Eagles’ Jalen Hurts Rewarded For Monster Season With First Pro Bowl Nod

Jalen Hurts, who made a massive jump from exciting but inconsistent young quarterback last year to record-setting MVP candidate this year, was rewarded for his tremendous 2022 season Wednesday with his first Pro Bowl selection.

 

After struggling much of last year with turnovers, accuracy and consistency, Hurts enjoyed a remarkable season this year while leading the Eagles to a 13-1 record and a likely No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff bracket

Hurts had the highest passer rating in the NFL before throwing two interceptions in the win over the Bears Sunday. He still ranks 3rd at 104.6, behind only Geno Smith and Patrick Mahomes.

 

He’s one of only eight quarterbacks in NFL history to win 13 games in a season before his 25thbirthday. Only Dan Marino has won more – 14 wins at 23 years old in 1984 – and Hurts just may get a chance to match or even surpass Marino depending on how the next couple weeks go.

 

Hurts ranks 11th in the NFL with 22 touchdown passes, 3rd with an interception every 85 pass attempts, 10th with 3,472 passing yards and 6th with a 67.3 percent completion percentage. He’s also second in the NFL with 13 touchdown runs – 2nd-most ever by a quarterback – and second in rushing first downs.

 

If he doesn’t play again this year, Hurts’ 104.6 passer rating will wind up 3rd-highest in Eagles history behind Nick Foles’ 119.2 in 2013 and Donovan McNabb’s 104.7 in 2004. His 67.3 accuracy is 2nd-highest in franchise history behind Carson Wentz’s 69.6 in 2018 and his 35 total touchdowns are 4th-most in the NFL this year and tie the franchise record set by Randall Cunningham in 1990.

Hurts is the Eagles’ fifth different Pro Bowl quarterback since 2009, following McNabb, Michael Vick, Wentz and Foles. During that same 14-year span, no other team has had more than three Pro Bowl quarterbacks. The Chiefs have had three (Alex Smith, Matt Cassel, Mahomes), as have the Vikings (Brett Favre, Teddy Bridgewater, Kirk Cousins).

 

Hurts this year became the second quarterback in NFL history with consecutive seasons with 10 or more rushing touchdowns and the first with consecutive seasons with 3,000 passing yards and 10 rushing TDs. He’s the fourth QB with 20 touchdowns passing and 10 rushing in the same season. And his 104.6 passer rating is 2nd-highest ever by a quarterback with at least 700 rushing yards.

 

Even though he didn’t become a full-time starter until late in his rookie year, Hurts ranks 16th in NFL history with 22 wins before his 25th birthday, and he joins McNabb as only the second quarterback to lead the Eagles to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons as a full-time starter.

 

Hurts suffered a sprained shoulder in the Bears game and is unlikely to play against the Cowboys Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.

 

Although the Pro Bowl game has been discontinued and replaced by a skills competition, being selected to the Pro Bowl team remains an important honor, and for Hurts is the latest confirmation of his success after being widely doubted this past offseason.

 

Once the new league year officially begins on March 15, the Eagles will be allowed to negotiate terms of a new contract with Hurts, and the two sides are likely headed to a long-term deal worth between $45 and $50 million per year, which would make Hurts one of the highest-paid players in NFL history.

 

All 13 quarterbacks who have started at least 30 games for the Eagles since 1950 have made at least one Pro Bowl.

Ruben Frank:

https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-jalen-hurts-rewarded-monster-010000755.html?fr=sychp_catchall