Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Unfazed by Big Contract, Say Teammates
If money has changed Jalen Hurts, it hasn’t been visible to any of his teammates as the Philadelphia Eagles continue their offseason workout program.
“Seems like the same guy to me,” center Jason Kelce said. “I haven’t noticed anything different. He’s still out here every day, working out. He’s always trying to get better. Even in the walkthroughs and OTAs, we’re talking through, ‘Why do we go to the WILL and not push it to the MIKE?’ or ‘Do we want to do that out of that formation?’
“All that stuff is still happening, and it seems like he has the hunger to improve and get better, which is a necessity in this league. So, I have not noticed anything different, other than … actually, nothing from him.”
This is exactly why the Eagles were comfortable stamping their quarterback as the face of the franchise when signing him to a $255 million, four-year contract extension in April.
“The one thing you know about with Jalen is that the money is not going to change him,” general manager Howie Roseman said days after the ink dried on the new deal. “The money is not going to affect him. My first conversation with him after he signed that contract, he was just telling me how determined he was, and I know how hard he's working in the off-season.
“I know how much football matters to him. I know how much improving at football matters to him. I know how much he wants to be coached. I know how important it is to try to deliver a championship to this city. I don't have any doubt in my mind that giving Jalen this contract will not change the person that Jalen is. No doubt.”
Roseman is right.
One of Hurts’ best friends, A.J. Brown, even confirmed that.
“From a friend standpoint, it’s everything you can imagine,” said the record-setting Eagles receiver. “I’m so ecstatic for him. He deserves it. I’m excited for what the future holds for him.
“He’s a great guy as y'all know. He’s still that hard worker, he’s still determined to be great, so it definitely didn’t change him. It definitely motivated him if anything. That’s what you want.”
Tight end Dallas Goedert, for one, is happy to know who his quarterback will be for the next few years.
“When you have a guy like him, he’s got high goals, high expectations for himself, for this team,” he said. “So I’m really happy he gets to continue to lead this team and I’m excited to follow him and keep elevating everything that we do.”
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.
Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.
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