When Eagles general manager Howie Roseman addressed Jalen Hurts’ contract extension recently, he was asked about another similar situation.
In June 2019, secure in the belief that Carson Wentz was their franchise quarterback of the moment and deep into the future, the Eagles signed him to a four-year, $128 million extension.
One minute Wentz was the answer, and then he wasn’t.
- April 2020: Eagles draft Jalen Hurts in the second round, ostensibly as Wentz’ back-up.
- Dec. 13, 2000: Hurts wins his first start, 24-21, over the Saints. He starts the final three games of the 4-11-1 season, losing all three.
- Jan. 21, 2021: Eagles hire Nick Sirianni, replacing Doug Pederson.
- March 17, 2021: Wentz is traded to Indianapolis
- Sept. 12, 2021: Hurts starts season opener and leads Eagles to 32-6 win over the Falcons. He has been QB1 ever since.
Roseman assured the fans through the media last week that Hurts’ contract extension is a priority. Understandably, Roseman was asked about the Wentz contract.
Question: The fact that last time you gave out a big contract to a quarterback, it didn’t work out as envisioned. How did that inform your thinking? Does it influence you at all this time around?
- Roseman: “I think each example is on its own. And you’ve got to look at the individual player, and that’s not to be critical to anyone we’ve given a contract to that hasn’t worked out.
- “But I think when we talk about Jalen, we’re talking about a guy we have tremendous confidence in, a guy that we want to be here for a long time.”
Comparing Wentz and Hurts is apples and oranges. Hurts is going to be the Eagles’ starter for the next decade.
DANIEL JEREMIAH ON EAGLES’ DRAFT
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network’s senior draft analyst — and Eagles’ West Coast scout from 2010-12 — held a conference call on this week’s combine and April’s draft.
One name making the rounds for the Eagles is Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who is 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, aggressive and physical. The Eagles have the 10th pick in the draft. He could be a target, given that James Bradberry becomes a free agent on March 15 and Darius Slay turns 33 on Jan. 1.
The last first-round cornerback drafted by the Eagles was Lito Sheppard in 2002.
- “I just think Witherspoon is a stud,” Jeremiah said.
- “I think having been in that building and seen Asante Samuel there, I think you could make an easy comparison there with just the playmaking ability, take the ball away.
- “We’ll see what Bradberry ends up doing in the offseason. I imagine he is probably going to get paid somewhere. So if they don’t re-sign him, there’s going to be a need there as well.
- “There are a zillion free agents they have to navigate around, but that’s one I would think would be hard to retain.”
Many mock drafts have Witherspoon available at No. 10, the pick the Eagles got from the Saints.
Jeremiah said the Eagles’ focus should be Super Bowl-centric. Everything they do should have one goal in mind: Making improvements for another Super Bowl run.
- “If you are where the Eagles are right now. Your thought process going into a draft is — it’s not the division anymore,” Jeremiah said.
- “It’s not even the conference. It’s what do we have to do to win a Super Bowl, and what do we have to do to get off the field [defensively] when we’re going to have to go up against Patrick Mahomes or whoever else is coming out of the AFC, be it Joe Burrow, Josh Allen.”
The draft will be held April 27-29, in Kansas City.
THE EAGLES’ PICKS:
- First round, 10th overall
- First round, 30th overall
- Second round, 62nd overall
- Third round, 94th overall
- Seventh round, 221st overall (from the Vikings through the Texans in Jalen Reagor trade)
- Seventh round, 250th overall
A VOTE FOR WILSON
Cornerback Darius Slay tweeted about defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson and the Eagles’ vacant defensive coordinator position:
Man with all these new coaches getting jobs.. I kno my guy Dennard Wilson should be a DC in the NFL!!
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson also endorsed Wilson on Twitter.
SIRIANNI ON SUPER BOWL
Sirianni spoke nostalgically about his 2022 Super Bowl runner-up team, which already is breaking up:
- “Half the fun of this thing, half the reason we do this, and a big part of the reason is the journey,” he said.
- “So, without getting sentimental here, that is the last time that that group of men will be together.
- “So you know you’re going to – like Howie said, not everybody – it’s not going to be the same team. There’s going to be draft picks. Jonathan [Gannon] is gone. Shane [Steichen] is gone. Different things are going to happen.
- “But you look back. You always cherish that journey. It didn’t end the way you wanted it to, but the journey was special. The men involved in the journey were special.
- “The relationships that were built will last forever.”
