Every NFL season brings a new shiny toy at quarterback. The quarterback-driven discourse that envelopes the sport almost necessitates it.
Any time a young quarterback sheds the shackles of uncertainty and ascends into the company of their more established peers, they are put on this pedestal that elevates their status beyond reality. Newer is always better. It’s blinding.
Sometimes the hype is warranted, sometimes it isn’t. Other times the hype isn’t misguided, but premature.
The immediate rise of Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson after their first seasons as starters was more than justified. By contrast, rookie Baker Mayfield and second-year Carson Wentz turned out to be flukes. Then there are the Jared Goffs of the world, quarterbacks who probably got too much credit during their initial claim to fame but have since improved and eventually made good on their early-career excitement.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was the face of this fast-rising quarterback phenomenon in 2022. Hurts took over as the starter in 2021, but he was far from the entrenched starter by the end of the season. Beyond up-and-down play throughout the year, Hurts was completely embarrassed by Todd Bowles’ Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense in the playoffs. That game alone cast doubt on Hurts’ status moving forward.
All of that went out the window the following season. Hurts took a step forward in 2022. So did the offense around him, thanks primarily to the trade for star wide receiver A.J. Brown. Seemingly overnight, the Eagles became the most explosive passing offense with a run game, led by Hurts, that could grind down any defense. It was the perfect storm of an ascending quarterback cradled by an elite supporting cast.
That season undoubtedly pulled Hurts out of the sea of uncertainty. Hurts left no doubt that he was a starting quarterback in this league and that he had the tools to lead an overwhelming offense under the right conditions.
At the same time, there was a rush to throw Hurts into the elite tier of quarterbacks. There always is. An out-of-nowhere MVP campaign and Super Bowl appearance will understandably do that for a young quarterback. But that rush to crown Hurts was rooted more in team results than in the process. Hurts was a quality quarterback on an elite team, and the latter inflated the status of the former.
