Inspired by our recent poll on Twitter/X, the public tends to agree that Jalen Hurts could end up being the best quarterback in Philadelphia Eagles history when all is said and done.
But what does he have to do to take that title officially? He is only entering his fourth season as a starter in 2024, yet he has already accomplished a decent amount—let’s see what else he needs to do.
What Hurts Has Done
At the very least, Hurts has already had possibly the greatest peak of any quarterback in team history, finishing second in MVP voting at his best. In the 2022 regular season, he finished with a 14-1 record—a 93.3 percent win rate—and 3,701 passing yards, 760 yards on the ground, 35 total touchdowns, only six interceptions, completed 66.5 percent of his passes, finished with a 66.8 quarterback rating (QBR), and had 95.7 expected points added (EPA). Of course, he was incredible in the postseason, too, which adds a lot to his 2022 campaign.
In the playoffs, Hurts had 579 passing yards, 143 rushing yards, eight total touchdowns, zero interceptions, completed 66.7 percent of his passes, had a 78.1 QBR, and ended up with 21.9 EPA in three games. He was arguably the best player that either the Eagles or Kansas City Chiefs fielded in the Super Bowl even though he lost—it’s hard to top what he did.
For his career, Hurts has 34 wins, 11,754 passing yards, 2,503 rushing yards, 1o8 total touchdowns, 34 interceptions, a 63.4 completion percentage (Cmp%), consecutive campaigns with a 60.0 QBR or better, and back-to-back seasons with a top-five finish in EPA.
At just 25 years of age, Hurts is only getting started—a long and impressive career awaits.
Donovan McNabb
Right now, there’s no question that Donovan McNabb has done more than Hurts. After a few seasons of not even sniffing the playoffs without him under center, McNabb changed the narrative around Eagles football. He played in a different era, so his numbers aren’t exactly incredible, but he led Philadelphia to the NFC Championship five times in 11 seasons.
McNabb had 92 wins, passed for 32,873 yards with the Eagles alone, had a 59.0 Cmp%, and scored 262 total touchdowns, throwing 117 interceptions in the process. QBR and EPA weren’t implemented until much later in his tenure with the Birds, but he had one QBR finish of 60.0 and zero top-five EPA campaigns in four cracks at it. With six Pro Bowls and a runner-up finish for MVP just like Hurts, they actually have a somewhat similar timeline.
Hurts could pass McNabb’s rushing total in 2024, seeing as the latter had 3,249 yards with the Eagles—just 746 short. McNabb had some elite playoff performances but never won a Super Bowl, so Hurts’ ticket to fame seems to be somewhat attainable with his trajectory.
Randall Cunningham
Randall Cunningham also played 11 seasons with the Eagles, but his era is even harder to compare to today’s. Still, with 63 wins, 22,877 passing yards, 4,482 rushing yards, 182 total touchdowns, 1o5 interceptions, and a 55.7 Cmp%, he was one of the legendary innovators of the 1980s and 1990s. He had two runner-up finishes for MVP in Philadelphia and was a highlight reel machine.
With only seven postseason appearances and none in the Super Bowl, Cunningham is limited in that way. Again, comparing stats from era to era can be unfair, but this is a battle that Hurts can win if he plays a few more great seasons.
Ron Jaworski
At this point, we’re already back to the 1970s and 1980s. Ron Jaworski was arguably the Eagles’ greatest quarterback before the two just mentioned came along—he deserves his flowers. In 10 seasons with Philadelphia, Jaworski had a Super Bowl appearance and finished third in MVP voting at his best.
Jaworski had 69 wins, 26,963 passing yards, just 772 on the ground, 187 total touchdowns, 151 interceptions, and a 53.3 Cmp%. Those passing numbers seem to be getting worse and worse, but it’s important to recognize that the NFL wasn’t as passer-friendly as it is now. Regardless, he should be on the Mount Rushmore of Eagles quarterbacks.
Nick Foles
Nick Foles is on here for one reason and one reason only—he won the Eagles’ first and only Super Bowl, capturing Super Bowl MVP in the process. He did have an incredible 2013 campaign with 27 passing touchdowns versus two interceptions, an NFL-best 119.2 passer rating, and a Pro Bowl nod, but he did most of his damage in 2017 as a backup quarterback who magically led Philadelphia to a championship.
Hurts has already passed Foles’ numbers—21 wins, 8,703 passing yards, 351 rushing yards, 62 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, a 62.9 percent Cmp%, and three QBR seasons above 60.0 are almost all below what the Eagles’ current franchise quarterback has done. Unless he wins a Super Bowl like Foles, though, some might never have him ranked ahead.
There are a few others who deserve honorable mentions such as Norm Van Brocklin, Sonny Jurgensen, Tommy Thompson, and Carson Wentz, but Hurts has arguably surpassed them. The first of these four only played three seasons with the Birds, the second has a similar issue, the third played his last game nearly 75 years ago (the game of football was very different), and the last appeared in just one playoff game—he was out of the contest with less than six minutes off of the first-quarter clock due to a concussion.
Hurts still has a long way to go, but there is a world where he could be the best quarterback in team history. A few more great seasons and, hopefully, a Super Bowl ring in Philadelphia could get him over the hump.
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