Jalen Hurts becomes highest paid player in NFL history, what does this mean for a potential Justin Fields extension?
Quarterbacks are the most valuable position in football, and arguably any major sport. They control the game on the offensive side of the ball, they’re usually the most vocal leader of the offense, and if a team wants to win consistently you need a solid one behind center. And in most cases, they’re the highest paid player on the team.
Today, history was made when the Philadelphia Eagles signed their franchise QB Jalen Hurts to a massive, 255-million-dollar contract extension, making him the highest paid player in NFL history. The deal also included a no-trade clause, and a ton of guaranteed money.
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The #Eagles and Jalen Hurts agreed to terms on a 5-year, $255M contract extension that makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history, sources tell me and @TomPelissero.@AgentNicoleLynn did the deal, which includes $179.304M in guarantees and a no-trade clause. pic.twitter.com/UNzVumGgoA
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 17, 2023
Hurts absolutely deserved a huge extension after his amazing performance in the 2022-23 season, where he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl and was the captain of that historic offense. This deal will likely set the bar for future quarterback extensions, like the Patrick Mahomes one did a few years ago.
Players like Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert all have plans to be extended in the very near future. Now what does that mean for Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields?
What could a Justin Fields extension potentially look like?
After the 2024 season, Justin Fields’ rookie contract will officially be up. That doesn’t include the fifth-year option that the Chicago Bears will likely pick up, but you get the idea. Fields will probably be looking to get paid sooner rather than later, like the rest of the quarterbacks usually do.
In my opinion, Justin Fields has a LOT to do and prove in order to be in this sort of conversation. Granted Jalen Hurts had one great year and already got paid, that doesn’t mean Ryan Poles will do the same if Fields has a breakout year in 2023. He seems to be doing a lot of off-season training with notable names, and the organization is clearly looking to build around the former Ohio State Buckeye. After the DJ Moore trade and the newly acquired free agents, Fields will be in the best position of his young career.
Justin Fields has a top 5 deep ball in the NFL and Mooney in the slot with all eyes on DJ Moore is about to FEAST! https://t.co/6b5L4YZUVw pic.twitter.com/baI8zOrfer
— DeeksView (@DeeksViewOG) April 8, 2023
In 25 starts, Justin Fields has gone 5-20 in his first two seasons in the NFL. Now I’m not just blaming Fields for those losses, the cast around him has been quite awful. As a thrower, his stats include a pretty mediocre 24-21 touchdown interception ratio, and a 59.7 completion percentage. He obviously needs to improve as a passer in order for the Chicago Bears to win more games and become competitive once again.
However, last season was his best in which he solidified himself as a primer threat when running the football. He set the NFL single game record for rushing yards by a quarterback, and later became second all-time QB rushing leader in a single season with 1,143 yards and 8 touchdowns. He impacts the game in many ways but this is clearly his calling card.
Justin Fields has to be better in order to get an extension
In conclusion, I believe Justin Fields needs to make significant strides in the passing department in order to get a big extension like that of Jalen Hurts’. Now, I also think the coaching staff needs to put him in the right position to become great, by executing better play calling and protecting him in the pocket more. A lot goes into this offense becoming consistent enough to win ballgames.
The organization believes in him and most of the fanbase does as well. Hopefully he can put it all together.
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