted wound this organization cannot afford.