Despite a portion of the Eagles fanbase clamoring for a Russell Wilson trade, and another portion of the fanbase musing on the potential of an incoming rookie like Malik Willis (guilty!), a bettor would be best served putting their money on Jalen Hurts being the Birds' QB1 for 2022.
Entering his third year in the league, Hurts is coming off a totally acceptable first year as a starter and is looking to build on some much-needed continuity. It's entirely possible he takes a leap in 2022 if afforded the chance, and I think a lot of Eagles fans are banking on that upside.
But... what if this is close to the ceiling on his NFL potential? That seems relatively likely. He was a second-round pick for a reason: he doesn't have those jump-off-the-film physical traits that separate a Top 10 pick, he didn't really show a ton of growth in his weak areas from Week 1 to the Wild Card round, and I'm just not sold on that arm in today's NFL.
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If the Eagles' front office feels the same way, it sounds like they might be smart to sell high on Hurts. This offseason could be the prime time to do so, according to one insider who says the Eagles could recoup some pretty solid draft capital in a Hurts trade.
Here's what ESPN insider extraordinaire Adam Schefter said Wednesday morning during an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic's The John Kincade Show:
"KINCADE: Could the Eagles, today, say 'We are trading Jalen Hurts, we want the 53rd pick in the draft back'?
NFL
"SCHEFTER: I think in this market absolutely. In this market, absolutely. In fact not even a question in my mind about that.
"Let's play this out. Let's say - we don't know Aaron Rodgers is staying in Green Bay, but it certainly seems like he's open to that idea. We haven't heard anything with Russell Wilson and Seattle despite the fact that there are numerous teams that would be interested. And Deshaun Watson obviously has a lot going on off the field.
"Let's just say one of those quarterbacks comes free - in fact I'll give you two. That's probably a best-case scenario, two of 'em. Now we've got Denver, Indianapolis, Tampa, Carolina, Washington, Pittsburgh. That's six teams right there. Six. So where's everybody getting their quarterback from?
"[...]
"If you're looking at Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, or Mitchell Trubisky, would you be willing to trade your second-round draft pick to Philadelphia for Jalen Hurts? Oh yeah. Oh yeah."
Maaaan, I don't know about you but if I'm Howie Roseman I've got to at least consider it.
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I really like Hurts as a person, and I like him as a placeholder starter, a bridge guy when you're looking for your next franchise QB, or basically any role that isn't The Guy for an organization.
But Roseman knows, like everyone else in the league knows, that you've got to really nail the QB position these days if you want to have staying power as an organization in the NFL. And whether that's drafting the next great QB or trading for someone we already know is great, Roseman will need as much draft capital as possible.
Do I think he would trade Hurts without directly doing one of those two things this offseason? No, I don't. Hurts is a clear upgrade from Gardner Minshew, and Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie don't seem willing to fully punt on an entire season in pursuit of a QB - especially after they just improbably made the playoffs in Nick Sirianni's first year.
But I can definitely see multiple scenarios where Roseman gets a bold idea for the QB position this offseason and subsequently sends Hurts elsewhere before the NFL Draft.
We'll see what happens.