PHILADELPHIA − It would seem like Jalen Hurts’ mega-contract that he signed earlier this week would have a significant impact on the Eagles’ draft strategy.
But really, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said Thursday that the Eagles had already started planning for the eventuality before giving Hurts a five-year extension worth as much as $255 million, the richest contract in NFL history.
Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni met with the media Thursday to discuss Hurts’ contract and the Eagles’ preparation for the three-day NFL draft that begins next Thursday night with Round 1. The second and third rounds will be held Friday night, with Rounds 4-7 on Saturday.
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By signing Hurts now, with one year left on his rookie contract, the Eagles can spread out the signing bonus on this year’s salary cap. According to ESPN, Hurts’ salary cap hit is still only $6.15 million this season and $13.56 million in 2024, before going up dramatically the next two seasons, and most likely even more after that.
Then again, the NFL’s salary cap is also rising dramatically. It’s at $225 million this season, up from $208 million last year, and reports are that it could get up to $250 million in 2024.
So that means the Eagles can continue to build around Hurts, even as his extension begins in 2024.
Here, then, are five takeaways from what Roseman and Sirianni had to say about Hurts and the draft, and even the signing of a former head coach who clashed with cornerback Darius Slay in Detroit:
1. Money won’t change Hurts
Sure, Hurts has missed games with injuries. He missed one game in 2021 with a sprained ankle that required surgery after the season, and two more last season because of a shoulder injury.
Yet the Eagles aren’t going to ask Hurts to run less in order to protect their investment.
“We didn’t pay him more to do less,” Sirianni said.
“We’ll have new wrinkles next year, obviously,” Sirianni said. “We’re going to figure out ways to do things that we’ve done better. How we can coach him better. How we can get guys around him better. And we’ll grow on the schemes that we have to maximize Jalen’s ability. But make no mistake about it, that’s our job to do those things.”
2. Money won’t change Hurts, Part II
That also applies to Hurts’ makeup. Roseman, for one, has seen past Eagles quarterbacks like Carson Wentz, Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb sign huge contract extensions. With those contracts comes the responsibility on the field of living up to it, but off the field of not letting it cloud their approach and their judgment.
“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 offseason,” Roseman said. “I know how much football matters to him. I know how much he wants to be coached.
“I don’t have any doubt in my mind that giving Jalen this contract will not change the person that Jalen is.”
Then Roseman started laughing to himself as he said: “He’ll come in in a Ferrari convertible on Monday. He’ll drive in,” before adding: “Jalen, if you’re listening to this, rent (the Ferrari).”
3. Draft-day trades
If there’s one thing the Eagles are known for, it’s making trades on draft day. That would seem especially ripe with two picks in the first round (at No. 10 and No. 30), no picks in Rounds 4, 5 and 6, and with as many as 12 picks in 2024.
But Roseman said he’s not necessarily looking to re-acquire some of those mid-round picks by trading back in the first round.
Roseman used an example from last spring, when he said he got more trade offers for the Eagles’ third-round pick than he has had in recent memory. But Roseman turned the offers down because he saw he had a chance to get linebacker Nakobe Dean, who was dropping after originally being projected as a late first-round or early second-round pick.
“I think the most important thing for us is not necessarily to win the draft in terms of how many picks we can possibly get, and how many players we can possibly pick, but getting the right players,” Roseman said.
That also includes the philosophy of the Eagles possibly taking Texas running back Bijan Robinson with their pick at No. 10. Or if not there, taking Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the No. 30 pick. The Eagles haven’t drafted a running back in the first round since Keith Byars in 1986.
Robinson, especially, is considered one of the top talents in the draft, and is often compared to the Giants’ Saquon Barkley.
“I think the most important thing when you’re picking in the first round, certainly when you’re picking at 10, is that you get a unique player,” Roseman said. “And I think there are so few unique players in any draft … We’re just trying to be as open-minded as possible about what that looks like, and making sure that whoever we pick is someone that can really impact the game.”
4. What about Jalen Carter?
Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is also someone who’s possible for the Eagles’ “unique player” situation. But Carter pleaded no contest on Thursday to two misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing that stemmed from a car crash in January that killed two people (those killed were in a different car).
For some teams, that, along with a reported poor Pro Day, could lead to teams passing on Carter in the draft.
Roseman said if the Eagles draft Carter, it’ll be because of information the team has gathered from vice president of team security/chief security officer Dom DiSandro.
“We rely on (DiSandro) for things like this,” Roseman said. “At the end of the day, he does a tremendous job of getting all the information and putting us in a position to make decisions. I think every decision is unique to the player and the situation. We’ll have every piece of information at our disposal.”
5. Eagles make a mess of hiring
On the Eagles’ website, they announced a bunch of coaching changes, including the addition of Matt Patricia as a senior defensive assistant.
That was quickly taken down a few minutes later, just before Roseman’s and Sirianni’s press conference. When asked if Patricia had been hired, Sirianni replied: “I know there was a report out that was said. It’s trending in that direction and nothing’s final yet.”
It became final during the press conference.
Patricia is the long-time New England Patriots defensive coordinator who left to become the Detroit Lions’ head coach in 2018. Eagles cornerback Darius Slay played for Patricia in Detroit, and cited him as the reason why he wanted a trade after the 2019 season.
Sirianni was asked if he talked to Slay about hiring Patricia.
“Of course, you go through and talk to guys and make sure everybody’s comfortable with it,” Sirianni said. “I had conversations with Slay. Obviously, I had conversations with Coach Patricia. I know it’ll be a good working relationship for us when that happens.”
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
