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How Jalen Hurts' record-breaking contract with Eagles impacts future Trevor Lawrence deal
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- How Jalen Hurts' record-breaking contract with Eagles impacts future Trevor Lawrence deal
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will soon become the highest-paid player in the league after agreeing to terms on a record-setting five-year, $255 million contract extension that includes $179.304 million in guarantees along with a no-trade clause, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
Hurts ' deal comes as multiple young quarterbacks search for new contracts, including Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow , Baltimore Ravens ' Lamar Jackson and Los Angeles Chargers ' Justin Herbert .
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) talks with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) after the game of an NFL first round playoff football matchup Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Los Angeles Chargers on a field goal 31-30. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Those deals likely will come down the pipeline within the calendar year, or sooner in Jackson's case.
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Following this season, though, Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence will also be searching for a new deal that will likely — when signed — make Hurts' new deal seem like standard practice by comparison.
Teams and players can begin negotiating new deals outside of rookie contracts following the player's third year in the league. Lawrence just finished his second season and will be eligible for a new contract in December this year. By then, some, or all of the aforementioned QBs may already have new deals in place.
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Looking back at contracts signed by top-rated QBs over the past few years, the upwards trend has continued with every deal signed with Hurts now being paid $51 million per year.
Here are the contract averages of some of the more notable deals signed over the past two years, including three young quarterbacks Kyler Murray , Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes .
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Deshaun Watson , five years, $230 million, $46 million APY, $230 million total guaranteed, signed March 2022
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Aaron Rodgers , three years, $150,815,000, $50,271,667 APY, $150,665,000 total guaranteed, signed March 2022
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Russell Wilson , five years, $2450,000,000, $49 million APY, $165 million total guaranteed, signed Sept. 2022
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Kyler Murray, five years, $160 million, $46.1 million APY, $160 million total guaranteed, signed July 2022
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Josh Allen, six years, $150 million, $43 million APY, $150 total guaranteed, signed Aug. 2021
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Patrick Mahomes, 10 years, $450 million, $45 million APY, $141 million total guaranteed, signed July 2020
The most recent deal signed by any of these QBs is Murray, who signed his deal in July 2022.
Hurts' average per year is just shy of $5 million more, while his guaranteed money dwarfs Murray's deal with over $19 million more.
Not all quarterbacks will sign deals that are of the "record-setting" variety, but that has been the case with the young QBs over the years, including Allen when he signed his deal and Mahomes a few years ago. The guaranteed money also reflects that.
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Aside from Rodgers, all quarterbacks signed received a pay raise in terms of guaranteed money over the last player to sign a deal. That is standard practice for most high-paid positions in the NFL these days.
There is an outlier in the data with Watson signing an unprecedented deal with the Browns that guaranteed his contract completely, something that typically is not done and has been one of the contested positions in regards to Jackson and the Ravens' negotiations.
Where Lawrence's contract sits, and where it could head
Still, this gives a clearer picture as to how much Lawrence might make when he is eligible to sign a new deal after this season.
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On his rookie deal, Lawrence will earn $36,190,486 over the lifetime of his four-year contract signed shortly following the 2021 NFL Draft. He earns an average of $9,198,372 per year, which currently ranks 17th among quarterbacks, 18th once Hurts' deal is finalized.
Former Clemson teammates Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence and now Jacksonville Jaguars teammates with their new jerseys during an introductory press conference Friday, April 30, 2021, in Jacksonville, Fla. (Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP)
There's no question Lawrence will be owed more than Hurts, given the trajectory of quarterback contracts in recent years.
If we take the annual average increase over the most recent young QB to sign a deal, Hurts' contract is worth 9.6 percent more than the deal Murray signed. A near 10 percent increase isn't unfathomable, especially as the salary cap continues to raise.
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A contract that sees Lawrence paid $55-60 million per year is also not unreasonable, given that Burrow, Jackson and Herbert should sign deals prior to Lawrence inking his — if the teams have enough foresight.
If that's the case, a contract worth $300 million over five years with total guarantees in the $200 million range is not unfathomable for Lawrence.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) runs past Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark (55) during the first half of an NFL divisional round playoff football game, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
With every new deal signed, the price of the next player increases, naturally, even if the player isn't viewed as talented as the last. See New York Giants QB Daniel Jones ' contract compared to Dark Prescott's — nearly identical aside from the total guaranteed money.
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Lawrence isn't like Jones, however, his ceiling will likely be higher after completing a stellar second year with 25 touchdowns thrown to just eight interceptions after taking the Jaguars to the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Time will tell, but the price of the NFL quarterback just went up and it will continue to do so up until Lawrence finally inks his deal with Jacksonville.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82 .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: How does Hurts' new contract impact Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence's future?
