A few days ago, we went through the Top 10 QB contracts. Despite signing a league leading extension in 2023, Jalen Hurts didn’t make the list. It won’t be like that for very long. Let’s take a look at what his next deal might look like and when we can expect it.
Timeframe
Technically, Jalen Hurts is under contract for 3 more years as his 5/$255m contract expires after the 2028 season. The odds of him reaching the end of that contract are slim. In fact, despite it only kicking in before last season, an extension is probably coming much sooner than you think.
Thanks to Howie’s usual salary cap finagling, despite Jalen’s contract having a $51m AAV, it only counts $22m against the cap this season. That’s nothing. Next year, it goes up to $32m. Assuming a rising cap, still not a big deal. By 2027 though, it will count $42m and then $47.5 in 2028 with about $99m still unaccounted for due to void years. When Jalen signed his contract, it seemed to me it was designed to be extended. While there is a possibility that both sides wait until before 2028 to work out a deal, that’s not really the Eagles style. By going for early extensions with players they trust, they lock in a lower long-term price that will likely age well, much like Jalen’s current contract. Expect them to want to get a deal done early to help keep later cap hits down. The Eagles are going to have to fit deals in for Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean and every penny counts.
Market
After referring to the Top 10 chart, we see that Dak Prescott is in the pole position for highest paid QBs. Is it going to stay that way? Well, CJ Stroud is going to be up for a deal after this year. With a rebound season, he could easily make a demand for $61m AAV, but something more like $55m seems right with another season like this past one. Before the 2027 season, that will be the Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams extension window. It is too soon to project either, but they would be top candidates to take the highest paid title, at least for a few weeks.
There’s a chance that the other QBs in the 2023 extension class will be extended too. Joe Burrow has an extra year of control, but Lamar Jackson would be a prime candidate. Because they only signed 4-year deals in 2024, Dak Prescott and Jordan Love could extend too. That makes a possible 6 high end QBs up to take the title of highest paid. By extending Jalen early, they would again hit the top of the list with the idea that he gets overtaken by the peloton again.
Jalen Hurts
Jalen turns 27 on August 7th (today if I planned this right). By the time the 2027 offseason rolls around, he will be 28 going on 29. A 5-year extension will take him from his age 31 to 35 seasons. That is the end of the prime years for our guy, but still likely in line for a top of market deal. All of the next wave of contracts are going to hover around the $65m AAV range, give or take.
My prediction is a 5/$325m contract. The signing bonus is going to be a little tricky. Last time, Jalen only took $23m of his deal up front whereas Lamar Jackson took $72.5m a few weeks later. The Eagles will probably have a tight cash window considering all the looming extensions, so I wouldn’t discount this type of strategy again. Jalen still gets a boatload guaranteed, just not up front. From there, expect several void years and guaranteed roster bonuses to keep the cap down and make sure Jalen gets his money. Let’s assume a $43m signing bonus for the fun math part up next:
| Year | Salary | Old Signing bonus | Old Option Bonus | New Signing Bonus | New Option Bonus | Cap Hit |
| 2027 | $1.4m | $4.5m | $26m | $8.6m | $10m | $50.5m |
| 2028 | $1.4m | $26m | $8.6m | $20m | $56m | |
| 2029 | $1.4m | $18.27m | $8.6m | $29m | $57.27m | |
| 2030 | $1.4m | $10m | $8.6m | $38m | $58m | |
| 2031 | $1.4m | $8.6m | $50.3m | $60.3m | ||
| 2032 | $1.4m | $52.6m | $54m | |||
| 2033 | $1.4m | $54.9m | $56.3m | |||
| Void | $45.9m | $45.9m | ||||
| Void | $36.9m | $36.9m | ||||
| Void | $24.6m | $24.6m | ||||
| Void | $12.3m | $12.3m |
I know those numbers at the end look scary, but they aren’t worth the same amount as they are now. What kind of sorcery is this? Well, the NFL is booming business and that makes the salary cap go up. Assuming a regular 10% rise (which probably shouldn’t be assumed, but still) here is where the cap is likely going:
| Year | Estimated Cap | Rise |
| 2024 | $255.4m | |
| 2025 | $279.2m | +23.8m |
| 2026 | $307.1m | +27.9m |
| 2027 | $337.8m | +30.7m |
| 2028 | $371.6m | +33.8m |
| 2029 | $408.8m | +37.2m |
| 2030 | $449.6m | +40.8m |
| 2031 | $494.6m | +45m |
| 2032 | $544m | +49.4m |
| 2033 | $598.5m | +54.5m |
I am taking a lot of liberties with my prognostication, but at the very least the cap will not be going down. While Jalen’s contract will go up, it won’t be going up nearly as much as the salary cap.
All salary numbers thanks to Spotrac.com
Philly Front Office 
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